Canned fruits and vegetables often get a bad reputation and often perceived as a suboptimal choice for your health. This reputation is not always true. Canned vegetables and fruit can not only be friendly to your wallet but also a rich source of nutrients for your body.
The Process of Canning
Canning fruits and vegetables has three essential steps. These three steps means that refrigeration is not needed to maintain product quality, freshness and safety.
Processing
The first step of canning is processing. This is when the fruit and vegetables are cleaned, pitted and chopped as needed prior to canning. Some fruit and vegetables require further processing such as blanching and hydrating. This is the case for dried legumes and beans. The cans are then filled with either juice, syrup, brine, or water before the produce are placed into them.
Heating
After the produce is filled into the can, the can is sealed and then heated. This prevents the produce spoiling and kills any potential microbes present which can make the food unsafe for consumption.
Cooling
After the heating process the can is cooled.
Can Canned Produce Be Healthy?
The short answer is yes. The is because the produce is picked and processed at time of optimal freshness. Canning also preserves and enhances certain nutrients.
Looking at more detail into the nutrients and how they are effected in the canning process, the macronutrients are preserved fully. These includes the fat, protein and carbohydrates. Some of the water-soluble vitamins such as the B vitamins as well as vitamin C, may be effected during processing and decline. The good news is that other nutrients increase with the canning process. An example is lycopene which is more bioavailable for your body after the canning process compared to lycopene from a fresh fruit or vegetable. This is a good reason to enjoy canned tomatoes.
Canned beans are a time effective way to enjoy the health benefits of these nutrients’ rich vegetables. Legumes like lentils need boiling for at least thirty minutes in a quick method or soaking for hours before eating, which many people don’t have the time to do. Canned vegetables require no soaking, simply open the can and enjoy!
Ways to Use Canned Beans and Legumes
Adding beans and legumes to sauces can be an easy way to swap out meat for a plant-based alternative. E.g swapping beef mince for kidney beans on a taco meal.
A classic, family friendly choice meal is no added sugar and salt baked beans on wholegrain bread with some low-fat cheddar cheese on top. This is an easy, complete meal with many nutrition benefits.
Wallet Friendly Produce
The cost of living is making healthier choices harder for many people. Canned fruit and vegetables can be a great way to meet your daily fruit and vegetable needs without blowing the budget. Another bonus is canned fruits and vegetables require no refrigeration. Canned fruits and vegetables also have a long shelf life and peace of mind that you won’t have to deal with moldy produce when you are wanting to use them.
Smart Choices to Make Canned Varieties Healthier
When selecting canned fruit opt for those canned in 100% fruit juice, or in its own juice or canned in water. There are many varieties which are canned in syrup. If a variety of canned fruit or vegetable which does have added sugar or salt, washing the produce before eating can help reduce added sugar and salt content.
Take home message: There is no reason to hate on canned fruit and vegetables. Canned fruit and vegetables can be a healthy way to meet your fruits and vegetables needs each day to promote your optimal health and wellbeing.
If you are seeking, client centered, individualised nutrition support to achieve your nutrition goals, contact Feed Your Future Dietetics today!
