It turns out that frozen vegetables are often more nutritious than fresh because they're picked at peak ripeness when nutrient levels are highest, usually partly cooked, and frozen before they can degrade.
Freezing spinach does not seem to mean any loss in beta-carotene content. Frozen spinach is terrific to keep on hand for an easy nutrient boost in soups and sauces. For other uses, cook spinach (fresh or frozen) by steaming, microwaving, stir-frying or sautéing to retain folate and vitamin C.
Listeria and e. coli can survive freezing. And there could be re-contamination after the blanching process.
"Fresh veggies often taste the best, especially if the vegetable is in season. But the good news is that the nutritional value of a vegetable isn't reduced during either the canning or freezing process — making canned or frozen veggies just as healthy as fresh ones.
I always keep a pack of frozen spinach in the freezer, it comes in super handy when making smoothies! Is frozen spinach as healthy as fresh? According to the American Institute of Cancer Research, the nutrient content of frozen spinach is very similar to fresh spinach.
It turns out that frozen vegetables are often more nutritious than fresh because they're picked at peak ripeness when nutrient levels are highest, usually partly cooked, and frozen before they can degrade.
One cup of frozen spinach has more than four times the amount of nutrients, such as fiber, folate, iron and calcium, than a cup of fresh spinach, so if you want to power up, do it with frozen spinach.
Some Vitamins Are Lost During Processing of Frozen Produce
Certain nutrients are also lost during the blanching process. In fact, the greatest loss of nutrients occurs at this time. Blanching takes place prior to freezing, and involves placing the produce in boiling water for a short time — usually a few minutes.
In general, the differences in nutritional value between fresh and frozen vegetables are so minor that they would unlikely impact your overall health. When shopping for frozen vegetables, keep an eye out for added sugar, salt, and sauces.
"My favorite anti-inflammatory frozen food is chopped spinach," says Julson. "I always keep a bag in my freezer. Sauté with some garlic and olive oil for a super-quick and delicious side dish." And Julson isn't the only spinach fan.
The memo notes that, because frozen spinach is blanched, and assuming it is properly cooked by the consumer, it should pose no threat since E. coli 0157:H7 is heat-sensitive.
After cooking frozen spinach, it needs to be completely drained. To do this, I place the spinach in a round metal steaming basket, close the sides, and then squeeze. It's easier to clean than a strainer and less messy than paper towels.
Frozen spinach can be subbed in pretty much any place you'd normally be cooking raw spinach. And since raw spinach is watery, you'll probably need to cook it down anyway—otherwise, it'll release its water and change the texture and flavor of your finished dish.
One package (10 ounces) of frozen spinach leaves yields about 1-1/2 cups after cooking. Therefore, you can substitute 1 package (10 ounces) frozen spinach leaves for 1-1/2 pounds of fresh spinach.
Whether it's eaten raw or cooked, spinach packs a punch—it's great for weight loss, fitness and general health maintenance. The Delicate, Green Nutrient-Packed Machine. This natural nutrient factory has a lot offer your body. It's low-calorie, high-nutrient combination make it an excellent weight loss food.
Some Vitamins Are Lost During Processing of Frozen Produce
Generally speaking, freezing helps retain the nutrient content of fruits and vegetables. However, some nutrients begin to break down when frozen produce is stored for more than a year ( 2 ). Certain nutrients are also lost during the blanching process.
The vitamin which is most sensitive to temperature change is vitamin C. It is a well-known fact that during flash freezing (-30°С or -22°F) vitamin C loses its properties by 15-20%.
Vitamin B: Most kinds of vitamin B are lost during the canning process, but freezing traps the majority of complex vitamin B types, including niacin, riboflavin, biotin, folate, and B12 vitamins.
What Are Processed Foods? Not all processing is bad. Frozen fruits and vegetables are processed, but they often retain their nutritional value because they are frozen at their peak ripeness. Canned beans and tomatoes also are minimally processed, so their nutritional benefits are preserved.
The ultra-cold temperature prevents those all-important vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants from degrading. So when you eat them, they're still as nutritious as the day they were picked, Largeman-Roth says. They can help you with your weight-loss goals.
Frozen vegetables work well in cooked dishes like casseroles, stir-fries, pastas and soups (learn more about our favorite cooking techniques below). Favorite options are broccoli, peas, corn, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts and squash.
Keeping spinach in the refrigerator will slow down its nutrient-loss. The spinach kept at 39 degrees retained only 53 percent of its folate after eight days. When it was kept at higher temperatures, the spinach lost its nutrients at an accelerated rate.
Leafy vegetables such as spinach (Spinacia oleracea) are known to contain moderate amounts of soluble and insoluble oxalates. Frozen commercially available spinach in New Zealand contains 736.6 ± 20.4 mg/100g wet matter (WM) soluble oxalate and 220.1 ± 96.5mg/100g WM insoluble oxalate.
Use frozen spinach.
Frozen spinach is blanched to bacteria-killing temperatures before freezing, and the FDA has stated it is not implicated in the current E. coli contamination. The nine Sunset recipes below all work well with frozen spinach.