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frozen necessities
Image by dharmabumx via Flickr

In the winter (at least in Canada, and I would hazard, much of North America) it is really difficult to find good fresh produce!   Greenhouses and local farms can only do so much in the way of providing our “5 to 10” servings of   healthy vegetables and fruits.

Solution?   Why not buy frozen?   You may be surprised to learn that frozen vegetables have many benefits.   They are always plentiful, they are relatively inexpensive, and they are a great source of nutrition, as most are flash frozen ( a process which is normally done just after harvesting, and means that the vital nutrients and healthy *stuff* are not lost, as they cold be if transported long distances to final destination for sale.

Frozen veggies afford us the choices that local producers cannot provide us with year round. Most grocery stores stock a wide variety of frozen fruit and vegetables which are simple to prepare, and cut down on waste.   Because they are ready to serve, you will save yourself time and money in both preparation, as well as purchasing the part of the vegetable or fruit that are edible, as opposed to fresh, which wastes a great deal in peelings, stems, leaves..etc.

Nutritionally, frozen veggies and fruits are just as healthy as fresh! Only a tiny percentage of Vitamin C is lost during the blanching and flash freeze, and the rest of the nutrients are *locked in*   It’s so easy to get the right amount of the good stuff in your diet when it is so readily available.

So, during the cold winter months, fear not the vegetable aisle – avoid it all together if you like and go straight to the frozen foods!   There, you can stock up on your favorites (broccoli, corn, carrots, asparagus, beans, berries, mangoes…the list goes on and on!)

In the warm weather, please support your local farmers and produce growers by buying fresh local produce, but at this time of the year, frozen really is a great way to get your greens, and reds, and oranges, and yellows…and…

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