Fresh Food vs Canned Food. Who Wins?
In this world of tight deadlines and busy routines, pinching canned foods of the market shelves has become a habit for many of us. Whatever happened to those trips to the local markets every Sunday to scout for fresh foods? It’s high time we brought back the goodness of fresh foods back in our lives. Know these 5 reasons as to why canned food is not as good as fresh food.
1. Reduced Nutrients
Many things can affect the nutrient contents of food and canning is one of them. No surprises here! Many canned foods go through processes of heat treatment. If you did not know already, the B and C group of vitamins are water soluble. Heat treatments will reduce the nutrient content of canned foods, especially those which contain water soluble nutrients. Another example is tuna which is considered as an oily fish, however its canned version is deprived of the oil. As you had thought, canning removes most of the Omega-3 oil.
2. Flavor & Taste
You don’t need to be a world famous chef to know this. The taste and flavour that you get from fresh produce and fresh meats are unmatched. Great chefs around the world despise the use of canned and tinned products because of obvious reasons. Think of a fresh cut of chicken breast which you can marinate overnight with some exotic herbs and vibrant spices. Can you ever replace this with canned chicken pieces? We don’t think so.
3. Canning has been associated with Botulism
Did you know research suggests that canned food has been associated with Botulism? In plain English Botulism is a condition that causes weakness by certain toxins. The last thing you’d want to know that is someone in your family is suffering from Botulism because of your choice of food. Be warned, if you must opt for canned foods, stay away from any packing that looks swollen or has a bad odor.
4. Problems with dehydration of food
‘Dehydration of food’ sounds wrong doesn’t it? Well, that is exactly what happens when foods such as fruits are dried in order to be canned. Not only does this reduce the amount of vitamin C but also removes essential fibre from plants. And if this wasn’t worse enough, dehydrating of foods also makes them energy dense, which in other words implies that it may affect weight gain.
5. What’s in the package?
Are you hundred percent sure of the ingredients in the tin that you are about to pick up from the supermarket shelf? Yeah, you can read the ingredients, but what if the processes of the manufacturer are faulty? What if the contents are not cooked properly? What if there is contamination? There are too many ‘what ifs’ with canned food. On the other hand, with fresh veggies and meats, what you see is what you get. Fresh, vibrant and healthy!
Freshness, contamination, best before dates, vitamins, nutrients, dehydration, taste, texture, flavor and much more, are the worries caused by canned food. Fresh food is the clear winner. Keep it simple and delicious. Use fresh produce and fresh meats.
