Vegetables out of a bag unhealthy?
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There is no difference between your green beans that you pull of the shelf in bulk and put in a bag and the green beans that are already bagged and frozen...actually, there is a bit of a difference...frozen will actually retain more nutrients than fresh.
Nothing wrong with pre-bagged fresh either except that they are more expensive due to convenience factor.4 -
I think I might understand what the original poster is asking. For instance, I shop at Wegman's and they have tons of "Ready to Eat" pre-bagged/cut/cleaned veggies. They have green beans that have had the ends snapped and strings peeled. They have broccoli already cut up in florets. And so on. Now, personally, I think they are still "healthy" but I don't believe their quality is as fresh as buying the loose produce out in the bins. It's just older and, therefore, has probably lost some nutrients.1
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I think I might understand what the original poster is asking. For instance, I shop at Wegman's and they have tons of "Ready to Eat" pre-bagged/cut/cleaned veggies. They have green beans that have had the ends snapped and strings peeled. They have broccoli already cut up in florets. And so on. Now, personally, I think they are still "healthy" but I don't believe their quality is as fresh as buying the loose produce out in the bins. It's just older and, therefore, has probably lost some nutrients.
Actually, it won't be any older than the regular produce, and is often 'fresher' - as in, has been in the store for less time. The reason is because once someone does something to a vegetable or fruit that compromises the exterior you're making it more vulnerable to mold and such. Therefore, that produce is tossed sooner than the still intact produce.5 -
Famof72015 wrote: »I'm trying to stay away from anything in a bag or box but I really am unsure if vegetables in a bag are unhealthy for you?
why would the packaging make something unhealthy ...???
and why are you avoiding something for a box or bag?????????1 -
Some advocates for "clean eating" will say that one shouldn't eat "anything out of a box or bag". This question illustrates why that is bad advice.
Those of us who don't buy into "clean eating" will point out that all food is processed to some degree, including fresh fruits and vegetables. Advocates for clean eating" will accuse their opponents of bad faith with statements such as "When I say 'processed', I clearly don't mean things like frozen vegetables'". Yet apparently some people out there DO think this way.
OP, frozen vegetables out of a box are a good choice. You should reconsider whether you want to base your diet off of unhelpful, arbitrary rules.
Agree with all of it, especially the bolded... I can't count how many times I've seen a "clean eating" proponent say "you know what I meant" when someone challenges the arbitrary rules with a picture of bagged salad, baby carrots, or frozen vegetables...
OP - I know it's easy to feel defensive, but try not to. People are simply trying to point out how arbitrary and unhelpful these sorts of rules are, and help you understand that there is such a wide variety of commercially available foods today - and all of it has been processed in some ways. Processing is not synonymous with unhealthy. I eat a variety of foods - many of them convenience items that would definitely not fit your criteria. In fact, I just finished a frozen Healthy Choice meal with extra chicken added. It is within my calories, has vegetables, protein, and carbs. Other days this week I've eaten leftovers from a meal I cooked which included chicken, vegetables, and pasta. You can eat processed foods as part of a healthful overall diet. You can also eat nothing but whole foods and still gain weight and be unhealthy. It's all about balance.7 -
TavistockToad wrote: »Famof72015 wrote: »I honestly wasn't looking for smart *kitten* responses, so thank you to those who answered my question and didn't make fun of it. I teach my my children to not make fun of people to everyone who just made fun of my question, thanks it made me feel great for asking.
Can I ask what a normal days worth of food looks like, with nothing out of a packet? Presumably you have your own farm?
I'd like to know as well. I don't know of anyone personally who doesn't eat something from a bag and/or box.2 -
Famof72015 wrote: »I honestly wasn't looking for smart *kitten* responses, so thank you to those who answered my question and didn't make fun of it. I teach my my children to not make fun of people to everyone who just made fun of my question, thanks it made me feel great for asking.
I sincerely hope you don't feel that my response was feline. I was not trying to be snarky.3 -
Sabine_Stroehm wrote: »Famof72015 wrote: »I honestly wasn't looking for smart *kitten* responses, so thank you to those who answered my question and didn't make fun of it. I teach my my children to not make fun of people to everyone who just made fun of my question, thanks it made me feel great for asking.
I sincerely hope you don't feel that my response was feline. I was not trying to be snarky.
Me neither and I did,as did several other people,ask for clarification.
In the uk,unless you grow your own veg or pick them at a pyo farm,there is no way of knowing how fresh they are or how long they've been on the shelf. If they smell and look ok and aren't limp/yellow etc then I assume they're ok,whether loose or in bags. If they're frozen they're probably ok too,though personally I dislike some frozen veg like broccoli as I don't think it's as nice as fresh stuff. I wouldn't worry too much about it.0 -
if I could not eat anything out of a bag or box I would probably starve to death ...6
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Famof72015 wrote: »I'm trying to stay away from anything in a bag or box but I really am unsure if vegetables in a bag are unhealthy for you?
A bag of fresh carrots have the same nutrients as a loose carrot.
Plain frozen vegetables do not have added ingredients. Look at the label. It is no more unhealthy than if you picked green beans from your garden and froze them.4 -
I think I might understand what the original poster is asking. For instance, I shop at Wegman's and they have tons of "Ready to Eat" pre-bagged/cut/cleaned veggies. They have green beans that have had the ends snapped and strings peeled. They have broccoli already cut up in florets. And so on. Now, personally, I think they are still "healthy" but I don't believe their quality is as fresh as buying the loose produce out in the bins. It's just older and, therefore, has probably lost some nutrients.
Actually, it won't be any older than the regular produce, and is often 'fresher' - as in, has been in the store for less time. The reason is because once someone does something to a vegetable or fruit that compromises the exterior you're making it more vulnerable to mold and such. Therefore, that produce is tossed sooner than the still intact produce.
It has been my personal experience that if I buy green beans out of the bin (the ones I have to snap myself) versus the bagged ones, the loose ones are better/fresher tasting. The same goes for broccoli crowns or heads of broccoli in the bins versus the pre-cut bagged broccoli. But I often by the bagged stuff when I need to save time. It's still fine, but I don't think it's as fresh as the regular produce. Of course, that can vary from store to store depending how well they keep up their produce sections.0 -
The only time i use frozen veggies is when i make stir fry's, only because i couldn't be arsed buying them all separately, but personally i prefer the taste and texture of fresh vegetables.
I don't think there's anything clean or unclean about frozen produce, it's just not my thing, especially when we have a huge selection to choose from in our fruit and veggie shops.
ETA: Not that this would stop me, but my mum would flip out if she found out any of her kids were using frozen veggies
I doubt she has ever even tried any. 3 -
This is why the diet industry and these vultures who get rich of the newest clean eating fad really chap my kitten. Having people question the health of veggies in a bag now? Smh.
And this is NOT a go at you OP. It's a comment on a blood sucking industry that spreads lies and misinformation for profit and clicks.14 -
I think I might understand what the original poster is asking. For instance, I shop at Wegman's and they have tons of "Ready to Eat" pre-bagged/cut/cleaned veggies. They have green beans that have had the ends snapped and strings peeled. They have broccoli already cut up in florets. And so on. Now, personally, I think they are still "healthy" but I don't believe their quality is as fresh as buying the loose produce out in the bins. It's just older and, therefore, has probably lost some nutrients.
I'm finding in my grocery, the pre-bagged/cut/cleaned veggies are MUCH fresher than the loose product. By a long shot. But I'm sure that all has to do with region, store, etc.... And they make meal prep a snap.2 -
Stella3838 wrote: »I think I might understand what the original poster is asking. For instance, I shop at Wegman's and they have tons of "Ready to Eat" pre-bagged/cut/cleaned veggies. They have green beans that have had the ends snapped and strings peeled. They have broccoli already cut up in florets. And so on. Now, personally, I think they are still "healthy" but I don't believe their quality is as fresh as buying the loose produce out in the bins. It's just older and, therefore, has probably lost some nutrients.
I'm finding in my grocery, the pre-bagged/cut/cleaned veggies are MUCH fresher than the loose product. By a long shot. But I'm sure that all has to do with region, store, etc.... And they make meal prep a snap.
I find the same. For the price they charge, the prepped ones have to be better quality0 -
Christine_72 wrote: »ETA: Not that this would stop me, but my mum would flip out if she found out any of her kids were using frozen veggies I doubt she has ever even tried any.
This cracked me up because my parents were anti-frozen too. I feel almost rebellious buying frozen veggies, especially if they have a sauce.
I prefer fresh, but I like some frozen veggies quite a bit.3 -
WinoGelato wrote: »This is a perfect example of why the arbitrary term "clean eating" and many of the subjective rules associated with it, are so unhelpful and confusing. There is nothing wrong with eating frozen vegetables - from a nutrient standpoint they are just as good as fresh, and from an availability/seasonality perspective - they are often superior.
OP - why do you think that you need to avoid foods that come in a bag or box? Are you also going to avoid other things like rice, quinoa, dried beans and pasta that are pretty impossible to get from store to home without some sort of packaging?
Whenever I picture clean eating I picture someone at the sink washing everything they eat before comsumption. Must be why many of these same people don't eat bread and pasta. It can't be washed!1 -
Famof72015 wrote: »I honestly wasn't looking for smart *kitten* responses, so thank you to those who answered my question and didn't make fun of it. I teach my my children to not make fun of people to everyone who just made fun of my question, thanks it made me feel great for asking.
Wow.
No one was making fun of you. This post was completely unnecessary.
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I'm uncertain what about a bag or a box makes something unhealthy to begin with? Does it affect the nutritional value somehow? Also, how do you get your groceries home?4
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