Why the Bad Rap on Canned Veggies ?

2

Replies

  • ValerieMartini2Olives
    ValerieMartini2Olives Posts: 3,024 Member
    Canned green beans especially look so awful... my mom served a lot of canned veggies. I couldn't believe how GOOD a lot of veggies tasted when I grew up and had them FRESH!

    Yep. I thought I didn't like green beans or peas. Turns out, I didn't like *canned* green beans or peas.

    QFT
  • ashandloggiesmom
    ashandloggiesmom Posts: 92 Member
    Canned or fresh, or frozen, if your eating vegetables at all it is better for you than if you did not eat them, sodium and or not. Get in all the veggies you can!
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
    I find most canned veggies overcooked. OMG canned greens are the worst! Just mush. But I use a lot of canned beans. I'm not much for planning meals ahead so when I decide to make something with beans, I don't want to wait 4 hours to eat.

    If sodium is a problem, just buy low sodium or 'no salt added' canned veggies.
  • melgillis
    melgillis Posts: 76 Member
    I too prefer frozen. I think I heard somewhere the nutrients are preserved in the freezing process. Even more so than if you buy fresh and keep them in your refrigerator for five days. As far as sodium in canned, a rinse in the colander before cooking usually helps that.
  • neandermagnon
    neandermagnon Posts: 7,436 Member
    they taste vile!!!

    as others have said..... they are heated to high temperatures as part of the canning process, which removes some of the nutritional value as some vitamins are heat sensitive. Also, they often add salt. IMO both these things affect the flavour so i tend not to use canned veggies, although I do sometimes. They're not going to kill you, unless you already have serious health problems from too much sodium. Fresh or frozen are better, due to no added sodium and containing more vitmains, however canned is way better than no veggies at all. If you're eating fresh fruit then whatever vitamins are not in the canned veggies will be in the fresh fruit.
  • fitacct
    fitacct Posts: 242 Member
    I use no-salt-added/no-sugar-added canned fruits and vegetables all the time, in addition to frozen fruits and veggies, whenever I am out of fresh produce or when I'm in a hurry. You might be interested in reading these articles as they support the fact that canned and frozen veggies/fruits are usually packaged at the peak of freshness and are loaded with nutrients:

    http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/05/27/really-the-claim-fresh-produce-has-more-nutrients-than-canned/

    http://www.newstribune.com/news/2012/sep/30/fresh-frozen-and-canned-vegetables-there-really-di/
  • BlueBombers
    BlueBombers Posts: 4,064 Member
    Other than canned tomatoes for sauces, I just find I don't like the way they taste...icky.

    Fresh or frozen any day!
  • action_figure
    action_figure Posts: 511 Member
    Some people just can't use all the fresh veggies within the week !
    Let alone spending gas money to and from the store.

    BPA, sodium and they taste like *kitten*. Frozen veggies are better than canned.
  • BlueBombers
    BlueBombers Posts: 4,064 Member
    BPA, sodium and they taste like *kitten*. Frozen veggies are better than canned.
    [/quote]

    Hah! Loved how you described the taste :)
  • action_figure
    action_figure Posts: 511 Member
    BPA, sodium and they taste like *kitten*. Frozen veggies are better than canned.

    Hah! Loved how you described the taste :)
    [/quote]

    I'm here to help. ;)
  • ramda01
    ramda01 Posts: 3
    To me frozen tastes awful !
    Fresh or Canned (No Salt, No Sugar Added) as our stores have them around here. As far as BPA so what ! there's so much pollution in the air alone its not going to make that much difference.
  • lucystacy71
    lucystacy71 Posts: 290 Member
    I grew up on a farm, so I'm just more used to fresh vegetables. Canned just doesn't taste as good to me. It doesn't even take like vegetables. I have several bags of frozen green beans from the garden in the freezer, and I'm drying out some others. Delicious. I agree with others that said canned is better than nothing, but I still prefer fresh or frozen.
  • stepplax
    stepplax Posts: 26
    But canned peas are so sweet, smooshy, and delicious!!!!
  • froeschli
    froeschli Posts: 1,292 Member
    personally, i like canned beans (as in kidney beans or chick peas), corn and tomatoes. the other stuff, i prefer fresh or frozen - yeah, the cans may last until the next ice age, but seriously, anything that expires more than a few months down the road is a wee bit creepy.
  • FourIsCompany
    FourIsCompany Posts: 269 Member
    I eat fresh 90% of the time and prefer that to anything, but when I do eat canned, I get the 'no salt added' varieties. I prefer canned over frozen.
  • ChrisM8971
    ChrisM8971 Posts: 1,067 Member
    For me its fresh, then frozen then canned in the most part, but there are some exceptions.

    Peas, frozen every time for me, so simple and easy

    Tinned tomatoes for cooking, don't have the time to work with fresh here most of the time.

    Broad/Fava Beans, while best fresh to me are absolutely fine frozen and the pickers seem to catch them at the right age better than I do lol

    I actually prefer tinned sweetcorn, but look for the ones with no added sugar or salt.

    What I have done this year is grow climbing green beans, courgettes & carrots in pots and new potatoes in bags on the patio. They take up very little space and provide plenty when you don't feel like a trip to the shops :-)
  • 366to266
    366to266 Posts: 473 Member
    Yep frozen are the way to go. They last practically forever, & generally are more vitamin enriched than fresh due to being frozen straight away versus picked, stored, transported.

    ^^^^THIS ^^^^
  • ascrit
    ascrit Posts: 770 Member
    A lot of canned vegetables come is low sodium varieties.
  • loserlee123
    loserlee123 Posts: 109 Member
    They just look gross to me. I mostly use fresh if its a side dish but if being used in a recipe I will use frozen.
  • dkgoetz
    dkgoetz Posts: 65 Member
    I can't stand the mushy texture of canned. I only buy canned veggies like black beans or chick peas (I buy low sodium when I can and rinse them well) or when I'm making soups (since all the flavor pretty much melds together and they're going to get mushy anyway :] )

    Of course fresh is the best, but if you can't get to the store as often as you'd like to stock up, then go frozen!
  • jlapey
    jlapey Posts: 1,850 Member
    Mostly due to sodium. Also, canned vegetables are generally partially cooked (too mushy for my liking) and not well suited to the way I want to prepare them. I prefer fresh but will choose frozen over canned if I have to go there.
  • Fullsterkur_woman
    Fullsterkur_woman Posts: 2,712 Member
    Meh, horses for courses. Unless you're buying from the farmer's market, frozen veg are just fine and may be better than "fresh" in terms of nutrients, because they haven't been sitting on trucks, trains and supermarket shelves forever. I personally love canned green beans and peas, and pretty much all vegetables, actually. But I'll happily eat frozen too, or just raw for a lot of them; I just hate washing and chopping, so that's usually a salad bar thing for me.

    At the end of the day, if it's a choice between eating a serving of vegetables or not, the format is not so important. Just getting in your five a day puts you ahead of the curve!
  • mdcoug
    mdcoug Posts: 397 Member
    It was a gradual process for us. I can't point to one (or even two or three) reasons that I can remember for why we made the switch. But, after eating fresh, and sometimes frozen, veggies, I can't go back. There is a huge taste and texture difference and for me, that is why we don't eat canned very much anymore. However, I do have some on hand for emergencies that we have to rotate through every now and then. That's what they're good for: the apocolypse. :wink:
  • CarmenSRT
    CarmenSRT Posts: 843 Member
    Fresh veggies are preferable to me. Sometimes that isn't possible though. The canned vegetables I eat are canned BY ME so I know what is in them. It's an old fashioned skill, but well worth learning just so you know what the heck is in the food you open. I also pickle the smack out of veggies but for those who have problems with sodium that's not a good option.
  • chezjuan
    chezjuan Posts: 747 Member
    Fresh veggies are preferable to me. Sometimes that isn't possible though. The canned vegetables I eat are canned BY ME so I know what is in them. It's an old fashioned skill, but well worth learning just so you know what the heck is in the food you open. I also pickle the smack out of veggies but for those who have problems with sodium that's not a good option.

    When I was a kid, my dad kept a garden (he still does) and my grandmother would can the vegetables and tomatoes, make pickles (both dill and bread and butter), and generally cook really great fresh food and desserts. Now that I am getting healthy, I am really interested in not only learning to can, but also getting my hands on her recipes (or similar ones online). I really didn't appreciate it enough when I was growing up.
  • jdm_taco
    jdm_taco Posts: 999 Member
    I eat canned veggies and beans because they are high in sodium.
  • NonnyMary
    NonnyMary Posts: 982 Member
    I get canned beans and canned diced tomatos, all low sodium, and they taste GOOD! i use that in chilli or stew type things. YUMMY!! the canned tomatos are kinda sweet, so they make a good sauce!
  • HeadsPoppingOutOfCups
    HeadsPoppingOutOfCups Posts: 115
    I grew up with most of my vegetables coming from cans so I don't mind them. Pickled beats and green bean salad I always use canned. I've been known to just eat a can of peas for dinner. And sometimes I just crave canned potatoes fried in butter and pepper.
  • CarmenSRT
    CarmenSRT Posts: 843 Member
    Fresh veggies are preferable to me. Sometimes that isn't possible though. The canned vegetables I eat are canned BY ME so I know what is in them. It's an old fashioned skill, but well worth learning just so you know what the heck is in the food you open. I also pickle the smack out of veggies but for those who have problems with sodium that's not a good option.

    When I was a kid, my dad kept a garden (he still does) and my grandmother would can the vegetables and tomatoes, make pickles (both dill and bread and butter), and generally cook really great fresh food and desserts. Now that I am getting healthy, I am really interested in not only learning to can, but also getting my hands on her recipes (or similar ones online). I really didn't appreciate it enough when I was growing up.

    There's a Facebook canning group that is HUGE (10,000+ people) and full of very experienced folks who are a valuable resource. If you are interested in it please send me a private message and I'll pass along the info. :smile:
  • Athijade
    Athijade Posts: 3,300 Member
    90% or more of my vegetables or fruit I try to have fresh.

    I also use frozen (especially for things that go IN something like soups or fruit for smoothies). They are easy and keep a long time.

    However, I do also keep canned on hand. This way I know I have SOMETHING I can turn to in a hurry. I plan my meals in advance so I usually have everything on hand, but sometimes I go to make dinner and then go "SHOOT forgot to get *vegetable* to have on the side." At least then I know I can go into the panty and have a choice of something.

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