Vegetables out of a bag unhealthy?
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jennybearlv wrote: »CafeRacer808 wrote: »jennybearlv wrote: »I haven't had frozen veggies in 15 years. Have they gotten any better? My mom always bought frozen and they were limp and soggy.
Most all frozen fruit and veg are flash frozen now, but cooking method plays a huge factor in whether or not frozen veg ends up limp or soggy. Very high heat stir frying, for example, results in frozen veg that maintains its crispness.
Exactly. Sounds like your mom just overcooked them. My mom does that with fresh green beans. Cooks them to mush and thinks they're great.
Yeah, my mom was pretty good with fresh, but usually with frozen she'd stick it in the microwave and overcook it. But my dad is the better cook in their house.
That is exactly how my mom cooked them, in a bowl with plastic wrap over it in the microwave. I don't recall ever seeing a steamer insert in our kitchen or eating any vegetable roasted. She microwaved canned as well, but you really can't make those any mushier.
I live two hours from the Central Valley, so there is always something fresh and quality all year. I think I'll keep avoiding the frozen, but I can see how useful they would be for someone up north or living far from a grocery store.
To not completely hijack your thread, OP, sorry. I think frozen veggies would be acceptable. Canned as well as long as you aren't watching sodium. I think cut up bagged veggies are overpriced, but I've got more time than money. Just make sure you wash them before eating them! Remember when all those people got sick from E. coli in bagged "prewashed" organic spinach?
This is how I remember frozen veg being prepared also, which I think is why I tend to stay away from it. Unless i'm making Broccoli soup, then I love it!0 -
How do you buy vegetables without bags?
Well, you would buy it fresh?
Back to the OPs question, vegetables in a bag are far better than no vegetables at all.
I would stay away from baby carrots. I have heard that the way they are processed is not the best.
Frozen vegetables are also healthy. Canned, not as much due to extra sodium, but still better than none at all.
How so?2 -
I found something gross in my packaged zucchini spaghetti the other night. I reckon it's animal poo - which is probably less healthy than if I'd chosen a zucchini off the shelf an thoroughly inspected it.
Australia also recently (end of 2016 if I think) had a nation wide recall of 'prewashed' bagged vegetables due to wide spread salmonella poisoning. I don't think those bagged veggies were particularly 'healthy' either.
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If it weren't for the ability to preserve food to last through the winter, most of us wouldn't be here today and the human race would survive only in a narrow climate ban. There's nothing wrong in eating food from a box, bag, or that has "preservatives."7
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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?
They're only unhealthy if they have some sort of sauce on them. They're just flash frozen.
I buy frozen broccoli because it's easier to toss into recipes. I also buy it fresh and roast it. Both ways are good.1 -
motherofdragons84 wrote: »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?
They're only unhealthy if they have some sort of sauce on them. They're just flash frozen.
I buy frozen broccoli because it's easier to toss into recipes. I also buy it fresh and roast it. Both ways are good.
Why would the sauce be the unhealthy ????7 -
Christine_72 wrote: »CafeRacer808 wrote: »jennybearlv wrote: »I haven't had frozen veggies in 15 years. Have they gotten any better? My mom always bought frozen and they were limp and soggy.
Most all frozen fruit and veg are flash frozen now, but cooking method plays a huge factor in whether or not frozen veg ends up limp or soggy. Very high heat stir frying, for example, results in frozen veg that maintains its crispness.
Exactly. Sounds like your mom just overcooked them. My mom does that with fresh green beans. Cooks them to mush and thinks they're great.
Blaahhh i bet plenty of adults won't eat veggies because of the way their parents cooked them when they were young, and they assume that's what vegetables are meant to be like. Boiled to death veggies taste terrible, and so do canned veggies, if this is what they were fed growing up, I can't blame them for disliking them.
Yeah, exactly this. I knew vegetables were okay from a few ones my mom cooked in more appealing ways (at some point she started sauteeing summer squash with mushrooms and butter, which wasn't low cal but whatever), in the summer we'd have good salads with raw cauliflower and broccoli and tomatoes and cucumber, and she steamed broccoli okay, I think, but mostly boiled and awful and some terrible canned stuff (green beans, which I hated then and now love since I get the fresh ones). Frozen peas, I think. Raw carrots and celery was always a staple and I always liked them -- I remember pulling carrots from my grandparents' garden with my cousin and thinking they were the most delicious thing ever.
Anyway, I knew my mom was generally not a good cook and her parents had a huge garden (they'd had a farm when younger) so visiting them we got good fresh produce, so maybe that helped me have an open mind for vegetables despite some bad examples. Of course, we also always had them with meals, so I just grew up thinking they were an essential part of meals.
(Oddly enough I never realized people microwaved vegetables much later, until I learned from someone else that it actually could be a good way to quick cook asparagus (in a bit of water). I think we only used the microwave for reheating and might have been late adopters even to that. Or I'm just old, of course!) ;-)0 -
I think there's a misunderstanding here.
The rule is to not eat the box or the bag. The foods inside are food so it's fine to eat them.
Frozen vegetables are vegetables. Eat them.
The bag they come in is plastic. Don't eat that.31 -
motherofdragons84 wrote: »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?
They're only unhealthy if they have some sort of sauce on them. They're just flash frozen.
I buy frozen broccoli because it's easier to toss into recipes. I also buy it fresh and roast it. Both ways are good.
whats 'unhealthy' about broccoli cheese... its a good source of protein!1 -
Well a lot of those frozen vegetables with sauces and seasonings and such tend to have more fat, calories, and sodium than you are looking for.
However, I freakin' love them. They are tasty, quick, and make *meh* vegetables something much more exciting. And just because it has a sauce or seasoning does not mean suddenly they are unhealthy. Of course you need to check the nutritional values and do what works on your diet. And yes, some of them have artificial ingredients. But quick, tasty, and something my family eats instead of push around on the dinner plate? Bring it on!0 -
I'm not sure whether this has been mentioned, but I can think of one actual health-related reason not to buy prepackaged produce: there have been multiple outbreaks of foodborne illnesses from contaminated bagged salad mix. (Here's a non-jargony overview: http://vitals.lifehacker.com/it-s-time-to-stop-eating-bagged-salads-1756895605, and here's a more detailed discussion of a recent Listeria outbreak: https://www.cdc.gov/listeria/outbreaks/bagged-salads-01-16/, and an E. coli outbreak: https://www.cdc.gov/ecoli/2012/O157H7-11-12/index.html)
You are very unlikely to get sick from eating prepackaged produce, and it is also possible to have pathogens on unpackaged produce (take a look here for foods linked to recent outbreaks: https://www.cdc.gov/foodsafety/outbreaks/multistate-outbreaks/outbreaks-list.html), but there is evidence to suggest that bagged salad may be a bit more hospitable to dangerous organisms than unpackaged produce is. I took a food microbiology class in undergrad, so that's the first thing I thought of when I saw OP's question. (Trust me, that class really changed the way I think about food!) I don't think that's what they meant, but it's worth noting that there's some scientific basis to the question.1 -
I found something gross in my packaged zucchini spaghetti the other night. I reckon it's animal poo - which is probably less healthy than if I'd chosen a zucchini off the shelf an thoroughly inspected it.
Australia also recently (end of 2016 if I think) had a nation wide recall of 'prewashed' bagged vegetables due to wide spread salmonella poisoning. I don't think those bagged veggies were particularly 'healthy' either.
I used to eat the pre-washed daily for years until the recall; I've bought them since but end up tossing because I can't even stand the thought of consuming them without gagging.
It's ridiculous because I've never had a problem with the bags myself.
I have been eyeing off the zucchini, over that as of now too...0 -
I found something gross in my packaged zucchini spaghetti the other night. I reckon it's animal poo - which is probably less healthy than if I'd chosen a zucchini off the shelf an thoroughly inspected it.
Australia also recently (end of 2016 if I think) had a nation wide recall of 'prewashed' bagged vegetables due to wide spread salmonella poisoning. I don't think those bagged veggies were particularly 'healthy' either.
It's probably just the photo quality, but it looks like a tadpole to me.
Good source of protein, right?!? 1 -
That picture makes me gag every time I come back to this thread
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comptonelizabeth wrote: »That picture makes me gag every time I come back to this thread
I know. We need to fill this page up so that it rolls over and I can stop looking at it.2 -
kenyonhaff wrote: »
Well a lot of those frozen vegetables with sauces and seasonings and such tend to have more fat, calories, and sodium than you are looking for.
However, I freakin' love them. They are tasty, quick, and make *meh* vegetables something much more exciting. And just because it has a sauce or seasoning does not mean suddenly they are unhealthy. Of course you need to check the nutritional values and do what works on your diet. And yes, some of them have artificial ingredients. But quick, tasty, and something my family eats instead of push around on the dinner plate? Bring it on!
Is that really the case? Today for lunch I have prelogged a double serving of green giant steamers healthy weight veggies (carrots, snap peas, black beans and edamame) in butter sauce to go with my leftover blackened salmon. Super easy, pretty tasty, and very filling. The double serving even with sauce has 180 cals, 5 g of fat and 440 mg of sodium. Works well for me.4 -
WinoGelato wrote: »comptonelizabeth wrote: »That picture makes me gag every time I come back to this thread
I know. We need to fill this page up so that it rolls over and I can stop looking at it.
Yup,me too. I need to keep my lunch down.0 -
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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.
LOLOLOLOLOLOL
<<< Maybe mine is?
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WinoGelato wrote: »comptonelizabeth wrote: »That picture makes me gag every time I come back to this thread
I know. We need to fill this page up so that it rolls over and I can stop looking at it.
what, this picture?!I found something gross in my packaged zucchini spaghetti the other night. I reckon it's animal poo - which is probably less healthy than if I'd chosen a zucchini off the shelf an thoroughly inspected it.
Australia also recently (end of 2016 if I think) had a nation wide recall of 'prewashed' bagged vegetables due to wide spread salmonella poisoning. I don't think those bagged veggies were particularly 'healthy' either.
or this one?!
he's super cute!!! :laugh:0 -
Christine_72 wrote: »CafeRacer808 wrote: »jennybearlv wrote: »I haven't had frozen veggies in 15 years. Have they gotten any better? My mom always bought frozen and they were limp and soggy.
Most all frozen fruit and veg are flash frozen now, but cooking method plays a huge factor in whether or not frozen veg ends up limp or soggy. Very high heat stir frying, for example, results in frozen veg that maintains its crispness.
Exactly. Sounds like your mom just overcooked them. My mom does that with fresh green beans. Cooks them to mush and thinks they're great.
Blaahhh i bet plenty of adults won't eat veggies because of the way their parents cooked them when they were young, and they assume that's what vegetables are meant to be like. Boiled to death veggies taste terrible, and so do canned veggies, if this is what they were fed growing up, I can't blame them for disliking them.
That's me. I hated broccoli, Brussels sprouts, and beets for this very reason.
I love those now that I've had them roasted properly. Heck, I'd probably consider Brussels sprouts one of my favorites.1 -
^ I knew some smartass would do that!
Girlshakingfist.gif2 -
WinoGelato wrote: »kenyonhaff wrote: »
Well a lot of those frozen vegetables with sauces and seasonings and such tend to have more fat, calories, and sodium than you are looking for.
However, I freakin' love them. They are tasty, quick, and make *meh* vegetables something much more exciting. And just because it has a sauce or seasoning does not mean suddenly they are unhealthy. Of course you need to check the nutritional values and do what works on your diet. And yes, some of them have artificial ingredients. But quick, tasty, and something my family eats instead of push around on the dinner plate? Bring it on!
Is that really the case? Today for lunch I have prelogged a double serving of green giant steamers healthy weight veggies (carrots, snap peas, black beans and edamame) in butter sauce to go with my leftover blackened salmon. Super easy, pretty tasty, and very filling. The double serving even with sauce has 180 cals, 5 g of fat and 440 mg of sodium. Works well for me.
I'm guessing it depends on what type of sauce- I tried one once and it was SO much effing sauce- like mostly sauce and a little veggie. so gross. But it was a heavier cream type sauce- I stick to the regular steamables and then add a little butter and salt and pepper on top.
also commenting to help move it along and roll it over.1 -
still hasn't happened.0
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Carlos_421 wrote: »
Nope.0 -
I am soooooooo tempted to wait until this gets to page 4 and then quote that pic.2
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I'm not that big a DB, though.3
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kenyonhaff wrote: »
Well a lot of those frozen vegetables with sauces and seasonings and such tend to have more fat, calories, and sodium than you are looking for.
However, I freakin' love them. They are tasty, quick, and make *meh* vegetables something much more exciting. And just because it has a sauce or seasoning does not mean suddenly they are unhealthy. Of course you need to check the nutritional values and do what works on your diet. And yes, some of them have artificial ingredients. But quick, tasty, and something my family eats instead of push around on the dinner plate? Bring it on!
ok - but if you have the sauce with your vegetables and you hit your calories, micros, and macros for the day, why would that not be healthy?
We don't consume foods in a vacuum so context of overall diet is important to take into consideration.6 -
WinoGelato wrote: »kenyonhaff wrote: »
Well a lot of those frozen vegetables with sauces and seasonings and such tend to have more fat, calories, and sodium than you are looking for.
However, I freakin' love them. They are tasty, quick, and make *meh* vegetables something much more exciting. And just because it has a sauce or seasoning does not mean suddenly they are unhealthy. Of course you need to check the nutritional values and do what works on your diet. And yes, some of them have artificial ingredients. But quick, tasty, and something my family eats instead of push around on the dinner plate? Bring it on!
Is that really the case? Today for lunch I have prelogged a double serving of green giant steamers healthy weight veggies (carrots, snap peas, black beans and edamame) in butter sauce to go with my leftover blackened salmon. Super easy, pretty tasty, and very filling. The double serving even with sauce has 180 cals, 5 g of fat and 440 mg of sodium. Works well for me.
I love those varieties. "Healthy vision" is my favorite. (I don't care about the gimmicky claims on the package. I'm just after the flavors and easy prep). I don't known what black magic they're using to make "butter sauce" etc. but it's much lower in calories than it would be if I added my own butter and sauces.2
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