Madeline Adams
Canned vegetables are hoarded, especially in times of crisis. But are these healthy or, as is claimed, unhealthy and harmful? How many nutrients remain in canned food?
In times of Corona, many are wondering whether canned vegetables are healthy. Unfortunately, the bad reputation precedes canned food. However, if you need long-lasting food, you will of course use the vegetables in the can – especially if you want to quickly stock up on the essentials after panicking hamster purchases. Surprisingly, however, there are also positive sides to the supposedly unhealthy canned vegetables.
What do you mean by canned vegetables?
Canned vegetables are vegetables that are preserved in cans, which means they have a longer shelf life. But how does the packaging work? Immediately after harvesting, the food is sealed airtight and protected from light. To ensure that the vegetables have a long shelf life, they are exposed to a high temperatures. The higher the degree to which the food is heated, the longer it will keep. Likewise, the higher the temperature, also loss of valuable vitamins. The vegetables are heated between 70 and 100 °C.
Are Canned Vegetables Healthy?
Fresh vegetables should always be used first. But the prejudices that canned vegetables are unhealthy are not entirely correct. Just because the veg has been in the can for a long time doesn’t mean all the vitamins and nutrients are lost. These are protected by light-proof packaging. The rapid further processing after the harvest also ensures long-lasting freshness.
Due to the only brief heating, there is only a minimal loss of vitamins. The heat-sensitive vitamins, such as vitamin C, are particularly affected, but the loss is not significantly high.
However, canned food also has a decisively positive effect. This has a positive effect, especially for people with stomach problems: heating the vegetables makes them more digestible for our stomachs, as they are “pre-digested”.
Canned vegetables are still healthy, but cannot fully keep up with fresh produce.
What should be considered when buying canned vegetables?
To maintain the healthy effect of canned vegetables, looking at the back is crucial. Many canned foods contain an alarming amount of salt. This is to be avoided. An overdose can cause our blood pressure to be negatively affected and thus harm our health.
Almost everyone makes this mistake when preparing canned food
Everyone knows it: Before you heat the vegetables, the water is poured off. But that is where the error lies. Sven-David Müller, the nutrition expert, recommends only briefly heating the vegetables, including the liquid, and eating everything together. This means that all the vitamins and nutrients are retained. The meal, still healthy, can now be enjoyed with minimal loss.
