With the advent of modern agrarian practices , it is easier than ever to get the produce you want — when you desire it . But there are downsides to eating fund - bribe produce . Early harvesting , transport , and refrigeration can causesignificant alimentary loss in yield and vegetables .
The green groceries we buy in stock now has downcast vitamin and mineral content than it did 50 class ago . So how can consumers make trusted they ’re getting the most out of their fruits and veggies ?
Drawbacks of Fresh Store-Bought Produce
To get green goods to consumer at the right ripeness , producers harvest crops before they ’ve had a chance to fully ripen on the vine . This keep the produce from strain its full nutritionary potential . The rough , often mechanically skillful handling of green goods can also compromise nutrients . The average produce point then travels 1,500 - 2,500 miles to the grocery store . This transportation usually requires infrigidation , which presents its own problems .
Different fruits and veggie require different temperature for maximal nutrient retention . And even at idealistic temperature , all bring forth slowly loses nutrients over clip . Because produce hand truck are often transporting a variety of green goods , a undivided temperature is used for all the shipment .
Frozen and Canned Veggies a Bit of a Better Bet
On the other hand , wintry and canned vegetables are pull up stakes to ripen on the plant and processed in short after harvest time , leaving less time for nutrient loss . Canned foods then suffer nutrients more slowly than fresh foods because they are not expose to oxygen . stock-still solid food mislay fewer nutrients because of minimum exposure to warmth . But once stored they drop off food more promptly than tinned foods because of oxidation . For these reasons , the nutritionary contentedness of frigid and canned produce is often comparable to that of fresh produce . In some type , the canning or freezing outgrowth can keep up some of the green goods ’s nutritional value , making it a better choice than fresh produce .
Homegrown Food Has Most Benefits of All
Growing green groceries at place eliminates many of the problem faced by commercially create yield and vegetables . Most develop varieties at your local food market storage are breed for their ease of transportation and ledge life , not for nutritional content . And when mature your own food , you could choose from one thousand of semen varieties for the honest nutritionary note value and flavor .
Because you are growing produce for your own needs and not for the demand of the market , you’re able to imbed and harvest time produce at the optimal time . This freedom also mean you could give your plant the right amount of plant food , Dominicus , and moisture . And because fruit and vegetables are usually hand - picked and eaten the same solar day you harvest them , there is no rough handling or conveyance sentence to allow nutrients to drop .
TheProduce for Better Health Foundation recommendsconsumers run through a motley of fresh , fixed , and canned product . Many variable star contribute to the nutrient content of fruits and vegetables . develop food at home gives you the most restraint over these variable quantity .
But it ’s rarefied that someone can singlehandedly grow every produce detail they require to wipe out . Food co - ops are a good way to sustain local sodbuster and get more nutritionary , and usually less processed , get . To learn more and find a food co - op near you , visithttp://www.coopdirectory.org/directory.htm .
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Writer Megan Smith Mauk mature up in Texas , where she developed a reverence for all forms of sprightliness . In college , she became co - chair of the environmental coalition . She now lives with her married man , and their detent and cat , in Virginia .
