If produce pickings are slim, head for the freezer

The produce section may be a bit bare this time of year, but that doesn’t give anyone a free pass to skimp on fruits and vegetables.

Dr. Jo Ann Carson, professor of clinical nutrition at UT Southwestern Medical Center, says the solution lies in choosing as much fresh seasonal produce as possible, then augmenting it with a mixture of frozen and canned offerings.

Frozen fruits and vegetables often contain nearly as many nutrients as fresh produce because they have been picked, frozen and packaged at their peak, she said. 

Dr. Carson also notes that some canned vegetables, including pumpkin, provide more vitamins per serving than their fresh counterparts.

The key, she says, is to watch the sugar and sodium content, because canned produce can be higher in both.

“A good principle is to look for fruit without added sugar or syrups and vegetables without extra butter, salt or cream sauces,” Dr. Carson says.

Visit http://www.utsouthwestern.org/nutrition to learn more about UT Southwestern’s clinical services in nutrition.

Media Contact: Kristen Holland Shear

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