Are frozen vegetables as good as fresh?
Our Nutritionist Emily is here to help! Are frozen vegetables as good as fresh?
Frozen vegetables are just as good for us asfresh, in fact they may actually be more nutritious as they are frozen straight after picking, so retainmore nutrients.
What are the best ways to cook veggies to retain its goodness?
When cooking vegetables we want to try an avoid nutrient losses where possible. To do this, try boiling, steaming or even microwaving for a couple of minutes in a small amount of water. This means most of the nutrients will stay in the vegetable rather than ending up in the water. For added nutrients, you could even use the water you cooked the vegetables in to make a gravy or sauce to accompany the dish.
However, the most important thing is eating your vegetables. So if that means roasting carrots in honey or stir frying broccoli in oil then by all means continue to do that.
Now we have less access to fruit and veg, which ones would you prioritise?
We are in unprecedented times at the moment and most might be in limited supply, so for now one doesn’t supersede the other. Whichever you have access to is great.
What basics should we have in our Kitchen to contribute towards a balanced diet?
Tinned vegetables and beans are a great store cupboard ingredient which will help you get your 5 a day and beans contribute to your protein intake.
Dried fruit is also a good option as this too contributes towards your 5 a day – add to porridge, baking or even just have as a snack.
Passata is great to have in the cupboard to make a quick sauce and also counts towards your 5 a day
Dry complex carbohydrates such as brown or wild rice, wholewheat pasta, quinoa, wholegrain couscous are great examples of long-life carbohydrates
Lentils are great and versatile. You can add them to soups, make dhal or other curries with them. They are a source of fibre and contribute towards 5 a day.
Having things like spices, herbs and oil can also help you jazz up dishes to make then extra tasty.
Finally, have a selection of Tupperware or sandwich bags so you can freeze leftovers or fresh meat, vegetables and fruit, so they don’t go to waste. Did you know you can also freeze milk?!