The benefits of fresh vegetables - more nutrition.

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Waiting to eat fresh vegetables means loss of nutrients

 

Anthony Colpo,

April 2, 2005.

 

 

Vegetables left sitting in the fridge for a week might look and taste OK but,

according to research from Pennsylvania State University, much of their nutrient

content has been lost.

 

A bag of spinach that has been stored at 39 degrees Fahrenheit for eight days

has lost half of its folate and carotenoids, compounds known for their

importance in preventing birth defects, fighting heart disease and preventing

blindness and cancer.

 

At higher temperatures, the breakdown is even faster. At 50 degrees it took only

six days to reach about half of initial levels; at 68 degrees it took four.

 

 

Store your veggies cold and eat them as soon as possible after purchase.

 

 

Broccoli, another cut vegetable, loses about half its total carotenoids after

six days at 41 degrees, previous research shows.

The research underscores the importance of keeping fresh vegetables cold--a

refrigerator temperature between 36 and 40 degrees Fahrenheit is

recommended--and eating them as soon as possible.

 

" You have to accept the reality that it's a living plant, and you should eat it

while it's fresh " , said Luke LaBorde, associate professor of food science at

Pennsylvania State. " When you have a fresh vegetable, it slowly dies. And as it

dies, the enzymes take over and slowly degrade it. "

 

The time count, by the way, began within 12 hours of the time the spinach was

packaged. Commercial spinach, however, must be transported from the field to the

processing plant and then to the store, where it sits until it is purchased.

This process takes a few days at least, and the clock is ticking.

 

LaBorde said the fruits and vegetables most at risk of nutrient loss are those

that are crushed or cut. Apples, he said, are not going to change much because

they are designed to fall off the tree. Spinach and most greens are a different

story, though.

 

" In this case you're ripping it off the plant, " LaBorde said. " (Loss) would be

even higher with chopped spinach. "

 

The culprits are degrading enzymes that are normally contained inside intact

cells but are released and free to cause damage when veggies are wounded.

 

Chopped or peeled versions of fruits or vegetables also are vulnerable to

nutrient loss during refrigerator storage.

 

 

 

To maximize the nutritive value of fresh veggies:

 

-Avoid buying greens if they're in the middle of an aisle and not refrigerated;

 

-Purchase produce as close to consumption as possible;

 

-Plan meals in advance so fresh veggies are used quickly;

 

-Set your refrigerator below 40 degrees Fahrenheit and above freezing. Use an

inexpensive thermometer to monitor fridge temperature.

 

-For food hygiene as well as nutrient preservation, make sure food gets from the

store to fridge as soon as possible.

 

-Shop at farmers' markets when possible.

 

-Preferentially use steaming when cooking vegetables--this is the method

associated with least nutrient loss.

 

-Avoid the low-fat fad--numerous studies show that low-fat intakes drastically

reduce the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins and carotenoids from vegetables.

Adding fat to a meal, in contrast, markedly boosts absorption of these vital

nutrients.

 

 

 

Source:

 

LaBorde L. Storage Time and Temperature Effects Nutrients in Spinach. Penn State

University press release. March 18, 2005.

 

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