The 411 on Frozen Fruits and Vegetables

By Jane Farrell

The produce stand isn’t the only place you can get your healthy fruits and vegetables. The experts at the Mayo Clinic recommend checking out the frozen-food department in your supermarket.

“They’re really a great option, because they’re picked at the peak of freshness and flash-frozen, too,” dietitian Angie Murad says in an interview with the Mayo News Network.

In other words, they offer the same nutritional values as fresh fruits and veggies, with the pluses being their availability all year and the likelihood of reducing food waste “because you can use what you need and store the rest.”

But there’s a note of caution.

Murad says to pick plain vegetables and fruits that have no added sugars. “You want to make sure it’s just the fruit,” she says. And avoid vegetables that are sauced.  Additionally, check the label to make sure the products is within a healthy range for calories and sodium.

The bottom line, Murad says: “As with all over the grocery store, you want to make sure you really want to think: whole foods, simple ingredients.”

For more on health issues, visit www.mayoclinic.org.