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Canned Foods, Whole Foods?
Started
by Rebecca Cook
on July 28, 2011
I grew up on my mother's home canning and have always used canned tomatoes and beans, at least sometimes. I am flirting with the Superhero diet and wonder how canned foods, without added salt, sugar, or chemicals, fit into this diet, or a whole foods diet of any type. These types of canned goods are available from Whole Foods and stores like them. I know that frozen is supposed to be superior to canned, but is this true, and if so, why? Do you used to canned foods? I am certain that canned tomatoes in the winter are FAR superior to tasteless tomtatoes that are out of season.
I think that frozen foods are superior to canned because they are flash frozen which helps to preserve the nutrients. When canning, the food is usually cooked to a very high temperature to get rid of bacteria. Also, lots of people put in salt as a preservative. I do used canned tomatoes but try to get the ones that have cans that are BPA free. Still probably have salt, but you do what you can!
Canning at home would not have a BPA risk - the BPA comes from the (usually white) lining inside the can. The lining is to help acidic foods not taste of the metal from the can they are in. MOST people, when canning at home, "can" in glass. While I DO prefer frozen foods usually, tomatoes don't freeze well. Tomatoes specifically, are usually used for sauces which are cooked for long periods anyway.
If you are growing your own food - flash freezing is not usually an option. Some veggies fare well with certain freezing processes and some do better with canning. I would get a book from the library on the subject. Most will tell you the pros and cons of each process.
All this being said, it is better to eat everything as "close to the vine" as possible for the most nutrition. Summer veggies in the summer and winter veggies in the winter.
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