Is canned food less nutritious than fresh foods?
by 
Kim Siever
ANSWERS: 4
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According to the U. S. Food and Drug Administration, the heating process during canning destroys from one-third to one-half of vitamins A and C, riboflavin, and thiamine. For every year the food is stored, canned food loses an additional 5 to 20% of these vitamins. However, the amounts of other vitamins are only slightly lower in canned food than in fresh food. Most produce will begin to lose some of its nutrients when harvested. When produce is handled properly and canned quickly after harvest, it can be more nutritious than fresh produce sold in stores. When refrigerated, fresh produce will lose half or more of some of its vitamins within 1 to 2 weeks. If it's not kept chilled or preserved, nearly half of the vitamins may be lost within a few days of harvesting. For optimum nutrition, it is generally recommended that a person eat a variety of foods.
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Yes.
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In some cases no, particularly with tomatoes: "Although Americans each eat more than 16 pounds of fresh tomatoes a year, we consume the equivalent of 79 pounds in processed tomatoes annually, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Canned tomatoes can be more nutritious than fresh because they’re picked red and ripe and processed in a manner that helps retain all the goodness. Scientists have also discovered that packaged, heat-processed tomato products, such as spaghetti sauce, can deliver over six times more lycopene than the equivalent amount of fresh tomatoes. This is because the heat used during processing breaks down tomato cell walls, allowing the lycopene to be better absorbed into the digestive tract." [source http://www.eatright.org/Public/NutritionInformation/92_nfs1102b.cfm]
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That's depends on food handling. Many people wonder if frozen and canned vegetables are as nutritious as fresh vegetables. The answer to this question depends on both the time between the harvesting of the vegetable and the canning and freezing process. Generally, vegetables are canned or frozen immediately upon harvest when their "nutrient" content is at its peak. The way vegetables are prepared at home can also affect the nutrient content. Vegetables of any type (fresh, frozen, or canned) that are boiled in large amounts of water for long periods of time lose much of their nutritional content compared to vegetables that are lightly steamed. To be more specific, therefore, vegetables that are fresh from the farm or just picked are more nutritious than their frozen or canned counterparts. However, frozen and canned vegetables are an acceptable nutritional alternative. Just be careful of the amount of salt added to canned vegetables, try to buy those without added salt. And, don't overcook any vegetables.
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