Written by Infant Feeding Specialist and Little Melly Founder, Jennifer Muller Mansour
A baby’s diet should include plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables; they are critical for their growth.
We all want to give our baby the best, and you may be thinking: is fresh or frozen produce better for my baby's nutrition?
How are Frozen Fruits and Vegetables Made?
One of the most common types of commercial freezing is the process of blast freezing.
During blast freezing, cold air flows in and hot air is sucked out repetitively. It can take around 3 hours for an ingredient to freeze in a blast freezer (versus the typical 6-12 hour range).
Advantages of Blast Freezing Fruits and Vegetables
- Preserves the nutrients of the ingredient.
- Makes it possible to buy produce out-of-season that was grown in season.
- Minimizes bacterial growth in the product.
- Minimizes food-borne illnesses.
- Provides a longer shelf life for the product.
- Does not change the carbohydrate, protein, or fat composition of the ingredient.
Are there drawbacks to frozen produce?
- Potentially harmful preservatives added to the ingredients.
- Food safety risk if the cold-chain was compromised during distribution and storage.
- Not all produce can be found as frozen
This makes choosing the right brand is critical when opting for frozen food.
Here’s how:
Always look at the ingredients list when buying frozen produce. The list should ideally only include the fruit or vegetable packaged inside. As a rule of thumb, go for ingredient lists that you can understand.
Fresh vs frozen food isn't the real issue: It's whether or not your baby is consuming enough and varied fruits and vegetables.
