When it comes time to go to the grocery store and fill the cupboards of your kitchen with food, what will you choose: fresh food or frozen food? Debates rage over which is best for you, especially when it comes to vegetables. But since different people in different situations require different things, the answer is not always clear. In this article, we will outline the pros and cons of fresh and frozen foods so that you can make up your own mind about what's best for you.

Fresh Pros

Many individuals like to buy their vegetables fresh because they tend to taste better than their frozen counterparts. Fresh veggies also tend to have more nutrients in them on average than frozen or canned vegetables, so you get better nutritional value when the produce is really fresh (i.e. just picked and shipped in locally). You also get to inspect the food before you buy it because it has not been hidden away in a package yet, so you can reject items that don't look good to you.

Fresh Cons

The major drawback of buying fresh food, though, is that it has a very short shelf life. You have to eat it within a few days of buying it and cooking raw vegetables often takes longer. It can be difficult to manage this when you're a busy parent or employee. Another drawback is that the longer veggies are out of the ground the more nutrients they lose, so sitting on a grocery shelf or in your crisper drawer will make them less nutritious than something that was frozen on the day it was picked.

Frozen Pros

Frozen vegetables are a lot more convenient for busy families, as they can be stored for much longer without spoiling and are available year round, not just when the vegetable is in season. Frozen veggies are often easier and quicker to cook as well. Surprisingly, frozen vegetables are also higher in nutrients (especially Vitamin C) in some cases because they were picked and packed at the peak of their ripeness.

Frozen Cons

The biggest drawback to frozen vegetables is that they often do not taste as good as fresh ones. Reheated frozen food can be soggy or freezer burned, making you less likely to look forward to eating it after your home inspection in Victoria. This may cause you to eat fewer fruits and vegetables than you would if they were fresh - especially in the case of picky children. Frozen produce is also rarely local, which means that it's less environmentally friendly due to having been processed in a factory and shipped to the store, and it does not support local farmers.