Is frozen/canned food junk food?

[Leothebear]

DH and I have a recurrent discussion regarding canned and frozen food.

We are talking about basic ingredients, not the pre-made, pre-seasoned stuff

E.g. canned beans, canned tomatoes or tomato sauce, canned chickpeas etc
Frozen broccoli, frozen spinaches, frozen peas

And so on

I think frozen, basic ingredients are a perfectly healthy alternative to fresh stuff, and while I find canned stuff not on the same level, i think using basic canned ingredients is a great alternative to cook cheaper, quicker but still healthy meals.

DH thinks canned and frozen food are a step closer to junk food and we should limit the consumption as much as possible.

AIBU?

You are correct, so long as you ensure no added salt/sugar versions are selected

He's nuts.

No. Frozen vegetables etc. aren't junk food. Same with canned- as long as no sugar and salt added. I read one bonkers opinion here that people in the UK are obese because of canned corn😂It doesn't even contain sugar!

you dh is unreasonable.

tinned veg are great and as long as they don't have added sugar are absolutely fine.
frozen is often better nutritionally than fresh, but some veg are not very nice from frozen (flabby carrot anyone?)

imagine thinking tinned tomatoes and frozen peas were akin to junk food.

he doesn't sound the brightest bulb.

Freezing and canning are great ways of preserving nutrients. Some veg is frozen on the day and will have more nutrients than 'fresh', which from farm to table will be at least a few days old.

Freezing and canning seals in most of the nutrients and vitamins. Of course it's not junk.

They're as good as, or often better than fresh (as PP said check cans for any additives)

I always thought frozen veg was better nutritionally as it's frozen within hours of being picked, so keeps the nutrients?

He’s just factually wrong on this. In some cases frozen vegetables have more vitamins. I could understand if the argument were based on texture or taste, but not this.

Many frozen vegetables are better than fresh - take peas and sweetcorn, for example. The fresh produce starts to break down as soon as it's harvested. by the time it gets to your home it's a far cry from the freshly podded peas or shucked corn. With frozen produce, they're frozen within an hour of being picked so are in prime condition.

Vast quantities of broccoli and spinach are known to go to food waste. Freezing them means we eat more and throw out less.

Is he this uninformed about other things to do with nutrition?

Suggest he does all the shopping and cooking and insist he produce a wide variety of meals without using either.

Will he go with that? No! Didn't think so!

I’m not sure why your DH assumes that frozen vegetables are closer to junk that fresh. Does he assume that batch cooking and freezing is also junk food, or is it the outsourcing of the freezing which is the problem (and industrial freezers will do a much better job of freezing food than a domestic one)? I also use canned beans a lot, and while I’m aware that some kind of firming agent is used such as calcium chloride the convenience wins out for me.

Yeah, he's a bit thick.

I think they are a step closer since they are convenient and time saving. But not to the extent they should be avoided like junk food.

I buy a fair bit of frozen veg like the pre-chopped onions, broccoli and spinach. I also used things like canned beans. I think it’s fine and it’s a lot easier to use.

I have to say that pre-chopped frozen onions are one of my favorite things ever. So much easier, much less waste. I would never buy fresh onions now.

E.g. canned beans, canned tomatoes or tomato sauce, canned chickpeas etc
Frozen broccoli, frozen spinaches, frozen peas

All full of goodness, reduce waste, often a lot cheaper, and definitely not junk! We use lots of tinned and frozen fruit, veg, and pulses. Some I avoid just because I'm not keen on the texture change that happens during canning/freezing eg tinned carrots and frozen broccoli, but that's just my preference. Frozen crushed garlic, chopped herbs, and chopped onions are a great time-saver too. We eat a lot of tinned and frozen fish also for the same reasons.

Nutritionally, frozen and canned are fine (except for tinned fruits in syrup which are too sugary to be healthy).

Taste and texture wise, most are great, but some things really aren't. I don't rate frozen peppers, frozen carrots, frozen broccoli or frozen cauliflower for example.

I do, however, love frozen peas, frozen sweetcorn, frozen broad beans, frozen butternut squash, frozen parsnips and frozen spinach (spinach as an ingredient only, too sloppy when frozen to be served as a standalone veg).

I think tinned tomatoes, tinned pulses etc are great, but I don't enjoy tinned carrots or tinned peas (except mushy peas).

So I think it's mostly personal taste, but nutritionally, they're equal or sometimes better.

Canned/frozen foods are perfectly healthy. Frozen peas are actually better for you because the goodness is locked in during the freezing process. I could not be arsed using dried chickpeas/lentils/kidney beans, who can be bothered presoaking them for like 24 hours so they don’t poison you?!

Your DH is wrong and a massive snob.

Who does the cooking at home? What kind of split is there? Assuming he pulls his weight well then he can cook using fresh ingredients only on the evenings when he's making dinner.

Basic ingredients often come in tins or frozen. Does he cook at all?

Frozen shredded cabbage is lovely. The flavour is so good!

Peas are a given, frozen. Sliced not whole carrots good frozen, Brussel sprouts are a bit less good. Frozen diced onions, frozen sliced peppers do the job. If you look at the cost, frozen works out better imo and not wastage

He's nuts. (Light-hearted!)

Fresh often tastes better. But these days, price and convenience often come higher on my priority list.

I don't know how I'd get through the week without tinned chopped tomatoes or frozen peas!