Is fresh always the best
According to local acupuncturist and Chinese medicine practitioner Erin Moran, fresh fruits and vegetables may not always be the best source of nutrition. Sounds weird?
Her point is that there are degrees of freshness. Produce which has been stored for months to make it to grocery shelves in its raw and natural state, is not as fresh and nutritious as produce on the shelves that was pulled from the ground or picked the night before.
In fact, she pointed out in a recent lecture she gave in the Elbow Beach Spa Wellness Series entitled 'Chi, Cheese and Cheerfulness', that in many cases frozen foods are more nutritious than the 'fresh' ones we get on our shelves.
The reason is that frozen foods are often picked when ripe then frozen immediately. This preserves the freshness ensuring good vitamin and mineral content.
To make it easy for locals she advised the following priority list when buying vegetables and fruits:
1) grown in Bermuda organically — fresh
2) grown in Bermuda — fresh
3) overseas frozen organic
4) overseas organic — fresh
5) frozen
6) overseas — fresh