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If you think canned fruit is inferior to fresh, it’s time to reconsider. You just have to learn to shop properly.
If you’re like me, that is, you go to the supermarket with a list only to find when you get home that you didn’t get the products you needed the most, you’ll find peace of mind in foods that last a little longer, such as canned goods . Which you can buy, store and consume when you need them, without the fear that they will spoil in a short period of time.
I don’t know if it happens to you too, but I forget everything I don’t see in my fridge , it spoils and I throw it away. And this is something I loathe doing, for many different reasons.
So I often resort to canned food solutions. I choose the ones I’ve read are nutritious. Yes, there are such, especially in the fruit version .
How did canned food come about?
As History reports , in 1795 the French government organized a competition to find the best ways to preserve food . Until then, a way to do this job efficiently had not been found. However, the French needed a steady source of food for soldiers and sailors as the country fought in Italy, Holland, Germany and the Caribbean.
The proposal that won first place and the amount of 12,000 francs (5 francs then is 20 euros today) changed the way we eat on the planet .
Nicolas Appert, a young chef from the Campania region, had worked for the aristocracy and had studied a lot about food preservation. So a revolutionary method emerged: he put food in champagne bottles , which he sealed airtight, after previously adding a mixture of cheese and citrus. Previously, it had failed tests by removing air or baking the materials.
By 1803 and while he had developed the method by using champagne bottles with a more open “neck”, he had managed to preserve fruit, vegetables, meat, dairy and fish . In 1804, he also began experimenting with packaging meat in small cans, which he sealed by welding and then observed for months whether the container would deteriorate. When it stopped swelling, he deemed the procedure safe and put the products up for sale.
How healthy is canned fruit?
Today, the way canned foods are prepared has evolved to the extent that in some cases, such as fruit, they can be just as nutritious .
Like fresh and frozen fruit, canned fruit can be an excellent source of essential nutrients , such as fiber , vitamins and minerals. Of course, the type of fruit and the packaging always play a role.
- More specifically, canned fruit packed in syrup is high in added sugar , which can contribute to weight gain and other health problems.
- Those packed in water or juice are a healthy and convenient way to add fruit to one’s diet.
Among the advantages that have been found is that it is a very practical and economical way to eat fruit . Canning is done when these are at their peak of ripeness, which often makes them tastier than fresh. Also, as we said, we can store them for a long time.
The disadvantages include the fact that those packaged in syrup have a high content of added sugar. Some have been processed with artificial ingredients (eg artificial flavor). Sometimes some nutrients can be lost during canning.
How to make healthy choices
Experts recommend looking for fruit that is packed in water or juice , without added sugar or artificial ingredients.
After opening the package (avoiding a common mistake we make ), it is useful to drain and rinse to remove some of the salt and sugar.
