If memory serves, the last big surge in food costs was around the pandemic. Some indications suggest the potential for another food price increase, especially for produce. How unfortunate; it’s already hard to get people to eat five a day!
You may argue you can live without cauliflower or beets, but there’s no arguing the need for food. This leaves you wondering, how do you get more bang for your buck at the grocer?
There are ultraprocessed foods. Created through the marvels of food science, they are both a food system success and failure.
In the short term, we need access to calories to survive. In that sense, ultraprocessed foods are a food system success. They’re calorie-dense and can be found anywhere food is sold, no matter how remote the location.
Conversely, proper nutrition is one of the most effective and least expensive methods for preventing and treating many chronic diseases. In the long term, ultraprocessed foods are a system failure because aside from calories, they lack nutritional value.
But don’t lose heart: Another gift of food science is safely preserved food. Since 1812, when the first American cannery was opened, canned food has been a way to bestow the food system with low-cost, nutritious foods.
People who frequently include canned foods in their diet increase food group diversity and have a more nutritious diet compared to those who eat few canned foods.
How can this be true, you say? Processing foods destroys vitamins and minerals, right?
It’s a common food myth that compared to fresh, canned is nutritionally subpar. An unfortunate misconception, given the accessibility and affordability of canned food.
To be fair, canned and fresh are not nutritionally equal, but to define canned as subpar would be an unjust exaggeration. Consider the following facts:
Foods that are going to be canned are harvested at their peak ripeness. Peak ripeness equates to peak nutritional value.
Granted, in the process of canning, some water-soluble vitamins are extracted into the canning liquid, such as B vitamins (so use the canning liquid in cooking). And, some degrade in the presence of heat – vitamin C being the most vulnerable (eat fresh oranges and broccoli). Minerals, like calcium, are quite stable and not affected by the heat in normal food processing.
Opposite of loss, certain nutrients become more available through the process of canning. Examples include lycopene (an antioxidant) in tomatoes, beta-carotene (a precursor to vitamin A) in carrots and sweet potatoes, and protein and fiber in legumes.
While produce for canning is picked at peak ripeness, fresh produce is harvested early to ensure it isn’t overripe by the time it makes it to the grocer (locally grown and sold produce being an exception). Note that 1) underripe food has not reached its peak nutritional value and 2) the nutrients in produce begin to degrade after harvest.
The point is, nutrient loss is inevitable unless you eat produce directly from the tree, bush or ground. Malnourishment is almost guaranteed if you don’t eat fruits and vegetables, and lack of access doesn’t have to be the reason for not eating them.
Out of the blue, my daughter announced on the drive home that she prefers canned peaches and carrots because they are so soft and juicy. If the testament of a 10-year-old doesn’t sell you on canned foods, then what will?
Nicole Clark is director of La Plata County Extension Office. Reach her at nclark@lpcgov.org.
