According to the USDA's Dietary Guidelines, adults should eat at least 2 servings of fruit each day. And canned fruit can absolutely be just as healthy (if not more) than its fresh counterpart.
Canned foods are a convenient and affordable way to incorporate more fruits and vegetables into your diet. The process of canning ensures a long shelf life of at least one to five years. This may be beneficial for individuals who often throw away fresh produce due to spoilage.
Canning locks in the nutrients at their peak of freshness, and they have a long shelf life. Frozen fruits and vegetables are also packed at their peak of freshness, but do have a shorter storage life than canned.
Adding canned and dried fruits are a great way to add more fruit to your diet. Fruits contain essential vitamins and minerals that your body needs. Healthy canned fruit options include tomatoes, pumpkins, and tangerines. Some healthy dried fruits include apricots, prunes, and raisins.
At a glance: what counts? 80g of fresh, canned or frozen fruit and vegetables counts as 1 portion of your 5 A Day (but not potatoes and some other starchy foods). For tinned or canned fruit and vegetables, choose those in natural juice or water, with no added sugar or salt.
Does rinsing canned fruit help at all with sugar content? The short answer is yes. Rinsing the canned fruit will help remove that sugary syrup that's on the outside of the fruit, but it might not make a dent in the syrup the fruit has already absorbed. Ultimately, it's a better option than not rinsing at all.
Look for “low sodium” or “no salt added” on the label when buying canned vegetables. For canned fruit, choose the ones canned in 100% juice or water instead of syrup. As always, check the expiration date and look out for sharp dents or dents on the seam of the can.
A half-cup of canned pears provides a full serving of fruit at less than 100 calories. Fat-free, low-sodium with zero cholesterol, canned pears are a wholesome addition to any meal. And because they're ripe and ready to use anytime, anywhere, in any season, canned pears mean less waste and the best taste!
Reduce sugar and salt content by rinsing canned fruits and vegetables in a strainer. For canned fruits, choose options that are packed in light syrup or 100% juice.
Research conducted by Oregon State University confirms that the nutritional value of canned peaches is on par with that of fresh peaches. In a multi-year study, researchers compared the nutrients in fresh freestone peaches and fresh cling peaches with those found in canned cling peaches.
Fresh, frozen or canned fruit and veg can all be healthy choices! Fresh food is great, but frozen and canned foods are good alternatives – equally nutritious, and really convenient, with long shelf lives if stored correctly.
According to Dr. Surampudi, canning requires a lot more processing, and is likely to have less nutritional value than frozen foods.
Are canned mandarin oranges good for you? Canned mandarin oranges can be a great way of getting more fruit into your diet, especially when mandarin oranges aren't in peak season. You'll need to make sure they're not canned in sugar. Look for a label on the can that says “no added sugar”.
The fruit will have absorbed some of the sugar from the syrup but draining the syrup will make a big difference. For example, a cup of canned peaches in syrup has around 990kJ but when drained that's down to around 470kJ. At the end of the day, eating any canned fruit is better than not eating fruit.
Due to calorie count and overall nutrition value, water-packed canned fruit is the healthiest choice. The heavy and light syrups are of little nutritional value other than calories and are very high in sugar. The fruit packed in juice contains significantly less added sugar than syrup-packed canned fruit.
After opening canned goods, store the food in the refrigerator. High-acid canned goods such as tomato products, juice, fruit, pickles, sauerkraut and foods in vinegar-based sauces can be stored five to seven days.
Good choices include oranges, blueberries, apples, avocados, and bananas, but there are many more to choose from. Fruits are an excellent source of essential vitamins and minerals, and they are high in fiber. Fruits also provide a wide range of health-boosting antioxidants, including flavonoids.
Everyone should have at least 5 portions of a variety of fruit and vegetables every day. An adult portion of fruit or vegetables is 80g. The guide below will give you an indication of typical portion sizes for adults.
Eating fruit and weight loss
Incorporating fruit in the diet, alongside healthy eating and regular exercise, may contribute to weight loss. According to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2020–2025 , people should consume 2 cups of fruit per day as part of a balanced diet.
Canned fruit is often packed in syrup, as well, and all that added sugar and the canning process itself may diminish some nutrients, potentially wiping out 20 to 40 percent of the phenolic phytonutrients and about half of the vitamin C.
Most shelf-stable foods are safe indefinitely. In fact, canned goods will last for years, as long as the can itself is in good condition (no rust, dents, or swelling). Packaged foods (cereal, pasta, cookies) will be safe past the 'best by' date, although they may eventually become stale or develop an off flavor.