Peaches, in whatever variety they come, either fresh or canned, are excellent additions to anyone’s diet.
Canned peaches in particular are super delicious, perfect for consuming as they are, or emptied into containers and purposed into cobblers, crisp, and other fruit desserts.
Just recently, a new study has claimed that canned peaches could be more nutritious than fresh peaches as they retain some nutrients far better than them, and also have some in the more abundant quantities.
Let’s briefly go through what the study claims!
Canned peaches are higher in Vitamin C and folate
Canned peaches according to the research were observed to have more available vitamin C and A than fresh peaches even though theoretically, these two variations are known to have nearly equal amounts of these nutrients. Part of the reason was because the canning process of peaches destroys the cell walls of the fruits making more of these nutrients readily available for the body to use.
Apart from being limited in the quantity of vitamins and minerals they can actually make available for the body, fresh peaches are also more susceptible to loosing nutrients than canned peaches. That’s because they continuously respire which breaks down stored organic materials and leads to loss of nutrients and other characteristics. The canned versions on the other hand retain nutrients far better so long they are kept in their unopened state.
Aside vitamin C and A, canned peaches are also great sources of vitamin E and folate – nutrients which they have in similar and greater proportions than fresh peaches respectively.
So if we can deduce something at this point, it’s that canned peaches may actually be more nutritious than fresh peaches, even when the difference really isn’t that substantial. They make nutrients more available than fresh peaches do and they also retain nutrients far better than aged peaches, so long they aren’t open.
When canned peaches aren’t good for you
While it’s true that canned peaches and fresh peaches do maintain an equally balanced position in a tug of war game. Not all canned peaches are created equally, just the way fresh peaches sometimes contrast in quality to one another.
Some canned peaches are simply better than others. These are normally peaches that are forced to swim in their own juice as opposed to a thick solution of sucrose syrup. These contain less sugar and are thus naturally superior. We already know what too much sugar can do to the body don’t we?
Does cooking canned peaches reduce nutrients?
It could, but not any worse than it does in fresh peaches. Cooking peaches can expose them to oxygen which can aid degradation of the nutritional profile, but on the other hand, heat from stove can also deactivate some enzymes responsible for degradation of some nutrient such as Vitamin C which in this case is a good thing.
If there’s anything to take away from the above paragraph, it’s that cooking peaches should be on the list of items that worry you the least. There’s just no need to worry any extra about cooking with canned peaches. They lose or retain nutrients in the same proportion like fresh peaches.
Safety practices with regards to canned peaches
While the songs of the benefits of canned peaches are said, the safety practices of handling canned peaches must be screamed!
You could go from healthy to sick in as little as a flash when you decide to treat peaches the way you like.
Here are some safety procedures regarding using canned peaches that you should know.
- Avoid bloated canned peaches in the canned aisle.
- Avoid dented cans too.
- Avoid leaking cans and those with seals that aren’t fixed properly.
- Avoid cans with ends that are bulging
- Throw away cans having smelly peaches.
- Throw away cans having liquids squirting out when you open them, they’re bloated and therefore improperly made.
- Store opened canned peaches in a container that is not made out of metal. Cover it tightly and then refrigerate.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do canned peaches have any nutritional value?
Of course canned peaches have nutritional value, that which rivals the punch from any fresh produce and even surpasses it in some departments like Vitamin C and folate.
Canned peaches are just as nutritious as fresh peaches, although they may not necessarily taste as good as the latter. They’re able to make some nutrients more readily available to the body than fresh peaches which in my opinion is a big bonus.
Are canned peaches cooked?
Yes, canned peaches are cooked, but only to the extent where the oxygen in them are driven off. This type of cooking is referred to as blanching and what it does is to slow down the natural rate of deterioration of peaches. With blanching, many qualities of the peaches are preserved better than without blanching.
Conclusion
Canned peaches, in whatever variety they come, are just as nutritious as fresh peaches. And whatever fresh peaches will provide for you, canned peaches will equally provide as much and even more.
Canned peaches contain some crucial vitamins like C and E which are more readily available in them than in fresh peaches due to the cell wall destruction that happens to them during blanching, and they also contain a higher amount of folate which is known to help with blood levels in the body.
While we sing that canned peaches are highly nutritious and safe to consume, their dark sides must not be ignored. Some of them can be coated in unhealthy syrups that can eventually trigger negative responses in certain people. For example, syrup and sweetened fruit juice purposed as the syrup can actually raise blood sugar levels in some people.
In this cases, people are advised to stick with canned peaches that are dipped in unsweetened fruit juice to minimize their sugar intake.
