Is Frozen Produce Healthier Than Fresh? – Chasing Life with Dr. Sanjay Gupta

Welcome to Paging Dr. Gupta. As you know, this podcast is one of my favorite podcasts because the best health conversations that I’ve heard often start with simple, honest questions. And that’s what we try and address here each week. Kyra’s back with us. What do we have first?

So first up today, this listener has a question sparked by a recent Chasing Life episode. And honestly, it kind of has me thinking back to that conversation too. Take a listen.

I am following up on your episode with Dr. Tim Spector and he talks about 30 vegetables. What would be those 30 vegetables? And are frozen vegetables just as good as fresh vegetables? I’ve heard that they’re better, hold their nutrients, vitamins, etc. Thank you. I look forward to hearing a podcast answering these questions.

This is a really good question, are frozen vegetables actually healthy, or are they just plan B when fresh isn’t available? I’m going to tell you the answer to that, plus really dig into what Dr. Spector meant about 30 vegetables right after this quick break.

Okay, let’s start with the 30 vegetable part of this. Here is a quick refresher of that Chasing Life episode with Dr. Tim Spector…

What I’m trying to do is give myself the room so I can have 30 different plants during my week. And that’s that diversity of plants, which I think is probably the most crucial rule for nutrition.

‘Okay, so what does that mean? First of all, it does not mean you need to eat 30 vegetables a week. What he’s really saying is try to eat thirty different plant-based foods each week. That could include vegetables, yes, but also fruits, whole grains, nuts, seeds, legumes, herbs, even some spices. So spinach and kale, for example, that’s two. Apples and bananas, that is two more. Lentils, chia, garlic, turmeric, all of it counts. What we’re getting at is this idea that really comes from the American Gut Project, which found that people who ate 30 or more different plants a week have more diverse gut bacteria. And that’s linked to better digestion, less inflammation, and stronger immunity. So yeah, you want to eat a variety of foods. Again, it doesn’t mean 30 different vegetables, but just think about plant-based foods and incorporating at least 30 different plant-based foods into your diet every week. It’s not that hard to do. It’s important to do, but not enough people do it. Now, onto frozen vegetables. So the short answer to your question, yes frozen veggies are a healthy choice. In many cases, they’re just as nutritious as fresh vegetables, and sometimes, importantly, even more so. Here’s why: vegetables meant for freezing are picked at their peak ripeness. That’s when they’re most nutrient rich. They are then typically blanched, which means they are briefly dipped in hot water to stop spoilage, and then they are flash frozen. And that’s what locks in most of their nutrients. Now it is true that some heat-sensitive nutrients like vitamin C, that may dip slightly during the blanching process. But overall, studies have shown frozen vegetables, frozen veggies, have nutrient levels that are very similar to fresh and sometimes even higher. Especially if that fresh produce has been sitting around for days. Now, another key point here, frozen veggies are actually really good at holding onto their nutrients. Fresh produce starts losing vitamins the moment they are picked and continues to lose them in transport and storage in your refrigerator. Frozen vegetables don’t keep losing nutrients the way fresh ones do. So, frozen vegetables, they’re a win. In so many ways, including cost and convenience and variety. They last longer. They’re often more affordable, and they can help you get to that 30 plant-based foods a week, even when something’s out of season. Do check the labels. Some frozen veggies come with sauces, and that can add a lot of stuff you don’t want, unneeded fat and sodium and preservatives. When you’re cooking your veggies from frozen, go for lightly steaming or microwaving. Why? To help preserve the nutrients and the texture. There’s no need to thaw first. And finally, a simple trick, add a squeeze of lemon after cooking to brighten flavor and also add a little bit of that vitamin C back in that I was talking about earlier. Bottom line, whether your vegetables are fresh or frozen, the goal is imperfection, it’s variety. Keep it colorful, mix it up, and yes, frozen definitely counts. Now, coming up. It’s become quite popular and makes some pretty remarkable health promises, but what does pink Himalayan salt actually do for you? We have that in just a moment.

All right, Kyra, what do we have next?

Yes, we got this next question from a listener who is wondering about a health trend that some of us might have seen on social media. Here’s what she asked.

Hi, my name is Fran and I’m 70 years old. I am calling in to find out about all the studies on pink Himalayan salt. There are people that drink Himalayan salt with lemon water in the morning and what it’s good for.

‘Okay Fran, thank you so much for your question about pink Himalayan salt. It’s definitely popular right now. I think we have some sitting in our own kitchen. Interestingly the salt primarily comes from a mine in Pakistan near but not in the Himalayas. The pink color comes from trace minerals like iron, calcium, potassium, and magnesium, which some people think makes it healthier than regular table salt. Just a side note by the way, sea salt also contains many of these same minerals. And sure, pink Himalayan salt tends to be less processed than table salt, which is refined, table salt is to remove impurities, they may contain anti-caking agents as well in table salt and oftentimes it’s fortified with iodine, a micronutrient that is essential to human health and wellbeing. But here’s the thing, those extra minerals that we’re talking about in pink Himalayan salt, those minerals that are often at the root of a lot of these health claims. They’re really only present in tiny trace amounts, too small to really have any health impact unless you’re consuming unrealistic quantities and you shouldn’t do that because it’s salt and we eat too much salt already. Additionally, many of the minerals that are in pink Himalayan salt in those trace amounts are actually easily obtained from other healthy foods. Now, some of the health claims you may have heard about pink Himalyan salt, improves sleep, balances your body’s pH, boosts energy. But the truth is, there’s little scientific evidence to support those specific benefits. Now, to be fair, it’d be really hard to do a study like that, but there just isn’t the scientific data to support these claims. Now, this idea about adding it to water. That is actually a trend people are doing. It’s called sole, sole water. It’s made by adding pink salt dissolved in water and often consumed with lemon. People say that it boosts energy, it detoxifies the body, but again, there’s not solid science behind those claims. What is important to know again, is that most people already consume way more sodium than they need. So drinking sole water just adds even more sodium into your diet, which can actually have risks, high blood pressure, kidney issues. So bottom line, is pink Himalayan salt better than regular salt? Not really. It’s a fine natural option if you prefer it, but it doesn’t offer any proven meaningful health advantages, and it does tend to cost more. Plus, as I mentioned, it typically does not contain added iodine, which is really important to your health. So if you’re using pink Himalayan salt exclusively, do make sure you’re getting your iodine from foods like seafood or dairy or seaweed. In the end, whatever salt you choose, it is still salt. Moderation is key. Hope that helps, Fran!

‘And thanks to everyone who sent in questions, your curiosity, your stories, your voices, I love hearing it, and that’s what brings this show to life. So keep it coming. If there’s something health-related you’ve been wondering about, send it to us. We might answer it next week! Record a voice memo, email it to AskSanjay@cnn.com, or give us a call, 470-396-0832 and leave a message. Thanks for listening. I’ll be back next Tuesday.