Do veggies that are less than fresh lose their nutritional value?

Question

Often I just don't use my veggies in time - the spinach is a little limp, the carrots bend a little more than they're supposed to, I have to cut an eye off the potato, the cauliflower has slightly brown patches - and I would still rather eat them than throw them away, but wonder if they have lost some of their nutritional value by this time... is this so? I try to buy as much organic as I can and they also tend to have a shorter shelf-life.

Answer 1

They will not lose their nutritional value over time.  If you boil them then yes a lot, almost have of the nutritional value seeps into the water.

Answer 2

yes a little, they start to decompose slightly

Answer 3

First, all potatoes grow eyes. Cauliflower browns very quickly so just cut out the brown stuff or only by cauliflower the day you need it. As long as the carrots and spinach aren't molding, they should be fine.

I think that a they won't lose much of the nutrients, if they lose any at all. I would just buy veggies as I need them. But I also understand having a selection of veggies available any time.

Answer 4

The fresher they are, the better they are for you.

I tend to try and buy frozen veg with the kinds of veg i may not eat every day (brocolli etc) as i was buying it and then it was getting wasted. The plus side with this, is that they're frozen earlier on and thus keep in most of their nutrition/vitamins etc.

You could also freeze the veg yourself if you don't use it as often. For instance i find that i freeze quite a lot of my leek by just chopping it and then putting it in a freezer bag into the freezer. Much better than leaving it in the fridge to either go off or not be as good for me. :-)

These google links may be of use to you also as there seems to be some decent information contained within the links shown.

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&clien...

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&clien...