Do frozen foods really have nutritional value?

The first episode of the once-popular show "A Bite of China" is themed "Nature's Gifts." We can clearly feel the Chinese nation's obsession with the word "fresh" when it comes to food.

So when frozen food appeared, it was long labeled as "not fresh" and "a substitute for those who have no time to cook." Many mothers also feel that it is not healthy at all, thinking that frozen food is made from dead pork, dead fish, and dead shrimp. Hearing this often makes you start to wonder, "Can frozen food really be eaten with peace of mind?"

Many people think that frozen food is low in nutrition, believing that the longer it is frozen, the more nutrients are lost. In fact, this is a complete misunderstanding.

Frozen food is not just about freezing food; the reason it is called "quick freezing" is that the freezing speed is very fast!

Compared to the freezing process of a regular refrigerator, quick freezing can rapidly lower the temperature of food to far below the freezing point of water (usually below -18°C).

If you freeze dumplings that you made yourself in the refrigerator, because the temperature drops slowly, the water in the food will form "ice crystals." As the temperature decreases, these "ice crystals" will grow larger, easily damaging the food's cell structure, leading to nutrient loss and a decline in taste.

In contrast, because quick-frozen food cools down rapidly, the water in the food enters a "supercooled" state, and the "ice crystals" formed at this time are very small, small enough not to severely damage the food cells, thus preserving the food's nutrients and taste to a greater extent.

The quick freezing process is so fast that the food doesn't even have time to react before the freezing operation is completed, so there is almost no significant loss of nutrients. In some cases, the nutrient retention rate in frozen fruits and vegetables may even be higher than that of fresh ones transported.

Moreover, due to the low-temperature state, cellular activity is basically halted, and microbial activity is also greatly restricted, allowing frozen food to be preserved for a long time. Therefore, the nutrition of frozen food is actually not inferior, and you can eat it with confidence!