Spinach is a powerhouse food containing vitamins and minerals. It’s also a rich source of phytochemicals, such as carotenoids and flavonoids.
If you love convenience, using frozen spinach can save you about 20 minutes of prep work and give you the nutrition you need.
Although frozen spinach would never be considered unhealthy, surprisingly there are a few circumstances where frozen and even canned could offer you more health benefits than fresh.
Unlike other frozen vegetables, frozen spinach can hold up to the freezing process, and its texture doesn't suffer because cooked spinach is soft.
What you should know about frozen spinach
Nutrients
In general, the nutrients and other protective compounds in spinach are similar, whether you use fresh or frozen. But compared to the frozen form, freshly harvested spinach provides more folate, a B vitamin that some studies have found may prevent heart disease, according to the American Heart Association.
Convenience
Nutrition adviser Karen Collins says frozen spinach is terrific to keep on hand for an easy nutrient boost in soups and sauces. For other uses, cook spinach (fresh or frozen) by steaming, microwaving, stir-frying or sautéing to retain folate and vitamin C. Boiling spinach in a pot of water can cut the vitamins’ content by half. When using frozen spinach, you can reduce vitamin C losses by cooking it directly from the freezer without thawing it first.
Utility
Although you can use fresh spinach in almost any recipe that calls for frozen spinach, the reverse is not always true. Livestrong says only fresh spinach will suffice for raw preparations such as salads and sandwich toppings. In recipes that require cooking, compact frozen spinach may be easier to handle than fresh spinach leaves that cook down significantly. If you cook regularly, having both types of spinach on hand allows you to choose which form you prefer for a given dish.
If frozen spinach is your choice, when selecting frozen vegetables, it’s always important to check the ingredient label carefully.
Though most frozen vegetables are free of additives and preservatives, some may contain added sugar or salt.
Some frozen vegetables may also be paired with premade sauces or seasoning mixes, which can add flavour but may increase the amount of sodium, fat, or calories in the final product.