Nutritionist explains the dangers of canned food

Canned foods are often made with excessive sodium and other preservatives to extend their shelf life. However, this can cause heart problems, increase blood pressure, or retain water, causing swelling.

According to American nutritionist Ariel Kestenbaum, there are also concerns that canned food is contaminated with BPA (bisphenol A). About 10% of canned foods still contain this chemical. If it is regularly ingested, the risk of cancer may increase, according to eatthis.com.

Fresh or canned foods?

In most cases, there is no real difference in the nutritional value of canned and fresh fruits and vegetables. However, what matters is what is added to preserve or improve their flavor. Canned fruits are often preserved in syrups with a lot of sugar, while excess sodium is the main problem with canned vegetables.

With this in mind, it's important to look for options with reduced or no sodium. If this is not possible, you should try to rinse the vegetables thoroughly before eating.

Canned or frozen foods?

As a rule, frozen fruits and vegetables are preferable because they enter the freezing process when they are at their maximum maturity, i.e. when they contain the greatest amount of nutrients. In addition, such foods are much less likely to contain preservatives and often taste fresher than canned foods. On the other hand, canned fruits and vegetables tend to lose some of their nutritional value due to the temperature at which the canning process takes place.