The one FANTASTIC reason canned tomatoes (and other goodies) should be in everyone’s pantry

Fresh is best! It’s a mantra that has been drilled into everyone’s head, and we rarely stop to think about it much. After all, it makes sense…right? We all know we need to eat healthier, and pay more attention to our diets. What you might not know is that canned (and frozen) food can play as critical a role in developing healthy habits and a strong body, too. We at Miami Canners believe everyone deserves a diet rich in nutrients, vitamins and all the good things food has to offer, so today we take a closer look at the key role canned foods can play in keeping you fit and healthy, too.

Why healthy food matters to you and your family

There’s no doubt about it- with the hectic pressures of modern life weighing so many of us down, we don’t always eat as we should. Who has time for a healthy salad for lunch, or even a delicious homemade tuna sandwich, when your schedule is filled up through to next year already? It’s easier to grab something from the drive-through and call it a day!

Yet we all know a diet heavy in processed foods, trans fats and other ‘nutritional baddies’ is behind the growing obesity epidemic. Less visibly, it contributes to poor health, and can even be complicit in a host of ‘lifestyle diseases’ like heart issues and type 2 diabetes. Scientists and nutritionists urge us to take more care in our diet, and make better, healthier choices to keep us fit and strong. That traditionally include ‘a diet rich in fruit and veggies’.

Hearing this advice, our mind probably goes immediately to the raw veggies and fruits sitting in your local shops. Or, if you have a home veggie garden, the delicious fruits of your labour you harvest directly for your pot. Maybe it even goes straight to those sad, wilting veggies slowly going off at the bottom of the fridge. You know, the ones you totally were going to eat, but life got in the way? Perhaps you start feeling guilty just about now. After all, budgets are tight, space is limited, and storing fresh veg can be difficult. Finding time to cook it even more so. How do you do what’s best for you and your family?

‘Fresh is best’ doesn’t always mean what you think

People feel a lot of guilt around food. Even if you’re trying to do better for your family, you probably feel bad about what you can afford, or how you prepare it. There’s a prevailing idea that unless you are preparing the fresh veggie from scratch, it can’t possibly be healthy, and unless you spend extra hours in the kitchen and extra rand in the shop, you’re ‘doing healthy wrong’.

Not so! The fantastic news is that food doesn’t have to be inconvenient (or expensive) to be healthy, and no one has to ‘suffer’ in the kitchen to feel great. Frozen and canned foods play a key role in delivering vital nutrients and vitamins to the body, just like their fresh counterparts. In fact, depending on the cooking method (for canned goods), time of harvest and even place of origin, canned and frozen foods can sometimes even beat fresh food when it comes to nutrient value. This is because they are picked and preserved at the peak moment, keeping all their juicy goodness safe- and beating out forced, out-of-season veggies, or fruits picked early to keep them fresher for longer on the store shelf. They also can’t suffer from nutrient degradation over time on the shelf the way a fresh item can.

When canned is actually better for you

Canned (and frozen) produce offer your family a nutrient-dense, budget-friendly, easy-to-store way to get all the health benefits of veggies. After all, what’s easier to store- a few fresh granadillas you have to peel, prepare and store, or a quick-to-open can that offers all the same health benefits? However, there’s even some products that actively benefit from the preserving process!

We’ve spoken before about the health benefits of canned tomatoes, but it’s well worth mentioning again. The heat used in the tomato canning process releases lycopene-a carotenoid, a key antioxidant that helps keep you healthy and even has potential cancer-fighting benefits. Plus what could be more convenient, and simpler to store, then your Miami Tomato favourites?

Another class of foods it’s worth buying in a jar are your pickles. Scientists are only just beginning to realise the key Canned goodies 2role the digestive system plays in our health and wellbeing- and our stomach’s ‘flora’ is a key part of that. Probiotics help support a healthy, functional digestive system and overall bodily good health. They may even help slow down the ageing process, too! While you could get your probiotic dosage from an expensive pill, it’s easier and way more convenient to simply crunch down on your favourite pickled produce instead. With Miami’s huge pickle and pickled onion ranges to choose from, good health is truly just a bite away.

Nutritionists and doctors alike will urge you to eat a diet rich in fruits, veggies and other health-boosting nutrients. Don’t fall into the ‘health trap’ and think that means you have to blow your budget, give up your evenings as a family, and eat boring food with no taste or style. With Miami Canner’s delicious canned foods offering a wealth of convenience, versatility and health, you can do the right thing for your family hassle-free.