Canned fruit may bring back memories of your school cafeteria lunches. There is nothing like a canned fruit salad to drum up old memories. But was that fruit salad actually giving you any nutrition?
Canned fruit can be a great option depending on which liquid is used in the canning process. Canned fruit needs to be preserved in liquid, and the choices can vary from heavy syrup to natural juice. In general, choosing fruit that is canned in its own natural juices is going to be a less-sugary and therefore lower-calorie and better-for-you option vs. any syrups.
In terms of vitamins and minerals, data suggests that canned fruits can fuel your body with necessary nutrients just as well as fresh in certain cases. For example, canned apricots have been shown to have more beta carotene and antioxidants when compared with fresh, and the nutritional content of canned peaches has been shown to be comparable to that of fresh peaches.
It is important to note that many canned fruit options remove the skin of the fruit before it is preserved. In some cases (like pears and apples), the skin houses most of the fruit's nutrients. Therefore, removing the skin removes the source of antioxidants, fibre, and other nutrients. Reading food labels and becoming more familiar with the benefits of certain fruits can help guide which varieties are better choices than others.
Canned fruit can be a convenient, economical, and satisfying option. As long as it is not swimming in syrupy sugar and you are not missing out on important nutrients by not eating the skin, enjoy adding your canned fruit to yoghurts, cottage cheeses, and classic dishes!