Vegetables...and their many forms...

I have a question, not a particularly interesting question, but a question none the less.

I was wondering what the differences were between Fresh, Frozen and Canned vegetables.

By differences I mean which retains the most vitamins, or whether they all have the same vitamin content. etc etc, you get the idea

The less time and processing a vegetable has to endure, the better it is for you.
Obviously, if you go and pull a carrot, pick some peas and shuck some corn, you are getting the best of the best. All of that would be going from the garden to your plate with a minimal time lag and with very little processing.

Most frozen produce goes from the field to being cleaned, cut and flash frozen in just a few hours, or within a day. This retains most of the nutrients in their original state and can actually be better than some of the same fresh produce that has been picked in California, shipped across the country in a truck, sat in a warehouse for a few days and then dumped into a display bin at your local store.

Canned vegetables go through the most punishment because of the heat required for the canning process. I don't have any figures or links I can quote, but I would have to assume that canning would destroy some of the vitamin content.

The order that you posted your query is also the order I prefer to eat them in.
When I go shopping I hit the produce section first, it's my favorite part of the store.
Fresh vegetables are on my plate for most meals.
Frozen sometimes, but that will usually be that "Green Giant, Peaches & Cream Corn", I love that stuff.
Canned, NEVER NEVER NEVER............ I can't remember the last time I bought a canned vegetable. They all just taste bad.

Oddly enough, canned tomatoes contain more cancer fighting lycopene than fresh tomatoes.

Unlike some other canned foods, canned tomatoes retain most of their nutrients. In fact, cooked or canned tomatoes contain more lycopene than raw tomatoes. If buying canned tomatoes choose varieties without added sodium.

From above link

I assume we're talking about processed industrial canning and not home canning, which is still very good.

A lot of it also is based on the cooking method. If you buy fresh vegetables and cook 'em 'til they're soft, you're pouring most of the nutrients out with the cooking liquid. Your best bet for nutritional value if you're not eating them raw is to steam them.