Fruits and vegetables that are frozen or canned might not be as attractive as their fresh counterparts, but when it comes to nutrition, they're far from second-rate.

Redefining fresh: The amount of some sensitive nutrients present in "fresh" produce can drop by ten to 50 percent during the seven- to 14-day trek from the field to grocery store shelves. On the other hand, fruits and vegetables to be frozen or canned are processed within hours of harvest and can remain nutritionally stable for up to eight months after freezing and two years after canning.

Nutrition: Although some C and B vitamins are lost during canning, this process also has nutritional benefits. Heat used during canning increases the availability of lycopene, the anti-cancer phytonutrient found in tomatoes. Heat also softens the bones of fish such as salmon, which boosts the canned version's calcium content over that of fresh fish.