These resources are brought to you by the Cooperative Extension System and your Local Institution

Families, Food and Fitness Home

Have a question? Try asking one of our Experts

Print Share/Bookmark

On your Web site you make the statement, "the thought that fresh fruits and vegetables are always better than frozen or canned is a myth." With 200 to 400 mg of salt per serving in most canned vegetables, how can you make this statement? If you eat the recommended daily serving of vegetables, you are going to exceed the daily recommended amount of salt intake. The most significant difference between canned versus fresh vegetables is the sodium content. Sodium acts as a preservative, which helps keep food on the shelf longer. However, Americans consume an average of 4,000 to 6,000 mg of sodium per day, when a healthy adult should actually consume no more than 2,300 mg of sodium (1 tsp) per day! If you are older than 50; are African American; or have high blood pressure, high cholesterol or diabetes, your sodium intake should not exceed 1,500 mg per day.

Last Updated: January 13, 2011

View as web page


Although you bring up a very valid point regarding sodium content in canned vegetable products, please notice that the author of this article did address the sodium content of canned vegetables as well as the sugar content of canned fruits: "One disadvantage to some canned fruits and vegetables is that many have added sugar and salt, so choose the no-salt variety, and make sure to read the labels before buying. Fruits packed in their own juices are best to limit sugar from heavy packing syrups." In addition, canned vegetables can be rinsed to remove some of the sodium. Just for clarification, the salt in canned vegetables is for flavor only and does not act as a preservative.

Browse related Faqs by tag: families food fitness, enjoymorefruitsandvegetables, familiesfoodfitness


Have a specific question? Try asking one of our Experts

Unlike most other resources on the web, we have experts from Universities around the country ready to answer your questions.