Is frozen broccoli healthy and as good for you as fresh? With many vegetables, the frozen versions are actually healthier than the fresh, because there's more preservation of the antioxidants from being in ice. Refrigeration and cold generally (though not always) preserve them better than room temperature.With many kinds of fresh veggies, especially lettuces and other leafy greens, the antioxidant content degrades from the time it is picked 'til the time it arrives in your produce aisle.The bad news is that frozen broccoli is one of the exceptions to this pattern. With broccoli, the nutritional value of the antioxidants is higher in the fresh and lower in the frozen. How much of a difference? A lot. Fresh comes in at 1,510 versus the 496 you see here.
ORAC Source
USDA Database for the Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity (ORAC) of Selected Foods, Release 2 - Prepared by Nutrient Data Laboratory, Beltsville Human Nutrition Research Center (BHNRC), Agricultural Research Service (ARS), U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) - May 2010