Freeze-drying:

A more traditional preservation process is dehydration, and many items offered by Thrive Life are dehydrated rather than freeze dried. Dehydration is an excellent option in many cases, but the process does tend to change the color and texture of your food. Dehydration also doesn't remove as much water as freeze drying, resulting in foods that weigh more and have shorter shelf lives.

Freeze dried foods last longer and are healthier than foods that are simply dehydrated. When re-hydrated with water or any other liquid you choose, freeze dried products come back to their original state. They are ideal for simple snacking and inclusion in recipes. Because these foods are harvested and dried at peak freshness, you can have nutrition and great taste all year round.

Institute of Food Research:

45 percent nutrient loss in grocer vegetables

Vegetables are great for any meal, because they taste good and usually do not require too much preparation. They are also a great source of vitamins and nutrients, however, a recent study by IFR EXTRA shows that "fresh" supermarket vegetables may not be as nutrient packed as you think.

The study compares nutrient levels in frozen vegetables to the nutrient levels in "fresh" grocery store vegetables. Their findings are that "fresh" vegetables can lose up to 45 percent of their nutritional value between being picked and landing on a grocery shelf. The cause of this loss is simply the length of time it takes for your "fresh" vegetables to arrive at your grocery store. Once picked, a vegetable's nutritional value will immediately start to decline. If you factor in the time it took for your vegetables to get to the store and the amount of time they're stored on your own shelves, the nutritional value could be completely diminished by the time you eat it. This is cause for concern for anyone, because a vegetable's key components are vitamin C and glucosinolates, which are thought to help prevent some forms of cancer.

Health Benefits of Freeze Dried Foods:

Freeze dried foods: are lightweight and easy to store in a handbag, backpack or even on your shelves at home. Freeze drying involves removing 98 percent of the water and oxygen from foods to preserve them. The American Institute for Cancer Research suggests that while the water and oxygen are removed from foods, the nutritional value of the food is not decreased or altered

Retained Antioxidants: Freeze dried fruits and vegetables contain the same amounts of antioxidants as their fresh counterparts, according to the American Dietetic Association. Researchers at the American Institute for Cancer Research have been studying the effects of the phytochemicals and antioxidants in freeze dried foods on cancer cells found in the colon and esophagus. The researchers suggest that the antioxidants and phytochemicals in freeze dried fruits and vegetables reach and travel through the bloodstream just as they would if they were consumed fresh.

Fewer Preservatives: The American Dietetic Association suggests that freeze dried foods do not require the addition of preservatives to maintain their shelf life. The Mayo Clinic says that this is a significant health benefit when compared with canned foods. Large amounts of sodium or potentially harmful chemicals are used to extend the storage life of canned foods, according to the Mayo Click. Canned foods can contain 30 to 46 percent more sodium than fresh, frozen or freeze dried foods, according to the American Dietetic Association.

References:

1.American Institute for Cancer Research: Freeze Dried Fruits Are a Good Health Choice?

2.“American Dietetic Association: Complete Food & Nutrition Guide”: Robert Larson Duyff, MS, RD, FADA, CFCS; 2006

Does Freezing Kill Enzymes in Food?  NO!!!

Last Updated: Mar 13, 2014 | By Kirstin Hendrickson

There are many common misconceptions regarding the enzymes in your food -- whether they're useful to you and what affects them. In very simple terms, freezing doesn't kill enzymes in food for two reasons. First, they're not alive, so they can't be killed. Second, freezing doesn't permanently affect enzyme structure.

Enzymes

Enzymes aren't living things, meaning that no matter what you do to them, you can't kill them. Instead, they're proteins; explain Drs. Reginald Garrett and Charles Grisham in their book "Biochemistry." They play important roles in all living organisms, as they help cells to engage in necessary chemical reactions. For instance, your digestive tract depends upon enzymes produced by digestive tract cells to break down nutrient molecules in your food. Other body cells use different enzymes to build products and engage in other cellular reactions.

Effect of Freezing

There are some things that destroy enzymes. Exposing them to very high levels of acidity and exposing them to heat, for instance, causes denaturation. When an enzyme is denatured, it loses its shape, rendering it nonfunctional. Freezing an enzyme has a different effect, however. Rather than denaturing the enzyme, freezing appears simply to slow the rate at which the enzyme operates. There is no permanent effect on enzyme function as a result of freezing, explain Dr. A. Meijer and colleagues in a 1977 article in "Histochemistry and Cell Biology."

References

• Biochemistry; Reginald Garrett, Ph.D. and Charles Grisham, Ph.D.
• Histochemistry and Cell Biology; The Influence of Freezing and Freeze-drying of Tissue Specimens on Enzyme Activity 

Freeze-Dried Fruits Are a Good Health Choice?

By the American Institute for Cancer Research

Although freeze-dried fruits are small and light-weight, studies show that the antioxidant phytochemicals found in the fruits' fresh state are retained at levels almost as high after freeze-drying. Studies also show that the phytochemicals in freeze-dried fruits can reach our bloodstream.

Since the 1980s, one researcher has been studying how the phytochemicals in freeze-dried fruits, such as raspberries, strawberries and blueberries, might protect against cancers of the colon and esophagus. The American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR) has supported his work.

At AICR's most recent annual research conference, this researcher, Gary Stoner, Ph.D., Professor and Chair of Environmental Health Sciences at Ohio State University, told the audience why he uses the whole freeze-dried berry instead of extracts. In addition to phytochemicals like ellagic acid, carotenoids and anthocyanins, the whole berry can contain significant amounts of vitamins C, E and folic acid. "Studies show that the substances in foods working together are more effective than any one in isolation," he said.

In his studies, freeze-dried berries are ground into a powder. After several experiments showed that the fruit powder prevented colon tumors, small-scale human trials were begun. Now, several larger human trials have been launched to study the effects of the berry powder on precursors to colon and esophageal cancers. Dr. Stoner is also trying to develop an aerosol spray from the berries for use in lung cancer experiments.