Are Steam Bag Vegetables Good for You

Depending on your age, gender and activity level, you should consume between five and nine servings of fruits and vegetables each day, including fruits and vegetables of a number of different colors to maximize the nutrients you consume. Varieties that steam in the bag in the microwave make it quick and easy for you to prepare your vegetables, and they also help minimize nutrient losses.

Health Benefits of Steam Bag Vegetables

Steam bag vegetables, like other frozen vegetables, are usually flash frozen right after they are picked. This means they may have more nutrients than fresh vegetables that have spent a long time traveling across the country. The nutrients in steam bag vegetables include a number of essential vitamins and minerals, as well as fiber and phytochemicals. These nutrients help to lower your risk for a number of health conditions, including high cholesterol, high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, vision problems, obesity and cancer.

Benefits of Steaming

Microwave cooking and steaming are both healthy ways to cook vegetables to prevent nutrient losses. Cooking without added water helps maintain water-soluble vitamins, such as vitamin C and the B vitamins, that are otherwise leeched into cooking water. These vitamins are also heat sensitive, so the quick cooking times of steam-in-the-bag vegetables help to limit the amount of nutrients that are lost. You get the most health benefits from vegetables when you prepare them without added saturated fat or salt.


You probably don't need to worry about BPA getting into your food due to cooking the vegetables in the plastic bag. "Good Housekeeping" sent samples of a number of types of plastic containers, including a type of microwave steam bag, to a lab for testing. The lab found that most did not contain phthalates or BPA, and those that did contain small amounts of BPA didn't transfer this chemical to the food that was cooked in the container even after 30 uses. Steam bag vegetables are just as good for you as other frozen vegetables that you cook outside of the bag.


You can use these vegetables in the same way you would use other frozen vegetables. If you just want to heat up a package of vegetables for a side dish or if you are making a dish that calls for precooked vegetables, you can steam the vegetables in the bag. You can also open the bag and cook smaller amounts of these vegetables as you need them using the method of your choice.

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