Why I Like Canned Peaches Better than Fresh Ones
My parents came very close to moving our family to Atlanta when I was in middle school. Apparently, my father had been given a once-in-a-lifetime job opportunity and he thought it’d be good for us. I, however, did not. I was only 11, but I knew I wouldn’t fit in down there and that I’d be better off in South Jersey.
My social concerns had nothing to do with my unfortunate purple glasses, my awkward sense of humor, or my lack of athletic abilities. My worries stemmed from the fact that I knew I would have a very unpopular opinion down there in the Peach State: I thought (and still do think!) that canned peaches are better than fresh. That’s right — I said it! Now, hear me out.
1. They come in syrupy peach juice!
Now, I know that this is exactly why many parents do not feed their children canned peaches (or canned fruit of any kind), but my mom never seemed to care and that was good news for me because I could drink the stuff up. In fact, I literally would. After I finished every small can of peaches, I’d take the can into the kitchen. Once I was sure no one was looking, I’d gulp down that sweet peach juice. I knew it was weird, but I wanted it! My mom saw me once and bought me actual peach juice; I did not like it nearly as much.
2. They’re already peeled.
Some people — me! — do not like peach skin. Yes, I know fresh peaches can be peeled, but canned peaches already come peeled. It’s science.
3. They’re still pretty nutritious.
Speaking of science, real scientists found that canned peaches are as loaded with nutrients as fresh peaches. The study found the two options to have comparable levels of vitamin E. And the canned fruit had almost four times more vitamin C and a lot more folate than fresh. All that’s gotta make up for the added sugar somehow, right?
Which do you prefer: Canned or fresh peaches?