To calculate the total cost of various foods, the researchers accounted for not only the time spent cleaning, preparing and cooking each item, but also the waste that is produced. Many fresh foods — like corn, for example — require removing stems or peeling and pitting, which takes time and reduces the amount of food available.
Corn has a long list of healthy components, including fiber, vitamin C and magnesium; a recent study even found that popcorn is packed with antioxidants, making the food a valuable part of any diet. When looking at purchase price alone, fresh corn is cheaper than its canned and frozen counterparts, but when the researchers factored in the cost of waste — mainly from the cob — and prep time, they found that canned corn can save families 25% in cost and is just as fibrous as the fresh variety.
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