We talk a lot about vegetables and how much we like eating what’s in season. But, during the long winter months, we sometimes get bored with the more limited selection of fresh, in-season foods available in the produce aisle. That’s when we turn to canned fruits and veggies.

Canned produce is frequently misrepresented as being not as good for you as their fresh counterparts. However, a study found that they actually had the same nutrients — fresh, canned or frozen. Some were even found to be more nutritious. They are frequently less expensive, and they allow you to eat your favorites when the ones on the shelf are either missing or lower quality because they are out of season.

Canned goods do have some drawbacks, many contain the chemical BPA from the cans. The industry is turning away from BPA. But, a test of more than 250 cans of commercially available foods found that almost 40 percent still had BPA. The FDA says BPA at those levels is safe, many doctors disagree. Some companies have taken to making their products as BPA free. However, they could contain similar chemicals.

Perhaps a more significant concern than BPA is the fact that some are packed in salt, sugar or preservatives. Reading the ingredients can help you pick fruits and veggies that aren’t packed with things you don’t want — many don’t contain the additives. Draining and rinsing them is another way to lower the amount of additives you’ll eat. Picking the ones that are right for you isn’t hard with labels.

Regardless of what’s in season, you can be eating delicious veggies. You also get things you might not otherwise see. Baby corn is rarely (if ever) seen fresh and usually only found in the frozen aisle as part of a veggie medley. Baby corn is high in fiber while being low in calories and carbs. We love them washed and diced into a salad or throwing into a healthy stir fry. Water chestnuts are another tasty veggie that’s rarely seen out of the can. They are higher in carbs, which makes them less of a regular at our table, but we absolutely love the crunch they add to some dishes. And they are high in antioxidants so they may aid health.

If you’re unsure of what you might like to try first, you can check out this list of some of the best, healthiest canned foods around. Try out all your go-to favs in a can — many people have been avoiding them for so long they don’t remember the difference between fresh and canned. Hopefully, this will allow you to enjoy the foods you love throughout the year!