Should you be giving Frozen Fruit & Veg the Cold Shoulder?
Image credit: Nick Sarro on Unsplash
It still amazes me when I talk to people how many associate frozen fruit and veg as a “bad” and unhealthy food choice. So I thought I would write a little blog post addressing both the pros and cons of these frozen foods and to dispel the myths behind them.
The Perceived Cons:
They are processed
It is true that frozen fruits and veggies have been processed, probably as a result of washing and potentially blanching, chopping and then freezing, however, they are definitely not ultra processed in accordance with current guidelines. Furthermore, many of the fruit and vegetables found in supermarkets have been processed in some way such as washing and packaging. In fact tray’d berries could be classed as being more processed as well as being washed they tend to be placed in plastic trays that can contain anti-microbials to reduce spoilage. Frozen varieties don’t tend to require anti-microbial agents as the freezing process acts to preserve the product and stop spoilage.
They contain additives
Yes some frozen fruit and veggies can contain additives such as the case with fries and honey roasted parsnips, the easiest thing to do when it comes to these products is either avoid them entirely or to assess the ingredients, avoid any which contain items that are not a natural food ingredient, going for plain is always the safest choice. Potentially the worst part of frozen fruits and veggies is that they tend to come in plastic packaging. However, many farm shops and some weigh your own supermarkets have for example frozen berries and fruits.
Contain less nutrients than “fresh” fruit and veg
On average frozen varieties of fruit and veggies contain higher amounts of nutrients than other varieties as they are frozen not long after being harvested which preserves their nutrient content as apposed to being stored and shipped prior to hitting the shelves of your local supermarket, during which time they lose nutrients.
If your eating frozen your not eating organic
Actually more and more organic varieties are available frozen.
The Pros:
As we have already covered frozen fruits and veg tend contain more nutrients, undergo little processing and possibly contain less additives than “fresh produce” if bought plain and are available in organic varieties and some even plastic free.
Additionally,
They tend to be cheaper, even the organic varieties than their “fresh” alternatives, and I mean cheap.
They are extremely handy as they have long shelf lives allowing you to use only what you need when you need it, making increasing your variety of fruit and vegetables in your diet much easier as you do not have to worry about using products up before they spoil. They are great to add in to soup, stews, casseroles, stir fries, scrambled eggs, smoothies or to throw on the top of overnight oats to name but a few.
They can save so much time as they tend to be ready to cook and be cooked quickly. So add some to your next shopping list and save yourself some time and stress while supporting a healthy balanced diet.
My 20 Freezer Essentials:
Fruits:
Frozen Berries such as Raspberries, Blueberries, Blackberries (organic varieties readily available)
Stoned fruits such as Apricots and Mangos
Pineapple
Bananas
Peppers
Veggies:
Peas (organic varieties readily available)
Carrots
Green beans
Brussel Sprouts
Greens: Such as Cabbage, Kale and Spinach
Cauliflower
Onions
Sweetcorn
Parsnips
Butternut Squash
So next time you think it is hard to achieve a variety of fruits and veggies in your diet if you have these essentials in your freezer you already have 20 of the recommended 30 varieties of plant foods per week. Which should help to increase nutritional intake and support gut microbiome diversity (if you know, you know if you don’t, don’t worry) which is linked to both improved immunity and general health.
Stay happy and healthy,