Health MATTERS – What about Frozen foods?

 Not ALL frozen food is bad.

 Even though it’s home to ice cream and many other convenience foods, don’t race past the frozen-food section thinking it’s filled with only unhealthy foods.  Frozen fruit and vegetables are a great alternative to fresh.  If they’re flash-frozen at their peak, they retain their nutrients.  A neighbour picked fresh wild blueberries last summer and we quickly froze them at their peak and have used them regularly throughout the winter in smoothies & desserts like winter fruit crumble.

Wild caught frozen fish and shrimp are alright too if sodium levels are low and they haven’t been breaded.

 As for frozen pizzas, yes, they are quick, but usually one sixth of this kind of pizza contains 40 percent of your daily sodium, and 20 percent of your fat!  How many of us can eat just one sixth of this pizza?  Instead, buy fresh or frozen whole-wheat crusts or dough, and add your own healthy toppings.  That way, you control the amount of cheese and meats you use.

It’s hard to eat healthy all the time because people work and everyone has a different schedule.  It is possible though if you go for lean meats, and buy organic or free-range if you can afford it.  Boost the flavour of lean meats with rubs and marinades.  “Free-range” means they have had room to move around, as opposed to factory animals kept in closed conditions.  Organic means they haven’t been treated with antibiotics or hormones.

Carefully reading through labels in the frozen food section will help you choose what you need, and as long as you’re not eating from this section all the time, you should be just fine.  A bit of frozen (like peas, for instance) is totally acceptable.  Remember, balance is key.

 

 

 

 How many of us have succumbed to trying the new & improved selection of frozen pizzas? Guilty!