Frozen Foods: Should You Include Them in Your Diet?

Frozen foods can be part of a healthy diet. Adding frozen foods to your shopping list is a convenient way to include foods from many food groups in your menu: vegetables, fruits, whole grains, legumes, fish, or seafood.

What is freezing?

Freezing is one way to preserve food. The freezing process uses low temperatures to turn water into ice. Food products are cooled from 20 to 40°C and stored at 18°C. The main purpose of freezing is to inhibit the growth of microorganisms and food spoilage. The transformation of water into ice crystals inhibits the physical, chemical, and enzymatic processes in products.

Frozen food assortment

Frozen products are becoming increasingly popular, so their range is constantly growing. The market includes frozen vegetables (e.g., spinach, green beans, broccoli, cauliflower), fruits (e.g., raspberries, strawberries, blueberries, mangoes, pineapples), as well as vegetable and fruit mixes, fish, seafood, flour products (e.g., dumplings, dumplings, dumplings), ice cream or sorbets.

You can also buy frozen convenience foods, which should be avoided in our daily diet. These include french fries, pizza, or casseroles. More and more common are ready-made dishes based on pasta or rice with the addition of vegetables. They are a good alternative when we need a quick bite to eat. Vegetable mixes or soups will also come to the rescue, from which you can quickly prepare a healthy dish.

What are the benefits of eating frozen foods?

In most cases, freezing is a very effective way to preserve color, flavor, nutritional value, and texture.

This form of food preservation contributes to less loss of vitamins A, C and B compared to other preservation methods. The content of essential nutrients such as proteins, fats, and carbohydrates generally remains unchanged.

Frozen fruits and vegetables are harvested at their peak ripeness and are often refrigerated within hours of harvest to preserve nutrients and flavor. An example is vitamin “C,” the content of which begins to decline immediately after harvest. Low temperatures hinder the development of this process.

Freezing fruits and vegetables prevents the decrease in the content of polyphenolic compounds with antioxidant properties. In some cases, an increase in these compounds has even been found.

Studies comparing the content of folic acid and beta-carotene in frozen and fresh fruits and vegetables found no significant differences. Vegetables and fruits such as broccoli, cauliflower, corn, green peas, green beans, blueberries, and strawberries were analyzed.

What foods can be frozen?

Freezing food at home is a great way to keep excess food from going to waste. It had happened to each of us when we bought too many vegetables and fruits or cooked too much dinner that we did not have time to eat. Instead of throwing away extra unused products, we can freeze them.

You can freeze most foods, except vegetables and fruits that contain a lot of water, such as cucumbers, radishes, lettuce, watermelon, melon, or citrus fruits. Dairy products such as yellow and white cheeses, yogurt, and cream should also not be frozen.

On the other hand, vegetables such as zucchini, beans, carrots, and cauliflower are ideal for freezing. And pre-frozen spinach or broccoli can be the basis for a vegetable dinner.

Small stone fruits such as raspberries, strawberries, blueberries, blueberries, or blackberries are best frozen in two stages – lay them out individually on parchment paper and place them in the freezer. After a few hours, take out and transfer to bags. In this way, the fruits will retain their shape and integrity. Fruit prepared in this way can be used for cereals, desserts, or cocktails.

What should be avoided when eating frozen foods?

Both store-bought and self-prepared frozen foods require proper storage conditions. Properly stored frozen foods will be more nutritionally valuable and microbiologically safe. Basic rules for safe storage include keeping frozen food at a constant temperature and not freezing food that has already been defrosted.

When choosing ready-to-eat frozen meals, you should pay attention to their nutritional value and composition and avoid foods high in saturated fatty acids and added salt and sugar.

It is important to remember the correct transportation of purchased frozen products. It is worth transporting them in a thermal bag to avoid defrosting and subjecting them to the beginning of the food spoilage process, which can be hazardous to health.

In addition, an important aspect of preserving the nutrients of frozen foods is proper defrosting. It’s best to follow the directions on the packaging or thaw the food in the refrigerator.

Should I eat frozen food then?

Worth considering including them in your daily diet. This is especially true in winter when access to fresh fruits and vegetables is limited. Their use will help us to compose a variety of dishes. However, you should remember the rules for proper storage and defrost. This will make them a valuable element of our daily diet.

Advantages and disadvantages of frozen foods

Advantages:

– sold in almost every grocery store;

– retain nutritional value;

— microbiologically safe (with proper storage);

– can be stored for up to several months;

– a variety of available products;

– availability of seasonal products throughout the year (for example, strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, beans, and green beans).

Flaws:

– change in the shape and consistency of some products;

– loss of vitamins (minor);

– the time spent on defrosting the product;

– high fat, salt, and sugar in some prepared meals (for example, ice cream, sorbets, fast food).

Brief Summary