Fill your freezer with the right picks and you’ll not only save money, you’ll eat more healthily too
Spent more time in the freezer aisle recently, searching for bargain foods? You’ll be pleased to hear that some frozen products are even healthier than their fresh counterparts. ‘The nutritional value of some fresh fruit and vegetables deteriorates rapidly after harvest, and also during storage on supermarket shelves and in our kitchens,’ says registered nutritionist Dr Tanja Harrison from the University of Chester. ‘Frozen foods, however, are harvested when they’re at their ripest and often nutritionally at their best.’
So, if you can steer clear of the high-sugar frozen desserts and high-fat frozen oven foods (such as burgers and chips), your freezer could help you eat a balanced diet, even when you’re on a budget.
Choose wisely
So which foods are healthier when eaten from the freezer? This all depends on the type of nutrients they contain. ‘In fresh produce, vitamin C levels in some fruit and veg, such as peas and spinach, reduce over time due to oxidation,’ says nutritionist Jenna Hope. This means vitamin C-rich broccoli, cauliflower and strawberries may be better bought frozen if you want to gain maximum health benefits from this antioxidant – which may help to reduce inflammation and prevent disease.
On the other hand, some frozen fruit and vegetables have a slightly lower nutritional content. One nutrient that appears not to freeze well is beta-carotene, which is found in carrots. Levels of this antioxidant decreased in frozen products, according to a Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry study. Overall, it’s best to eat a mix of fresh and frozen foods to make sure that you’re getting all your essential vitamins and minerals.
When it comes to meat, fish and poultry, there’s often little change in nutritional value but freezing these foods can help to reduce waste.
Go exotic
While there’s nothing wrong with frozen staples, such as peas, the freezer aisle also holds healthy treats such as mango, edamame beans, açai berries and summer berries including redcurrants and blackcurrants. Buy in bulk and you’ll make a saving too – 100g of raspberries costs roughly 40p less when bought frozen.
Store safe
Bought something fresh and not sure that you’ll use it within a few days? Because fresh produce is often sourced overseas and has already been stored for days, or even weeks, before it r
