Food and nutrition are a tricky game to manage.
Firstly you need to know what foods are good or bad for you to eat, and this is difficult because each individual has different nutritional needs.
But even once you’ve nailed this side of things, you still need to be able to find the right quality and quantity of the right foods.
And that’s where the hassle comes in.
To truly tap into good nutrition, a lot of convenient food options will need to be foregone. That’s because these are mostly processed, and processed food is a no-no when it comes to good nutrition.
So whole foods are your choice obviously yes?
Correct, but the problem with whole foods is they very quickly and easily spoil.
Some have such a limited lifespan that getting them from shelf to kitchen means you’ll have greatly reduced their quality by the time you get home.
What’s more, a lot of fresh foods, especially produce can spread the spoil to neighboring food items that would have otherwise remained fresh for longer.
That means you’ll need to eat it all at once or continuously do small, but frequent shopping trips in order to replenish your stocks.
The other problem is the cost. Fresh, whole foods are often on the pricier end of the shelf. So not only are they less convenient from a consumption perspective, but they are also less affordable.
So what’s the solution? What if you could have the nutritional value of fresh, whole foods, with the storage and cost convenience of processed foods?
Enter frozen foods.
Frozen foods are an easy way to store and preserve food in its original whole form, but sometimes frozen food gets a bad rap.
In some cases, this is perfectly justified, so before we get too hyped up over frozen foods, let’s look at some of the cons.
Some of the Pitfalls of Frozen Foods
Frozen food has its benefits, as we’ll soon look into, but it also has its drawbacks.
For instance, frozen food is only good and spoil free as long as it remains in its initial frozen state.
That means freezing, thawing and refreezing is usually out of the question if you want to maintain any semblance of dignity.
This is especially true for meat. Frozen meat can be preserved for months, even years if we’re pushing it, but this is only the case from its first freeze.
Once thawed, you’ll need to cook and consume it.
Vegetables and fruit have less of a freshness problem when it comes to thawing and refreezing. The plant produces really sufferers in terms of palatability and nutrient profile.
Often, when you thaw fruit and veg, the resultant run-off liquid will hold a great deal of the nutrients.
That’s why it’s always advised to cook from frozen.
The other hassle with frozen foods is the fact that refrigeration is obviously required. It’s not like a bag of nuts you can just leave on a shelf.
So what happens when your freezer fails? Boom! No more frozen goodness. This vulnerability is an ever-looming disadvantage of frozen foods.
But this article is going to put your fears to rest. Because for every con, there are plenty more pros in the case of frozen food.
Top 5 Benefits of Frozen Foods
Storage Convenience
As we’ve already pointed out, frozen foods are a masterclass in storage convenience. Freezing has the benefit of preserving the original integrity of organic material while also sterilizing it of microbial activity which could cause decomposition.
This is a unique quality if you think about it. That’s because most other preservation methods require that the structural profile of an organic substance be altered, or its chemical profile is tampered with by the addition of preserving agents or removal of stuff that may speed up decomposition.
Freezing food is the only form of storage that leaves the original product completely intact with all its natural constituents in place.
Easy to Transport.
Frozen food is super easy to transport. This, of course, depends on how well the frozen state can be maintained.
But even with moderate isolation in a cool dark place, frozen food can easily be transported from your shopping cart to your kitchen hassle-free.
Nutrient Retention
Because freezing doesn’t tamper with the chemical components of a given organic material such as whatever food you’re having frozen, you can rest assured that the nutrient quality will be bang-on what it is for fresh, whole produce.
Flavour Retention
The flavor is another thing that often escapes when food undergoes rigorous processing or contains added preservatives.
Frozen food manages to do you one better by not only keeping up with its nutritious qualities but also with its delicious side.
Cost-Effective
And last but certainly not least, because frozen food is easier to transport, store and preserve that fresh whole food, its handling and distribution costs are cut down.
This brings the overall price you will pay for produce and food down when it comes frozen.
Conclusion.
Frozen food may not be the most ideal way to have and enjoy your food. Nothing beats a fresh, original, untampered piece of fruit or cut of steak.
But when it comes to a compromise that sacrifices little quality in a nutritional sense, going cold is your best bet.
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