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Frozen foods often receive criticism for being high in sodium and lacking essential nutrients, but some brands are providing healthier choices, such as Trader Joe’s Grilled Chicken Pesto with Vegetables or Saffron Road’s Thai Curry.

Keep in mind that healthy frozen food like fruits and veggies may often provide more nutrition than their fresh counterparts since they’re harvested at peak ripeness. Plus, frozen food costs less!

Fruits & Vegetables

Frozen foods often receive criticism for being high in sodium and added sugars, but they can make for a nutritious addition to any diet. Stocking your freezer with nutritious frozen meals and vegetables is an easy way to ensure you’re getting all the necessary vitamins and minerals.

Frozen fruits and veggies tend to offer similar nutrition as fresh versions (except for those containing sugary sauce). That’s great news for your heart health, gut health, energy levels and weight loss efforts!

When shopping for frozen fruits and veggies, be on the lookout for products without added sugars, salt or other preservatives. Furthermore, ensure the bag doesn’t feel limp or damp, as this could indicate it was either improperly frozen or stored.

Meats & Poultry

Meat, poultry, and fish should all be part of a well-rounded diet for added protein, vitamins, and minerals. When shopping for frozen entrees that include lean cuts of meat or plant-based proteins like whole grains as ingredients, review the nutrition facts label to make sure you’re receiving enough fibre, sodium, and other important nutrients.

Select the organic, grass-fed, free-range or humanely raised meat and poultry whenever possible to improve both your health and that of animals as well as the environment. This choice will benefit everyone involved!

Be on the lookout for brands such as Healthy Choice and EVOL that provide nutritious options in the freezer aisle, such as Power Bowls, turkey meatloaf and grilled chicken breasts. When purchasing healthy frozen food meals, look for ingredients that are nutrient-dense with low levels of added sugars, saturated fat, and sodium; often, brands will make claims such as “organic,” “plant-based”, and “natural,” but this might not mean much if they contain added salts and sugars.

Beans & Legumes

Beans and legumes provide satisfying yet calorie-conscious meal solutions, serving both vegetarians and meat eaters alike. Legumes boast low-fat levels while being high in soluble fibre – both essential components in helping lower cholesterol levels.

Cooking legumes at home can be both cost-effective and straightforward. A wide variety of beans – black, kidney, navy bean, pinto beans, as well as chickpeas (garbanzos) and lentils can all be easily found canned; when purchasing dried beans, it’s best to soak them overnight before preparing until soft.

Cooked legumes make a satisfying and protein-rich addition to salads such as the Orange Lentil Salad with Feta and Fresh Herbs on page 200 or added directly into rice or quinoa dishes as meals. Their addition increases satisfaction while increasing protein consumption while simultaneously aiding blood sugar stabilisation with resistant starches that contain resistant starches that aid in keeping blood sugar stable while providing essential sources of zinc and folate.

Fish & Seafood

Electrically assisted freezing technologies have transformed the frozen seafood market, enabling companies to offer frozen alternatives that rival fresh. Registered dietitians advise selecting options preseason or marinated before breaded breadings that feature nutritious coatings.

Numerous companies now provide healthy frozen food that has been sustainably sourced, labelled with logos from the Marine Stewardship Council, Aquaculture Stewardship Council or Best Aquaculture Practices. Walmart’s Sam’s Choice (available exclusively through Walmart) features wild-caught Alaskan salmon and cold-water lobster tails from Sam’s Choice’s Open Nature brand; all their products are frozen almost as soon as they’re caught, thus protecting nutrients.

Having frozen food in your freezer can be a lifesaver when you’re busy and don’t have time to cook or are sick and need something quick to eat. But while frozen meals have a bad reputation for being high in sodium, saturated fat and sugar, that’s not necessarily true. With a little know-how, you can stock your freezer with healthy frozen food that will leave you satisfied.

A good place to start is with frozen vegetables, which tend to be lower in salt than fresh ones, according to this research. They also keep their nutrients, including vitamin C, folic acid and fibre. Frozen fruits are another option. They’re often less expensive and more convenient than their fresh counterparts, and many of them are nutrient-dense (like strawberries, raspberries and blueberries).