Frozen Meals - Are they good for me?
With our busy lives and struggles to get everything done, a lot of my clients revert to frozen prepared meals. I often get asked; “Are they good for me?” .
My answer is “it depends!”
The reason it depends, is because it depends how the meal is made up and what is in the actual frozen meal. I do find a lot of frozen meals lack vegetables and are low in protein. Some also are too small in size, therefore you want to go and snack afterwards and some have way too many preservatives and additives for my liking.
My TOP TIPS to determine if a frozen meal is good for you?
1. Is your Frozen meal made from fresh Ingredients?
When food is snap-frozen immediately after cooking all the freshness, flavour and nutrients in the food are ‘locked in’ while they’re at their peak. They will stay that way until you defrost your meal, meaning that it’s as perfect when you eat it as when it was just cooked. ‘Fresh’ food that sits in a fridge naturally degrades hour by hour, losing not just its flavours and textures, but its vitamins and minerals as well. So make sure your pre prepared frozen meals come from good quality ingredients.
2. Are there any Preservatives/ Additives in your Frozen meal?
Frozen foods don’t need to contain preservatives because freezing is a natural form of preserving. All-natural foods start to break down the moment they’re picked, or cooked. Many food producers have found that the way to keep their foods on the shelf for longer is to add preservatives - most of which are chemicals. Frozen food does not need preservatives to stay perfect. It’s a wholly natural process that just needs a reduction in temperature. Instead of using chemicals to keep foods on the shelf or in the fridge, frozen foods just use ice. And what could be more natural than that? Freezing: Nature’s preservative!
3. Are they convenient and simple to reheat?
Check out the packaging, so do you need more bowls to reheat? No one wants extra washing up, Right?..... The purpose of Frozen meals is to save time. Time spent thinking of what to eat, getting to the supermarket, shopping for the food, hand preparing the ingredients, and then cooking it. We’re all increasingly time-poor nowadays. Having a range of premium pre-cooked, healthy meals in your freezer gives you back that time each day – without sacrificing any quality. So you can spend your time doing the things you love
4. Do they are work for you and/or your family?
With our busy lives, days don’t always go the way you intend them to. If you’ve had an insanely busy day (or week) frozen meals mean you can cope with whatever has to be done, and still eat well. Great food, no fuss. I often find my clients find frozen meals work for them when they can simply reheat a nutritious high premium meal. Sometimes my clients who have had bariatric surgery need special meals, different from what the family eat, so this is when frozen meals can work well, as you can have your special meal and the family can eat something else.
5. Is there a good range to choose from?
Eat what you want, when you want. Having a range of premium, pre-cooked meals in your freezer is like having your own instant restaurant inside your home. You get to choose exactly the meal you feel like at that moment. And it takes only minutes to reheat it into its original kitchen-perfect condition. So make sure your frozen meal product range you chose has good variety!
6. Is there a long shelf life?
No one wants to feel rushed to use food, just leads to weight gain. Fresh foods start to break down as soon as they’re picked or prepared and eventually, they all spoil with a week or two. Depending on the ingredients, foods that have been frozen can extend that window of keeping food nutritious and healthy up to 3 - 12 months. So I would choose a frozen meal that has a good long shelf life.
7. Can you recycle the package? How much packaging is used?
Some frozen meal companies have sooooo much packaging. Packaging for bread packaging for sauce, packaging for the meal, not only is it confusing but it’s such as waste. Choose a frozen meal package that is simple and hopefully recyclable!
8. Will I eat it all? Or Will there be wastage?
One of the main reasons for wastage is we cook too much and then can’t eat it or we buy too much and can’t use it. Frozen meal has the advantage that there is no wasted ingredients so you don’t have to worry about throwing out unused food or uneaten food.
For my bariatric clients I particularly find this becomes a real issue, as they often buy foods and cannot fit it all in, therefore they throw it out. If this is you, you should check our Bari’s Meals, they are frozen foods made specifically for Bariatric clients. They are portioned out so you take what you need, when you need it. Nothing spoils, so nothing needs to be thrown out.
Why I use Bari’s Meals ?
I love using my frozen meals for my bariatric clients because as a Dietitian, I know exactly how much my clients are eating at each meal. My clients struggle with what to eat, get very confuse, end up missing essential protein or even missing meals because they are not sure of what and how much to eat post surgery.
The kilojoules, carbohydrates, fats and nutrients are all taken care of in Bari’s Menu, so my clients can focus on what is important, especially in their first 12 months post-surgery, when so much is going on! Emotional, psychologically and physically. As a dietitian who specialises in weight control, I like to get people on their weight loss journey with ease, I like to then take my time and provide a lot dietary education and nutritional counselling so they can learn how to healthy eat for the rest of their lives and focus on the real cause of their weight gain. Their MIND!!!
If you are thinking of buying a prepared frozen meal to help you with your nutrition, then check in with a Ward Nutrition Dietitian and she can make sure the meal you have choose is meeting your needs. If you have had bariatric surgery, then check out Ward Nutrition Bari’s Meals as these are specifically designed to meet your needs!
