A Guide To Healthy Frozen Food Selection - Daily Meal

28 Jul.,2025

 

A Guide To Healthy Frozen Food Selection - Daily Meal

A Guide To Healthy Frozen Food Selection

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Nutritional value, ingredients, and sourcing are the keys to picking up a frozen produce that you can eat without worry or hesitation. Click ahead to see our complete Guide to Healthy Frozen Food Selection.

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Age Isn’t Just a Number

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Something to consider with frozen produce is its health as related to the food's age. This refers to the fact that, as soon as fruits and vegetables are harvested, they begin to age, thusly losing nutrients with each minute they're not eaten. Frozen foods benefit from being frozen in time, and often the time from being picked to frozen is quite short.

Avoid Add-Ons

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If your frozen produce includes a sauce, you may want to look elsewhere. Sauces and other add-ons like cheese that can sometimes be found mixed in with frozen vegetables easily increase calorie and sodium count, rendering simple, healthy frozen foods sordid with unhealthy extras.

Best Frozen Vegetables

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Bell Peppers, broccoli, butternut squash, carrots, cauliflower, and spinach are excellent frozen vegetable purchases. Whether you buy a steam-in-bag variety or one that you steam yourself, there's nothing unhealthy about cooking vegetables via steaming. Additionally, you'll often find that frozen vegetables give you more bang for your buck than their fresh counterparts. 

Frozen Fruits to Consider

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Berries such as raspberries, blueberries, and blackberries, as well as cherries are widely available and perfectly healthy in frozen form. Cheap and unaffected by season, frozen berries and cherries can readily be added to smoothie recipes for an extra boost of healthy sugars and antioxidants.

Fruit for Days

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Bags of frozen berries and other fruit can last for up to two months after being opened. Sealable (and, intuitively, resealable) bags are available, and by tightly sealing a bag of frozen fruit, you'll be able to keep it as freshly frozen as possible.

Keep It Simple

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When you pick up a bag of frozen fruit or vegetables, you should look for the most basic of ingredients lists. Your bag of frozen broccoli should contain just one ingredient: broccoli. If frozen produce has more than one ingredient, consider passing on it.

Organics in the Freezer

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There is an ever-increasing amount of healthy, organic frozen meals available to environmentally-conscious shoppers and diners. These dishes include things like grass-fed beef, USDA-certified organic fruits and vegetables, wild-caught salmon, and organic black bean burgers. Your frozen meal can be as simple as plain old vegetables or as exotic as enchiladas with cheese or chicken and vegetable potstickers.

Meal Guidelines

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Real Simple explains how to select frozen meals. "Select entrées with no more than 3.5 grams of fat per 100 calories, no more than 600 milligrams total sodium, and no MSG or trans fats... For bonus points, choose meals with at least four grams of fiber... Brands that consistently offer healthy options include Lean Cuisine, Healthy Choice, Smart Ones, Kashi, and the Whole Foods house line."

Protein Matters

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If you're looking to stock up on some healthy frozen meals, look for ones that have a good amount of protein. While this number varies per person, 15 grams or more is a good dose of muscle-building, satiety-promoting protein.

Contact us to discuss your requirements of Iqf Fruits. Our experienced sales team can help you identify the options that best suit your needs.

10 steps to the best frozen fruits and vegetables

10 steps to the best frozen fruits and vegetables

Freezing Seasonal Produce to Reduce Waste

We often think of freezing fruits and vegetables as a summertime activity when there is a bounty of produce available all around. But freezing is a great strategy for preventing food waste and managing surplus fruits and vegetables any time of year.

Right now you likely have more apples and oranges than strawberries and peaches, and more carrots and squash than fresh peas and garden tomatoes. Whatever fruits and veggies you have in your fridge, chances are you can freeze them.

We want to help you do it well so you have long-lasting, high-quality food you’ll look forward to using. Here are some general tips for freezing food followed by specific tips for common winter fruits and vegetables.

General Tips for Long Lasting Frozen Food

For the best taste, colour and overall quality of frozen food, limit the amount of air and moisture your frozen food is exposed to at all times. This will extend the life of your frozen food by reducing ice crystals and freezer burn. Follow these tips:

  • Use freezer grade containers/bags that are just big enough to hold the food.
  • Remove as much air as possible from packaging when freezing and after each use.
  • Remove surface moisture from food before freezing by draining or patting dry.
  • Open and close freezers quickly to avoid temperature changes.
  • Ensure your freezer stays at the correct temperature -18°C (0°F).
  • Freeze food in small quantities for convenience and to promote quicker freezing.

Ten Steps to the Best Frozen Fruits and Vegetables

Freezing fruits and vegetables requires a few simple steps. For most vegetables, blanching is very important to have good quality vegetables that last longer than a couple of months. Fruit does not require blanching, but some do require soaking in lemon water to prevent browning.

  1. Choose good quality, fresh, ripe produce for the freezer. Eat any bruised or blemished fruits and vegetables right away.
  2. Wash well.
  3. Peeling is optional. (If you choose to peel your fruits and vegetables, keep the washed trimmings for soup stock or smoothies.)
  4. Cut to a size and shape that you prefer using. For example, do you prefer large carrot coins or small diced carrots?
  5. Keep fruit that browns quickly (apples and pears) in a mix of lemon juice and water while prepping. Use one tablespoon lemon juice for every cup of water.
  6. Blanch vegetables (boil in water) for the recommended time (see chart below) to destroy aging enzymes and keep your frozen vegetables tasty, bright, and full of nutrients. Fruit does not need to be blanched.
  7. Remove as much surface moisture as possible – strain, use a salad spinner, let air dry, or pat dry with a clean dish towel.
  8. For free-flowing fruits and vegetables, lay on a baking sheet in a single layer and freeze for two hours. Once frozen, transfer to a tight-fitting container or freezer bag.
  9. Remove as much air as possible.
  10. Label and freeze.

Use within a year for best flavour and texture.

Every fruit and vegetable is unique and has special considerations in order to get the best quality frozen product. Here’s what you need to know for freezing common winter fruits and vegetables.

Freezing Common Winter Fruit

Fall/Winter Fruit Freezing/Thawing Tips Apples (sliced or diced) Texture will change, best for baking or smoothies. Freeze raw, dip in a mixture of 1 tbsp lemon juice and 1 cup water to prevent browning. Do not thaw for baking unless specified. Citrus (lemons, limes, oranges, grapefruit)
Whole
Sliced/Quartered with Peel
Peeled & Segmented Frozen citrus will not hold its shape and the white pith becomes more bitter. Whole citrus or pieces without the peel are excellent for juicing or blending into smoothies. Frozen slices with peels can be added to beverages. Zest before thawing, squeeze for juice after thawing. Cranberries Freeze on tray first, no treatment needed. Use just like fresh, do not thaw unless specified. Pears Freeze raw, dip in a mixture of 1 tbsp lemon juice and 1 cup water to prevent browning. Do not thaw for baking unless specified. Pomegranates Freeze seeds on tray first, no treatment needed. Use just like fresh, no need to thaw.

Freezing Common Winter Vegetables

Fall/Winter Vegetables Blanching Time/Freezing Tips Beets (cubed or sliced) Cook fully Brussels Sprouts 3 minutes Cabbage (shredded) 1 ½ minutes Carrots
Small, whole
Diced/sliced 5 minutes
2-3 minutes (thin-thick) Onions (sliced or diced) No need to blanch, but use within 2 months Potatoes – raw or cooked POTATOES DO NOT FREEZE WELL. Store in cool, dark, dry space. Sweet Potatoes Cook fully Turnips (diced) 2 minutes Winter Squash/Pumpkins
Raw cubes
Cooked puree No need to blanch
Cook fully

Looking for other ways to store or preserve fruits and vegetables? Use our Food Storage A to Z guide.

Do You Freeze Fruits and Vegetables?

Is freezing a method you use to manage extra fruits and vegetables? How do you like to use your frozen fruits and veggies? Share your favourite ways to enjoy frozen fruits and vegetables with us on Instagram at @lovefoodhatewasteca.

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