Freeze! If you are late

The demand for frozen foods has increased in the recent years. These are foods that are packed and stored in freezers at frozen as soon as they are harvested. As people are getting busier with their day to day life, shopping for even basic requirements is becoming difficult as both men and women are equally serving for the financial side of the family. Items like meat, fruits and vegetables had to be purchased on a daily basis for the freshness. After the introduction of refrigerator, the daily shopping reduced to few days’ interval as these items became storable in the fridge for longer period of time keeping the freshness intact. And thus the demand for frozen foods elevated as they can be stored for more number of days than freshly bought food.

Frozen foods had a pretty dire image at the beginning as people thought they had preservatives that could cause negative effect on the consumers’ health. People bought the products at the moment they were required. Even in the case of meat where people had them readied few hours before they cooked and served them. But this is slowly changing as people are becoming more aware about the freezing concept and the benefits of it. Freezing the meals not only preserves the freshness and the nutrition, but it also kills the bacteria. Food freezes at zero degrees (0°) or below and also helps maintain the quality of frozen foods. Most foods will maintain good quality longer if the freezer temperature is -10 to -20°F. Bacteria and other fungus cannot survive extreme cold temperatures thus making frozen foods healthy.

Restaurants and fast foods are first started using frozen foods in Nepal. Ham, bacon, salami, sausages, sea foods, pizzas, mushrooms, momos, etc were very popular as they were suitable to store and the taste of the items did not deteriorate. And nowadays households have started using them as well. It is more convenient rather than going grocery shopping each day. People can use as much as they want and store the rest away to use later. The only problem in storing frozen foods is the load shedding problem in our country and these load shedding lasts very long during the winter which degrades the quality of the food. If the freezer is off due to power cut or any other problem, the frozen foods may get blemished and not edible. But there are solutions to these problems like backup generators like those of the restaurants or fast foods, refrigerators with longer cooling power are available in the market that keep the temperature stable even when the power is cut off.

Advantages

Convenience

Frozen dinners give busy people a way to feed themselves and their families healthy meals in minutes. Frozen foods have come a long way from processed mystery meats, mealy mashed potatoes and mushy vegetables. Manufacturers have refined preparation, storage and reheating techniques to create healthy, flavorful, gourmet-quality meal. Frozen meals also expose people to foods they might not otherwise eat, such as ethnic foods with long preparation times, or specialty foods that may be too expensive to obtain fresh. Frozen food also helps reduce food waste as you only use what you need – which means it’s good for your pocket and the environment.

Quality

When you buy fresh produce in the grocery store, it may have been harvested days before and may be past its peak by the time arrives. The produce may also not have been ripe when it was picked and may not be ready when it goes on sale. The produce is picked at its peak and flash process to maintain all the flavor and nutrients. These meats, fruits and vegetables are equally, and possibly more nutritious than fresh.

Safety

Freezing suspends microbial and fungal activity in the food. As long as the food remains frozen, it is safe. With canned or jarred foods, minute leaks in the container could cause dangerous bacteria to grow without you realizing. These foods may become contaminated without changing the appearance of the container. Refrigeration slows the process, but there is still a risk of microbial or fungal growth.

Disadvantages

Nutrients

Vitamin C and the B vitamins suffer the biggest nutritional losses in frozen fruits and vegetables, according to a 2007 study in the Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture. Levels of polyphenoic substances, which act as antioxidants to protect your cells from damage, also are lower in frozen food than fresh. Other nutrients, such as fiber, minerals, proteins and fat-soluble vitamins such as vitamins A, E and carotenoids retain their value in either frozen or canned fruits and vegetables.

Sodium Overload

Frozen foods, particularly prepared meals, are often high in sodium. Excess sodium can lead to high blood pressure, which is linked to heart disease and stroke. You should limit your sodium consumption to no more than 2,300 milligrams per day. If you're over age 50 or have high blood pressure, diabetes or chronic kidney disease, you should limit sodium to no more than 1,500 milligrams per day.

Choosing Wisely

While frozen foods are not off-limits, finding healthy options requires that you regularly check nutrition labels. You should choose frozen dinners that have 500 or fewer calories and 600 or fewer milligrams of sodium. It is recommended that you consume products that have 3 or fewer grams of saturated fat, because too much saturated fat is linked to heart disease. Look for choices that have whole grains, such as brown rice or whole-wheat pasta, and that also include a colorful array of vegetables and fruits.