are frozen food healthy?

Ljamerson

I buy alot of frozen food at the grocery market and a lot of processed food... I was wondering if already made food (like healthy choice and smart choice, and south beach) healthier than home made food?

Ljamerson

I buy alot of frozen food at the grocery market and a lot of processed food... I was wondering if already made food (like healthy choice and smart choice, and south beach) healthier than home made food?

icandoit

. Check the nutritional facts on the box. When you cook, you control what you put in. They also use preservatives to prolong the life of the food. Frozen veggies are good. Just make sure you really read the box especially the ingredients.

There are a few articles on google about all the frozen foods you talked about. Healthy Choice was the best. The other two had mixed reviews.

tdroseler

personally i believe homemade foods are much healthier. I make most of our foods from scratch now, and when i put the recipes together with the nutritional breakdown...there is a huge difference. Most processed foods include hords of sodium..and other preservatives so that it can last longer. Most of these things are not good for you. Plus there is more fat in these products. And lets not even mention that some of the ingredients you would never think to put in your own recipe, lol

Frozen foods, i would look at the nutrition lable...learn what you need to watch for...carb, fat, protien, sodium level...check the ingredient list. When i buy frozen stuff it is usually just bags of veggies, and the occasional pizza, cause i just can't give that up, lol.

Frozen dinners are a great thing for those nights when there is just way too much going on, but be sure to realize...those meals are meant to be served with side veggies and/or salad. It even says so in the "directions"...

In the end, the best foods for you are fresh foods...processed basically means machine made...not naturally made.

PS. i made chilli today...ground beef, tomatoes, chick peas(only thing canned, but rinsed thoroughly), chopped mushrooms, navy and kidney beans(prepared at home) and spices...mostly everything from scratch. in the end...107 cal/cup. WOW!!! i could have 3 bowls(1 1/2 cups each) and not have to worry about going over. good amounts of carb, protien. Virtually no salt, and little fat. Took time, but mostly to soak beans, and simmer the chilli. i didn't have to slave...and it felt good, smelling it cooking all day, while the snow fell outside, lol

icandoit

personally i believe homemade foods are much healthier. I make most of our foods from scratch now, and when i put the recipes together with the nutritional breakdown...there is a huge difference. Most processed foods include hords of sodium..and other preservatives so that it can last longer. Most of these things are not good for you. Plus there is more fat in these products. And lets not even mention that some of the ingredients you would never think to put in your own recipe, lol

Frozen foods, i would look at the nutrition lable...learn what you need to watch for...carb, fat, protien, sodium level...check the ingredient list. When i buy frozen stuff it is usually just bags of veggies, and the occasional pizza, cause i just can't give that up, lol.

Frozen dinners are a great thing for those nights when there is just way too much going on, but be sure to realize...those meals are meant to be served with side veggies and/or salad. It even says so in the "directions"...

In the end, the best foods for you are fresh foods...processed basically means machine made...not naturally made.

PS. i made chilli today...ground beef, tomatoes, chick peas(only thing canned, but rinsed thoroughly), chopped mushrooms, navy and kidney beans(prepared at home) and spices...mostly everything from scratch. in the end...107 cal/cup. WOW!!! i could have 3 bowls(1 1/2 cups each) and not have to worry about going over. good amounts of carb, protien. Virtually no salt, and little fat. Took time, but mostly to soak beans, and simmer the chilli. i didn't have to slave...and it felt good, smelling it cooking all day, while the snow fell outside, lol

Can you tell how much you used of each. Sounds fantastic

cloverluv

Make sure you pay special attention to the sodium content on those frozen cooked meals.

nhlawguy

Bottom line, nothing is healthier than homemade food.

With making food at home, YOU control what you put in, how much, the quality of the foods, etc. With pre-packaged items and frozen, you tend to get lower quality foods that contain preservatives, and higher sodium contents (as cloverluv and tdroseler stated) than at home.

If you MUST for some reason by frozen items due to a hectic schedule or what have you, I would recommend looking around the organic section of your local grocer.

Processed, pre-packaged foods are 1 of the evils that are slowly killing some. You have to be VARY concious of what you are buying, that goes for not only frozen items, but fresh, canned, etc. as well. Going grocery shopping is a science and a challenge

yoginimary

I think the bottom line here is no, frozen foods are usually much worse than homemade.

That said, if you are asking if there are better choices, than not all frozen foods should be treated equally. I really like Amy's products -- nothing you have to look up in the dictionary, some are quite high in sodium though.

filergirl

if you're looking for healthy frozen foods, check out a brand called Amy's. Lots of organic, vegetarian, low-sodium, and low-fat choices. No nasty chemicals, preservaties, or artifical colours or flavouring.

And, most importantly, very yummy. My favourites are her black bean and veggie burritos, lasagna, and some of her Indian entrees. Good pizzas, too. Good everything. Now I'm hungry. Drat.