When you enter most supermarkets, you are faced with thousands of different food options to place in your cart. While the outside aisles of the supermarkets are typically filled with fresh food offerings like meat, baked goods and produce, the inside aisles feature food that is more resistant to spoiling, such as canned, packaged or frozen meals and ingredients. When looking at frozen food offerings, it's important to keep in mind that while some frozen foods are healthy, others may be laced with unhealthy levels of calories, fat and sodium.
Serving Size
All frozen foods at your local store should have a nutrition label clearly posted on the packaging. Before placing any item in your grocery cart, study each label carefully. Although it's important to look at key items like calories, sugar and fat content, one of the most important numbers to look at is serving size. Many frozen food containers may look like a single serving and seem low in calories, but upon a closer look, they may contain 1.5 to even three or four servings per package. This means you will need to multiply each item listed by the number of serving sizes to see the true nutrition for each package.
Sodium
High levels of sodium are common in frozen foods as companies try to increase flavor through salt. Unfortunately, this often results in meals that can eat up your entire recommended sodium intake in a single meal. Sodium attracts water in the body. This means that as your blood sodium levels get too high, the salt attracts excess fluid into your blood vessels, resulting in a higher blood volume. This blood volume change increases blood pressure, along with your risks for developing heart diseases. When choosing frozen foods, keep in mind the American Heart Association's recommended daily sodium intake of less than 1,500 mg.
Fat
Many frozen foods can hide considerable amounts of saturated fat within small portion sizes. One example is frozen pizzas with heavy amounts of cheese and meat toppings. Animal-based products contain varying levels of saturated fat, which can increase your bad LDL cholesterol intake. Too much LDL cholesterol can increase your risks for cholesterol plaque, which increases your risk for heart disease. When choosing frozen foods, look for meals with less than 1.5 g of saturated fat per serving.
Healthy Choices
When choosing frozen foods, keep in mind that foods healthy in their fresh state typically remain healthy in their frozen state as well. For example, frozen vegetables are typically frozen soon after harvesting, which helps retain many of the nutrients of fresh vegetables and allows them to maintain a longer shelf life in the freezer. Even frozen dinners, commonly referred to as "TV dinners," can be healthy when you stay vigilant about reading the nutrition labels before placing an item in your cart. Look for frozen dinners that feature vegetables or fruits, as well as whole grains and lean proteins like chicken or fish.
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