Use Your Freezer to Rescue Low Fiber Meals

article

When time or ingredients are running out, a quick trip to a well-stocked freezer is a shortcut to add delicious fiber to your meals.

Breakfast Berries

When frozen berries go on sale, my wife fills the bottom drawer of our freezer with bags of raspberries and blueberries. Frozen berries are great with cereal or as a replacement for jam on toast. Since the berries are already washed, there’s no prep time. And no excuse for me not to have fruit with my breakfast.

Lunch and Dinner Power Up in 90 Seconds

Pizza night? No problem. Power that pizza up by grabbing a bag of frozen vegetables and steaming them in the microwave.

Here’s some popular frozen vegetables to look for:

  • Asparagus
  • Bell pepper
  • Broccoli (get broccoli florets for kids and picky adults)
  • Carrots
  • Green beans
  • Peas
  • Sweet corn or on-the-cob

Are Frozen Foods Healthy?

Frozen fruits and vegetables are very healthy because they are usually picked in peak season when they’re ripest. Then they are flash frozen so all the nutrients stay fresh.

Caution

Some frozen fruits and vegetables are packed with extra calories. It’s easy to accidentally grab a package with added calories in the form of sauces or syrups. For example, broccoli often comes with cheese sauce. Or some some fruit is “sweetened.”

Check your ingredients. If it has anything other than the high fiber food in the picture on the front, be aware, it’s Power Up power is diminished.

Full Plate Living is a small-step approach with big health outcomes. It's provided as a free service of Ardmore Institute of Health.

Learn More