Due to our busy schedules and hectic life styles, a vast majority of us are unable to prepare healthy meals, and we commonly resort to fast food or frozen meals. This not only saves time, but it also makes eating a lot less of a hassle, but at what cost to our health?
In order to determine whether frozen meals are worth the potential risk to our health, we should compare the positive and negative sides of this type of nutrition:
- Positive:
- Time saving
As we’re painfully aware, time is the main obstacle when it comes to preparing and consuming healthy meals. When compared to fast food, some types of frozen meals can actually be considered a healthier alternative, which can be prepared in just minutes.
- Portion sizes
The size, or portioning of frozen meals, is probably their most positive quality. If you’re on a diet, or you’re counting calories for any other reason, frozen meals offer no stress in this regard, as their nutritional values are listed on the packaging.
- Variety
There are literally hundreds of different types of frozen meals, from basically every cuisine of the world. This means you are offered a variety in your diet, which can often be hard to achieve when you’re cooking on your own. You will never get bored of eating the same food over and over again. There are even low-calorie options, as well as frozen meals aimed at people suffering from diabetes, cardiovascular issues, etc.
- Negative:
- Price
When it comes to comparing the price of a home-cooked meal with the price of a frozen one, you’ll find that favors are not on the side of the latter. A healthy, organic frozen meal can easily cost $10 or more, just for one serving. You could probably make the same meal at home for less, and eat for a few days. You will struggle to find cheap, healthy frozen meals out there.
- High sodium content
Frozen meals are notorious for their high content of sodium. Sodium can be harmful to our health in many ways, affecting our heart, kidneys, liver, and basically every other major organ.
- Preservatives
For the purpose of extending their shelf life, frozen meals are often infused with various preservatives aimed at preventing bacterial growth. Most types of preservatives used for this purpose can be harmful to us, in more or less serious ways. Some can cause stomach pain and discomfort, and some are being examined for potentially causing cancer.
The bottom line is, frozen meals should not be consumed if you’re just trying to save a few bucks. On the other hand, if you have no time to prepare healthy meals at home, there are varieties of frozen meals that have no preservatives, low sodium, and are made of healthy, organic ingredients, that might be the perfect fit for you. Of course, they are a bit more expensive, but paying a bit more is justified with all the time saving that comes with them, not to mention they can actually be healthy. Just make sure you’re getting the ones with less than 500 calories and no more than 600mg of sodium.
Source: http://tobyamidornutrition.com