Today, frozen food has become very familiar to consumers. It’s definitely a good choice for busy people or during the corona pandemic, when we need to stock up on some food and social distancing.
However, people also ask: “Is frozen food healthy to eat?”. To know the answer, let’s find out with Nam An Market!
1.What is freezing? Why do we have to freeze food?
Freezing is a quick and convenient way to preserve foods as meat, vegetables, seafood, etc. This method is done by lowering the temperature to -20 degree with the quickest freezing technology to inhibit microorganism growth.
With the freezing method, the food will retain almost intact the original nature of the shape as well as internal nutrition. At a low temperature, microorganisms will freeze and stop growing so they do not spoil food.
2.The difference between fast freezing and slow freezing.
In fact, the frozen products on display at the supermarket are frozen goods with quick-freezing, which is completely different from buying fresh food and putting it in the freezer (slow freezing)
The speed of the freezing has a direct impact on the size and the number of ice crystals formed within a food product’s cells and extracellular space. Slow freezing leads to fewer but larger ice crystals while fast freezing leads to smaller. Large ice crystals can puncture the walls of the cells of the food product which will cause a degradation of the texture of the product as well as the loss of its nature juices during defrosting. On the contrary, food will still retain nature juices with fast freezing method.
3.The benefits of frozen food.
- Free from preservatives:
Frozen food does not contain preservatives. It is a wholly natural process that simply takes a reduction in temperature and packaging.
- Frozen food is still fresh:
Frozen foods get picked, washed and blanched within the hour, locking in key nutrients and preserving taste that you should be getting from your groceries.
- Reducing food waste & save money:
Because freezing is a great way to increase the lifespan of your food, it can also help reduce unnecessary food waste. Frozen food is measured and it’s easy to keep and use. Cook what you need and save the rest.
- Frozen foods are easy to prepare:
Here’s good news for busy people: many frozen foods can be prepared in less than 15 minutes. Fruits and vegetables are peeled and cut, frozen meats are usually individually packaged and trimmed for quick preparation. Most cooking methods are simple and fast as well.
- Food safety:
The freezing process can and does reduce the number of potentially harmful bacteria which can cause food poisoning. As long as you store the food correctly and follow directions for thawing and cooking, frozen food is extremely safe.
Summary
As we can see, frozen food is not quite as “unhealthy” as people think. More importantly, we need to know the origin, well-preserved to ensure the freshness.
You can refer to the product at Nam An market - a place that provides clean and safe food for consumers' health.
