Frozen meals are becoming increasingly popular among Canadians who live busy lives. They are quick and easy to prepare, tasty and they come in various forms. In a hectic world where preparing your own food is a luxury, it is so convenient to turn to frozen meals. Frozen Meals started to gain popularity in Canada and the US in the beginning of the 1970's where an increasing number of mothers devoted more time to working outside of the house and had less time to spend in the kitchen. It was and still is an easy and cost effective hot meal solution for singles, students and people on the go. Frozen meals also make a great option for health-conscious people, because they clearly indicate the content of all nutrients, allowing the control over the amount of calories consumed. In addition there are frozen meals that are low in fat, cholesterol and sodium.
Today, it is estimated that an average Canadian will consume between 50 to a 100 frozen meals a year. With such high numbers of meals replaced with frozen meal solutions, quality and taste, along with nutrition and value are important. Choosing the right meal is not always easy in an over growing market of products that offer everything starting from frozen Pizza to Ethnic Foods and Diet Foods. However, there are several tips that might help you to choose an optimal option. The frozen dinner should definitely fit your cuisine preferences and general taste, but it is also important that the frozen meal you choose fits your nutritional needs. Check the nutritional label, which states the serving size and amount of calories, protein, fat and carbohydrates in one serving. The label will help you to compare different frozen meal and choose the healthiest option. It is best to choose meals that include a vegetable potion. Otherwise you can always prepare your own salad, add a slice of whole grain bread or a piece of fruit in order to balance out your meal. Finally, do not buy frozen which contain ice crystals. Those may be the result of thawing and refreezing.
Frozen meals are great not only for regular use. It might be a good idea to keep a frozen pizza or two. After all you never know when a bunch of friends might turn up at your doorstep. You can also keep them as a back-up plan for a party or a large family gathering. But all this can be applied to other types of frozen food and not just pizza. Frozen meal can always help to reduce the amount of time you spend in the kitchen at busy times and increase the amount of time you spend with people around you. Finally, if you have a small kitchen, frozen meal may be perfect for you, because they require much less preparation space.
With frozen food market growing by day and new frozen meals appearing all the time, you can find truly great products. Have you ever thought that frozen vegetables, fruits and berries can be fresher that the actual fresh vegetables. Often it may take up to two weeks for some fruits and vegetables to be delivered to the shop. While they are transported valuable nutrients can be lost. For example, spinach loses 77% of its Vitamin C in just two days. Freezing, on the other hand, locks in all the nutrients right after those fruits or vegetables have been picked. Freezing allows you to pick foods from different parts of the world and experience the taste of ‘just picked’ fruits and vegetables.
All this makes frozen meals truly great. Some frozen foods are more reliable that fresh ones, because freezing helps to preserve all nutrients. Frozen foods ensure that you get even the most exotic ingredients from far away, even those that are not in season at the moment. Trend on the frozen meals market may change, but one thing is pretty certain: frozen foods are not going anywhere!
For our listing of Fresh and Frozen Food Suppliers in Canada click here.
