Time to Deep Clean the Freezer

Sorry about the lapse of time between this week’s blog and the previous one. I wanted to make sure I gave you enough time to clean your pantry out and your fridge. Without any further delay it is time to deep clean the freezer! The following are helpful hints to improve the food choices in your freezer to help you to achieve your weight loss and health goals.

Meats

Red meat and fish are two important meats to have available in your freezer. Are you shocked? Don’t be. Both have a lot of nutrients and health benefits when consumed in the right amount and the right type. Many people think they are being healthy by avoiding red meat because red meat has been labeled as “bad for you”. Is fried chicken good for you? No! Neither is a fatty red meat. Red meat actually has a lot of healthy vitamins and nutrients, like iron and B vitamins. The following are considered “red meat”: ground beef, steak, bison, pork, ham, long horn and venison. The key to buying red meat is you want to buy meat that has less than 10% total fat, which means there is not much saturated fat. On the label, you want it to read 90% lean/10% fat or 93% lean/7% fat or 97% lean/3% fat. Don’t worry, if you buy red meat that has more that the above recommended fat, you can boil it to get the fat out of it. Try to limit red meat consumption to 2-3x/week unless you are anemic (low in iron) then you should aim to eat it more like 4-5 times per week. Fish is another important meat to have in the freezer. Fish can be high in fat but it is usually healthy fat and is high in Omega 3 fatty acids. Omega 3 fatty acids are thought to lower triglycerides, which are a form of bad cholesterol, and decrease inflammation in the body. It is recommended to eat fish 3-4x/week. Aim to get a variety of fish. Remember that the most important thing to consider with any animal meat is the portion size. Aim to eat no more than 2-4 oz of any animal meat per meal or 4-8 oz per day. Yes, that is even true for men! To help with weight loss, it is a smart idea if you can freeze the meat in the right portion size. There are great frozen meat alternatives to consider having in one’s freezer. Spicy Black Bean/Veggie Burgers add a lot of fiber to ones diet and decrease the intake of saturated fat. Next time you are at the store look in the freezer isle for these options.

Vegetables

Aim to buy a freezer full of the free, non-starchy vegetables. Can’t remember which vegetables are free? Let me remind you. The following vegetables can be eaten all day and will still aid in losing weight: artichokes, carrots, okra, tomato/veggie juice, artichoke hearts, celery, onions, turnips, asparagus, cauliflower, pea pods, water chestnuts, green beans, cucumbers, all peppers, watercress, bean sprouts, eggplant, salad greens, zucchini, beets, greens onions or scallion, sauerkraut, kale, broccoli, kohlrabi, spinach, all types of greens, brussel sprouts, leeks, summer squash, radishes, cabbage, mushrooms, tomatoes, bok choy, bamboo sprouts, chayote, jicama, daikon, and rutabaga. It is a great idea to keep frozen vegetables. They do not spoil easily and are easy to add to any meals. Look for the steam-able bags to make cooking them easier.  

Fruit

Many people say the reason why there fruit is not routinely in their diet is because fresh fruit goes bad too fast. That is why frozen fruit is a great alternative. Frozen fruit can be used in smoothies, desserts or added to any meal to increase the nutrients. Remember, it is recommended to consume 3-4 servings of fruit per day. As a result, it is a good idea to keep a variety of fruit in one’s freezer.

Pre-Made Meals

Try to limit pre-made meals. They are usually filled with empty calories and refined carbohydrates. When in a bind, the best pre-made meals are healthy TV dinners, like Smart Ones, Healthy Choice, Kashi, Eating Right, etc. or frozen soups. Aim to purchase pre-made meals where the total dietary fiber is more than 4 grams per serving. Try to also keep that total amount of fat and saturated fat to a minimum. Remember the 1 serving of fat is 5 grams. If you do eat a TV dinner try to add a salad to it or a side of non-starchy vegetables. Non-Starchy vegetables are a good source of potassium, which will limit the absorption of the sodium from the TV dinner.

Desserts

Everyone has a sweet tooth.  Some have it more often than others. Try to keep healthy dessert options available when you need something sweet. When buying ice cream, aim to get fat free not sugar free. If you consider buying sugar free ice cream to reduce sugar intake and calories, make sure that there are no sugar alcohols added to the products. Sugar Alcohol is a man made product, which when over consumed, can cause side effects such as intestinal cramping, gas, bloating and diarrhea.  Nothing fun! Sugar Alcohol will usually be listed on the food label under the total sugar grams. If not, you can always check the ingredients list. Any words that end in “tol” are considered a sugar alcohol.

It is official! We have accomplished one of the hardest tasks to weight loss and overall better health, which is getting rid of food sabotages.  Making your own kitchen weight loss friendly and full of healthy choices is the first step to reaching your goals. It will limit temptations and guarantee success. Until next time…

XOXO!

The Dietnista