December 29, 2006, Newsletter Issue #33: Do Frozen Meals Retain Nutrients?

Tip of the Week

If you're worried that frozen meals delivered to your door will lose nutrients, the USDA says put your mind at ease.

The freezing process itself does not destroy nutrients. In meat and poultry products, there is little change in nutrient value during freezer storage.

However, the USDA says how you thaw frozen food can affect the nutrient retention. Of the three ways recommended for thawing food -the refrigerator, in cold water and in the microwave - using the refrigerator is the best way to retain most of the nutrients of your frozen food.



Here are some of the nutrients you can retain more of in your meats, poultry and seafood by thawing in the refrigerator:



Seafood and chicken, great sources of protein, will remain so. Protein builds and repairs body tissues and builds antibodies, the blood components that fight infection.



The minerals so important in fish will remain in tact. Fish such as sardines, salmon with bones, mackerel and oysters are important sources of the calcium your body needs to maintain strong bones and teeth and promote healthy nerve function and normal blood clotting.



The iron will remain in your red meats and the zinc so important in fish, meat and poultry will still be there to help with your energy metabolism and tissue formation.

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