Answer: Frozen is as good as fresh produce. 

Yes, that’s right friends!

You have probably heard that eating fresh produce is better than frozen. I learned recently that frozen veggies and fruits are actually packed at the height of their freshness and ripeness. So, rest assured, it is more than okay to grab items from the frozen produce aisle. 

This is my favorite hack as a busy working mom. We love using frozen veggies and fruit to provide nutritions meals for our kids.

-       Frozen produce stays in your freezer longer 

-       Often times frozen fruit is riper and tastier than fresh if you are buying fresh fruits off season 

-       Frozen fruits/veggies are on hand for quick meal prep or smoothies 

Our favorite frozen veggies: peas, edamame, riced cauliflower and kale (the last two we use in smoothies!) 

I also wanted to share an amazing resource I’ve used for myself to figure out the best portions of different food groups I need in a day.

Long gone are the days of the food pyramid- who remembers those from primary school health class !? 

Check out myplate.gov (not affiliated or sponsored with them), they have many evidenced based resources. What I love the most about this resource, is it’s free and they have a customizable widget where you put in your demographics and they tell you how much of each food group (fruits/veggies, grains, protein etc) to eat daily.

I’m not a huge fan of calorie counting or diets or detoxes- you probably already knew that. The more intuitive your eating is, the better you will feel and the more consistent you’ll be with getting in whole grains and plants! 

 Remember friends, small steps add up to huge results so #dosomethingdaily for yourself & happy eating!

Stay tuned for more lifestyle medicine insights.

In Health,

Shani Esparaz M.D.

Double Board-Certified Ophthalmologist, Lifestyle Medicine Specialist, Health & Wellness Coach