Should You Buy Frozen Fruit?

The short answer to this is YES. While many frozen foods are not so good because they are highly processed and high in fat, calories, and sodium, this is not so for frozen fruit.  Look at the label of almost all frozen fruit and you will find one ingredient, fruit. Frozen blueberries ingredient list – blueberries. Frozen strawberries ingredient list – strawberries.

Frozen fruit uses fruit that is picked at the peak of ripeness. Freezing retains the nutrients so the nutrition profile is almost identical to fresh. Because freezing does change the fruit’s cell wall when thawed it is not like it would be fresh.

My favorite thing about frozen fruit is it is easy to keep on hand even when the fruit is out of season. You don’t have to worry about spoilage. Frozen fruit is in your freezer when you need it.

While you cannot use frozen fruit exactly as you would fresh, for example, not in a fruit salad, it
has MANY uses. Here are just a few:

1. Add one cup of frozen blueberries and one cut-up frozen banana¹ to oatmeal during
   the cooking process. You can do this for rolled oats (old fashioned) in the
   beginning of cooking and steel cut 15 minutes at the end of cooking.
2. Add frozen fruit to plain yogurt. Place it in the refrigerator for a day or so to allow
   the fruit to thaw. Delicious and naturally sweet without added sugar.
3. Use instead of ice in smoothies. A simple smoothie recipe is one frozen banana, one
   cup frozen strawberries, and one cup of milk of your choice.
   

Cook using package directions for the oatmeal. Top with chia seeds, ground flax, and/or walnuts or almonds

¹ You will likely not find frozen bananas in the grocery store; however, you can easily freeze your own. Peel them
first and put them in a zip-top bag. Keep them on hand for smoothies and oatmeal.

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