National Frozen Food Month comes around every March and it’s the perfect time to look at how frozen foods can make life easier, healthier, and just all around better. For your senior, frozen foods, prepared by caregiver, can make a huge difference in the types of foods she’s enjoying.
Frozen Foods Have a Long Lifespan
According to the FDA, frozen food is safe for long-term storage. The FDA also advises that freezer burn and the act of freezing food does not alter nutritional value or render the food unsafe. The one caveat, of course, is that if the power goes out and the food thaws before anyone is ready to eat it, the food can go bad just like any other food. It’s always a good idea, even with foods that have a long shelf-life, to rotate food storage. Put newer foods in the back and rotate older food to the front so that it has a chance to be eaten sooner. This helps to ensure that even frozen foods are being eaten well before they would possibly go bad.
They’re Frozen at the Peak of Freshness
Most foods that are frozen, particularly fruits and vegetables, are processed and frozen within hours of being harvested. This means that those foods are protected almost immediately and have lost virtually none of their nutrients. Even meats and whole grains that have been frozen have their nutrients protected. When you do buy frozen foods, make sure that you’re buying versions that don’t have a lot of added sugar or salt because those additives can create issues for your senior.
Frozen Foods Can Save Money and Time
The best news is that frozen foods can save you and your senior a lot of money and even time. Many times frozen foods are already processed, which means that they’re cut up or otherwise ready to eat immediately after thawing. Frozen pineapple, for instance, is already cored, chopped, and has the prickly skin removed. That’s a huge timesaver, and the frozen pineapple can go right into a smoothie or anything else for your senior.
Even for all their good points, your elderly family member may still find it difficult to keep up with meal preparation completely on her own. It can be a huge help to have a caregiver stepping in and doing some of that more complicated work for her. A bonus is that those meals and foods can be refrozen, giving her even more time to enjoy them.