\n\n\n\nPasta dishes\n\n\n\n
Those ready-made spaghetti Bolognese and creamy pasta dishes are comfort foods at their finest, but they\u2019re not the best for your body. Skip the frozen dishes, which tend to be loaded with sodium and fat, and throw your own healthy pasta recipe together, suggests Jodi Greebel, RDN, pediatric dietitian and founder of Citrition. Not only is boiling pasta quick and easy, but you also have more control over what goes into the sauce and sides. Load yours up with nutritious veggies for a healthier twist on your guilty-pleasure pasta. To start, give this healthy spaghetti recipe a try.\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nFruity breakfasts\n\n\n\n
Don\u2019t be fooled by the fruit in items like blueberry pancakes and strawberry waffles. \u201cParents think that because there is fruit in them they must be healthy,\u201d says Greebel. Au contraire. The berries speckled through these carb-heavy breakfast items are far down the ingredient list\u2014way below sugar\u2014making these treats high in sugar and sodium, but low in the nutrients you were looking for, like fiber. You\u2019re better off adding a healthy handful of fresh or frozen berries to the top of plain frozen pancakes and waffles, says Greebel.\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nStir-fries\n\n\n\n
Frozen Chinese foods like stir-fry or beef with broccoli are loaded with sodium, thanks in part to the sauces they come in. Luckily, a healthier version is just as easy and freezer-friendly. Buy a pack of plain frozen veggies\u2014some stores even sell stir-fry vegetables without the sauce\u2014and throw them in your pan with chicken or beef, suggests Greebel. Use just a bit of low-sodium soy or teriyaki sauce to keep the salt to a minimum.\u00a0\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nBreakfast sandwiches\n\n\n\n
No matter how much time they save you at breakfast time, those frozen egg sandwiches shouldn\u2019t be your go-to morning meal. You\u2019re loading up on sodium and additives instead of some plain protein-packed eggs. Breakfast sandwiches are \u201calmost as quick to assemble on your own and so much healthier,\u201d says Greebel. If you don\u2019t have a minute to spare in the morning rush, do your breakfast prep work over the weekend and make some egg muffin cups, suggests Bowerman. You can even freeze them for later, popping them in the microwave before you head out the door.\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nTwo-serving meals\n\n\n\n
When you\u2019re looking for a quick and healthy single-serving dinner, buyer beware: Some frozen foods look reasonable in calories, fat, and sodium at first glance, but they\u2019re actually two servings disguised as one. Double-check the portion size before you dig in to make sure you\u2019re not biting off more than you\u2019d want to chew. Swap the poser out for a single-serving meal, or set half aside for leftovers.\u00a0\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nSmoothie base mixes\n\n\n\n
Smoothies can start your morning on the right foot with an immediate serving (or more) of fruit, but be careful when shopping for base mix in the frozen aisle. Those that are just portioned-out fruit and veggie mixes are A-OK, but others don\u2019t deserve their health halo, RD, director of worldwide nutrition education and training at\u00a0Herbalife Nutrition. \u201cSome are just a \u2018base mix\u2019 for your smoothie, which means they have no fruit at all, but instead are loaded with sugars, gums, flavorings, etc.,\u201d says Bowerman. She recommends skipping those mixes and hunting down another freezer aisle staple: whole, unsweetened fruits. Add some veggies if you\u2019d like, along with protein powder and milk (dairy or non-dairy), for a healthier start to the day. Curious about other dairy substitutes?\u00a0\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nWaffles\n\n\n\n
You don\u2019t need to let go of your waffles entirely, but if frozen waffles are a big part of your diet, you\u2019ll want to consider making an update. Whip up a big batch of homemade waffles with whole grain flour and protein powder, suggests Bowerman. The fiber-rich \n\n\n\n
Low-protein veggie burgers\n\n\n\n
Skipping the traditional cheeseburger for a meatless option can be better for your belly and the planet, but there\u2019s a catch. \u201cA lot of people look at all plant-based burgers as healthy protein substitutes, but many of them are much higher in carbohydrates and fat than protein,\u201d says Ilana Muhlstein, RD, creator of the 2B Mindset nutrition program. \u201cProtein is important for keeping us full and preventing overeating.\u201d Leave it on the shelf if the nutrition facts say just five grams of protein, and hunt down another veggie patty with ten grams or more, she suggests.\n\n\n\n
\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Nutritionists share the frozen foods you should avoid at all costs and which quick and healthy options they choose to eat. Frozen foods to avoid at all costs Frozen waffles or pasta are go-to favorites when you\u2019re on a time crunch in the morning or evening.\u00a0These guilty pleasures, like other frozen foods, allow you to\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":15303,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[188,94,187,186,115,122,46,6,31],"class_list":{"0":"post-15294","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-tie-life-style","8":"tag-cooking","9":"tag-cooking-hacks","10":"tag-frozen-food","11":"tag-healthy-food","12":"tag-healthy-lifestyle","13":"tag-kitchen-hacks","14":"tag-life-hacks","15":"tag-life-style","16":"tag-tips"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/inovatestory.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/Black-and-White-Classic-Vintage-Business-Mens-Fashion-Facebook-Cover-1.png","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/inovatestory.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15294","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/inovatestory.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/inovatestory.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inovatestory.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inovatestory.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15294"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/inovatestory.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15294\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inovatestory.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/15303"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/inovatestory.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15294"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inovatestory.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15294"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inovatestory.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15294"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}