National Vegetarian Week is New Ice Age

Yvonne Bishop-Weston says GET YOUR FIVE-A-DAY WITH FROZEN for National Vegetarian Week

Celebrate National Vegetarian Week this year with frozen fruit and vegetables, picked in season at their peak of quality – and frozen for your benefit and convenience.

Frozen is an easy way of including more fruit and vegetables into your daily meal plan, with little hassle and waste. Available year round, frozen vegetables are bought already peeled and chopped – no preparation necessary – and can be steamed, stir-fried, or microwaved to be ready in minutes!

Freezing is a natural process that does not involve the use of preservatives and takes place just hours after harvest, locking in freshness and nutrients. The popular frozen pea, for instance, has higher levels of vitamin C than its fresh counterpart, which lose nutritional value during transportation.* So not only is frozen as nutritious as ambient produce; buying frozen means that you can buy in bulk, sweetened with the knowledge that the products will not wither away before you have the chance to eat them.

The New Ice Age Harley Street Nutritionist, vegetarian and mom, Yvonne Bishop-Weston says, “Frozen fruit and vegetables are a great way for your family to get their five-a-day. Frozen foods are an essential component to any busy household kitchen, as they offer you year-round access to quality, good value food with an extended shelf life.”

If you’re looking for a quick and easy way to get your five-a-day, blend yourself a cool and refreshing frozen smoothie made from fruits pulled from the freezer (recipe attached). Visit www.theNewIceAge.com for recipes and further information.

*Frozen peas contain 20.2mg/100g of vitamin C compared to 14.1 in fresh peas (after two days).

Healthy

o Freezing food locks in vitamins and nutrients often lost in ‘fresh foods’ when left on the supermarket shelf

o Frozen food encourages a balanced diet (i.e. packaged for portion control)

o Freezing in a natural process not requiring preservatives

Tasty

o Food frozen within hours of harvest has a superior taste and texture

Economical / Environmental

o Frozen food reduces waste: important when average cost of food has increased by around 7% in the past year. Frozen food is good value.

o Freezing food enables people to enjoy all types of food throughout the year, regardless of season (reducing costs and carbon output caused by importation)

o It is typically less expensive to purchase a frozen ‘ready meal’ than all the ingredients required to produce the same product

Convenient

o There is a growing consumer demand for products that east the effects of their increasingly busy lifestyles and the consequent constraints on food preparation and shopping time.