It’s Family Meals Month. This back-to-school season I challenge you to join the family meals movement and enjoy more meals together. Research has shown that coming together at meal time helps strengthens relationships (try these placemats to get conversations started).
According to the FMI Foundation, thirty three percent of families would like to have more family meals if they had more time.
Enjoying a family meal is about more than just eating together. Coming together for meals is associated with lower rates of depression, anxiety, substance abuse, eating disorders, tobacco use, early teenage pregnancy, and higher rates of resilience. Specifically, studies show that eating more family meals improves overall mental health.
Nutrition and Frozen Foods
Pro Tip: Stock your freezer with frozen veggies, quick meals, and side dishes to make family meals less stressful this school year.
Freezing is simply a change in temperature that preserves food and locks in nutrients. These foods are easy to prepare, have comparable nutrition to fresh and homemade counterparts. In fact, in an analysis conducted by the American Frozen Food Institute (AFFI), confirms that popular frozen entrees and side dishes also have comparable nutrition to their homemade equivalents.
Simplify Meal Time
Today’s frozen food category offers loads of benefits. Frozen foods can play a role in expanding access to nutritious, affordable, and convenient food options for millions of Americans. This option is particularly impactful for busy families and communities in food deserts.
Want to get more meals on the table with less stress? Add some frozen foods to your cart! In fact, you can feel good about it because frozen fruits and vegetables are just as nutritious, and sometimes more nutritious, than fresh. How’s that? Nutrition is locked in because the produce is harvested at the peak of ripeness and then immediately flash-frozen.
Here are a few more facts about frozen foods to feel good about:
- Choosing frozen vegetables give you an extended shelf life, which means you’ll waste less food and most likely – eat more veggies!! A nutrition win.
- Choosing frozen side dishes saves time! Often it’s the side dishes that take more time to prep. Try this on rotation: Simply throw frozen mixed veggies onto a baking sheet along with seasoned chicken. Bake for 30-40 minutes and dinner is ready – no washing or chopping needed.
- There are many veggie-grain choices in the freezer case that offer you quick fiber-rich side dishes.
- Keeping frozen entrees in the freezer definitely can come in handy on busy week nights.
How can frozen foods help you enjoy more family meals this school year?
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