Frozen foods have additives such as flavours, colours and preservatives
Readymade and frozen foods come in handy on a lot of occasions. Whether you have guests coming over at the last minute or there is no vegetable left to cook, the easiest option is to grab those frozen eatables from the freezer. For those who have a hard time cooking, readymade curries, frozen samosa and other such food items act as saviour. It is quite common these days to rely on these packaged foods that are not fresh but still give almost the same taste, texture and colour as the fresh ones. If you too have kept your refrigerator loaded with readymade and frozen food items then, according to nutritionist Palak Nagpal, you should throw them away.
In an Instagram reel, the nutritionist explains why it is not a good idea to have ready-to-eat meals. She argues that if we discard food prepared at home after three days then why we should be eating readymade food that was packed months ago.
According to the nutritionist, home-cooked food turns bad and can start to emanate foul smell if we leave it for days in the kitchen. She says that such foods can have microbial contamination and fungus making them unfit to eat.
On the other hand, readymade foods stays the same no matter if you store it for days or months. Ever wondered why? Well, this is because packaged and frozen foods have food additives such as flavours, colours, and food preservatives. These additives help extend the shelf life of the food and make it appear fresh and appealing for longer.
The nutritionist stresses that these are all chemicals that damage our body. Companies often prepare these foods using poor quality fats and oils and excessive salt that can take a toll on our health. "It's basically dead food," she adds.
The nutritionist says that while it may be convenient to have readymade food it is not advised to get dependant on it.
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