Just as you wouldn’t judge a book by its cover, don’t judge a smoothie by the ingredients. We know avocado may seem like a strange smoothie ingredient, but it gives the smoothie an incredibly creamy, rich consistency. The avocado is very flavorless compared to the banana and pineapple, which give the smoothie a tropical sweetness. Try it out and it will most likely become a household favorite!

When it comes to making a smoothie with fresh ingredients, we recommend that you freeze some of them overnight. Frozen bananas and avocados will make your smoothie incredibly creamy and thick. If you simply use fresh ingredients and add ice cubes, the smoothie will taste slightly watered down. Cut up your fresh fruit and place it on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Make sure that the pieces are not touching each other to avoid clumping. Place the fruit in the freezer overnight and then remove in the morning. At that point, you can add fruit straight to the blender, or you can bag the fruit to save for future use.

Although this smoothie contains one teaspoon of grade A maple syrup, you don’t have to include it if you don’t like adding sweeteners. The banana and pineapple offer natural sugars, so you can lay back on the sweetness if you prefer smoothies that are not as sweet. If you prefer the sweetness that dates offer, add a single date to the smoothie and sweeten it that way! We hope you enjoy this highly nutritious creation that will satiate you between meals.

SHARE:

The post Avocado Pineapple Smoothie appeared first on Dherbs - The Best All Natural Herbal Remedies & Products.

Whether you want to believe it or not, summer is right around the corner. One of the best ways to cool down is with a refreshing treat, but you don’t want to intake a lot of calories and sugar in the process. Let us introduce you to one of the best ways to cool down from the inside out: homemade strawberry banana ice cream. All you need is two minutes and four ingredients to whip up a batch of this healthy dessert.

In order to make raw vegan ice cream, there is a very critical first step to follow: freeze the bananas. If you want that creamy consistency that you crave from an ice cream, frozen bananas will take you to the promised land. Make sure to peel your bananas prior to freezing them because removing the peels once they are frozen is a tedious and frustrating endeavor. You can freeze the bananas whole, or you can slice them before freezing. The choice is yours because breaking the frozen bananas into chunks for blending is quite easy. By the way, you need to freeze the strawberries as well.

While you can make this ice cream in a high-speed blender, a food processor is the right tool for the job. The reason for that is because this recipe doesn’t require a lot of liquid. We aren’t making a smoothie bowl, after all! Blitz the ingredients in the processor for about two minutes, or until it is smooth and creamy. You can eat it right away, or you can spoon it into a freezer-safe container and freeze it for an hour before serving. It will keep in a sealed container in the freezer for a few weeks.

SHARE:

The post Strawberry Banana Ice Cream appeared first on Dherbs - The Best All Natural Herbal Remedies & Products.

A traditional raw vegan banana ice cream is made by blending frozen bananas. You can always add a touch of alcohol-free vanilla extract for a little extra flavoring. The twist for this recipe is that you add frozen pineapple, which creates a similar flavor to a piña colada. While there isn’t the signature coconut flavor, this banana pineapple ice cream tastes very tropical and refreshing.

The easiest way to make a raw vegan ice cream is by using a food processor. You can use a powerful, high-speed blender like a Vitamix, for example, but a regular blender may not be sufficient for the job. A food processor easily turns the frozen fruit chunks into a thick, creamy consistency. Before you blend the ingredients, you have to freeze the ingredients. To properly freeze the pineapple and banana, you cut each fruit into bite-size pieces and separate them onto a sheet. Freeze overnight and blend the next day.

If you want the consistency to be a bit more frozen, spoon the blended mixture into a freezer-safe container and place it in the freezer for about one hour. This will harden the mixture and create a better scooping experience when you want to serve up the ice cream. Feel free to top the ice cream with freshly chopped pineapple, desiccated coconut, or bananas. Please enjoy!

SHARE:

The post Banana Pineapple Ice Cream appeared first on Dherbs - The Best All Natural Herbal Remedies & Products.

Made with juicy, refreshing cantaloupe, banana, and freshly squeezed orange juice, this naturally sweet smoothie is perfect for summer. Not only is it an energizing and filling breakfast, but it also makes for a great afternoon snack, especially during a cleanse. You can have this smoothie ready in just five minutes and you can double, triple, or quadruple the recipe if more people express interest in it.

Melon mania is in full effect, given that summer is melon season. It may not seem like melons have a season to most people because cantaloupe, honeydew, and watermelon are available year round. They are freshest during summer, though, so get your hands on the freshest cantaloupe while you still can. Cantaloupe has a high water content (about 90%), which helps to increase your hydration efforts. It is also a great source of vitamin C, vitamin A, potassium, protein, fiber, and antioxidants. Some studies found that cantaloupe helps to support eye health because it contains beta-carotene, lutein, and zeaxanthin.

Because cantaloupe is so juicy, you don’t need a lot of liquid in this smoothie. You do need to add some freshly squeezed orange juice, but only one-quarter cup. This brings a little acidity to the party, but not so much so that it overpowers the cantaloupe and banana. Remember to peel, slice, and freeze the banana overnight. This will make the blending process easy, especially if your blender isn’t high-speed or can’t handle large chunks of frozen fruit.

SHARE:

The post 3-Ingredient Cantaloupe Smoothie appeared first on Dherbs - The Best All Natural Herbal Remedies & Products.

A smoothie is much more than a blended mixture of random fruits, vegetables, and liquid. Creating a smoothie that you thoroughly enjoy is an art, as it requires mixing and matching different textures and flavors. So how do you create the perfect smoothie that rivals the $10+ smoothies at juiceries and smoothie shops? Learn about the essential tips and some of our favorite recipes below. 

Don’t Add Too Many Ingredients

If you just add a bunch of random ingredients to a blender and blend away, you can create a great smoothie, right? Not necessarily, but you may luck out with a random concoction of ingredients. Typically, though, you want to keep your ingredient list relatively simple to avoid a flavor competition. The idea is to pick ingredients that complement each other, for example, bananas and blueberries, spinach and ginger, beets and carrots and apples. 

Fresh Or Frozen Fruit?

Why not both? Well, we do have to say that frozen fruit tends to be better for smoothies because it blends thicker than fresh fruit to give you a cold, filling mixture. There is nothing wrong with adding both frozen and fresh fruit to smoothies. It is better to freeze ingredients like bananas, mangoes, blueberries, and strawberries, though. Excellent fresh fruit additions include apples, oranges, pineapple, and papaya. 

Pick Your Fruit

The fruit you include in your smoothie will depend on the flavor profile you want to achieve. A tropical smoothie may call for papaya, mango, and banana, whereas a summery smoothie may call for a combination of berries. More often than not, you will include banana in your smoothie, which yields creaminess. Bananas are especially important if you make chocolate smoothies with raw cacao powder, almond milk, almond butter, and avocados. Lastly, avocados are always a great thickener, should you find yourself in a situation without bananas. Just make sure the avocados are not underripe, or they will give off a bitter flavor. 

Pick Your Vegetables

Some people toss vegetables into their smoothies willy-nilly, but this strategy doesn’t yield the best flavors. When it comes to leafy greens, spinach is the easiest one to incorporate without adding a strong bitter flavor. Kale, on the other hand, does have a stronger flavor profile that needs to be tamed by the right fruits. Other vegetable additions that many people don’t consider adding to smoothies include celery, beets, carrots, cucumbers, and zucchini. Just play around with measurements and have the right fruits to add sweetness. 

Pick Your Liquids

Without liquid, you don’t have a smoothies, unless you use juicy fruits like oranges, grapefruits, and fresh berries. Typically, water is a great liquid to use, but many people enjoy creamier smoothies. To yield creamier smoothies, almond milk, coconut milk, cashew milk, hemp seed milk, or oat milk are the best liquids to use. Many nut milks often add a subtle hint of nuttiness, which can be a nice complement to other flavors. When choosing nut milks, though, choose the ones that do not contain added sugars or flavors. Better yet, make your own!

In addition to the above recommendations, you can always throw in some optional add-ins to take your smoothie up a notch. Fresh mint, vanilla extract, cinnamon, ground flax seeds, raw honey, dates, raw agave nectar, or spirulina can elevate your smoothie game. Now, check out some of our favorite recipes. 

Carrot, Apple, Kale & Ginger Smoothie

A simple carrot, apple, kale & ginger smoothie is the perfect balance of nutrient-dense ingredients and wonderfully refreshing flavors.

Click here to make the recipe. 

Super Easy Powerhouse Green Smoothie

Power up with nutrition when you make this green smoothie. After the first sip, it’ll quickly become a new favorite!

Click here to make the recipe. 

Kiwi Spinach And Blueberry Smoothie

Totally refreshing with notes of tart and sweet flavors, this kiwi spinach and blueberry smoothie will give you the morning boost you need!

Click here to make the recipe. 

Refreshing Green Grape Smoothie

This smoothie tastes just like refreshing lemonade! This green grape smoothie is loaded with beneficial nutrients and tons of flavor.

Click here to make the recipe.

Mango Blueberry Smoothie With Chia Seeds

Get a healthy dose of omega-3 fatty acids, fiber, protein, and diverse antioxidants when you fuel up with this mango blueberry chia smoothie.

Click here to make the recipe. 

SHARE:

The post How To Make The Perfect Smoothie (Plus 5 Recipes) appeared first on Dherbs - The Best All Natural Herbal Remedies & Products.

It can be difficult to prepare a quick, healthy meal when you don’t have the right ingredients on hand. One can make the argument that most healthy foods are very perishable and don’t have a long shelf-life. That may be true for fruits and vegetables, but there are other shelf-stable ingredients that exhibit diverse nutritional profiles. When you have them in your kitchen, a healthy meal is never out of reach.

There are numerous healthy foods that will keep fresh in your freezer, fridge, or pantry. Use these items to make nutrient-dense meals or snacks, even if you don’t have your typical healthy go-to foods. Don’t do crime to your waistline! Keep the following staples in your kitchen at all times and you’ll be able to throw a healthy meal together whenever you please. 

Dried Herbs And Spices

Many herbs and spices exhibit impressive health benefits in addition to adding depth of flavor to dishes. Ginger, oregano, turmeric, thyme, cayenne pepper, cinnamon, or cumin may help to reduce inflammation, lower risk of heart disease, or improve brain function. More than that, though, spices and herbs elevate the flavor profile of dishes, helping you pull off more dynamic flavor combinations. 

Quinoa

Believe it or not, quinoa is not a grain. This seed is an excellent source of fiber, protein, and vitamin B6. It also contains more iron and protein than most whole grains. Quinoa is shelf-stable and you can store it at room temperature. Prepare quinoa in advance and then store it in an airtight container in the fridge. This makes it easy to add to salads, soups, vegetable dishes, bowls, and even breakfasts. 

Dried Or Canned Beans & Lentils

Beans and lentils are some of the most nutrient-dense foods you can eat. Some canned varieties contain excess sodium or processed ingredients, so it’s best to purchase sodium-free varieties. It’s better to purchase dried beans or lentils for this reason. Dried beans can last on the shelf for up to 10 years because they lack moisture that is necessary for bacterial growth. Beans are excellent sources of heart-healthy nutrients, including B vitamins, iron, fiber, and antioxidants. 

Oats

Oats are natural sources of potassium, protein, fiber, iron, and magnesium. Their versatility lends them a variety of recipes, including energy balls, oat cakes, oatmeal, and even smoothies. The soluble fiber in oats may help to regulate blood sugar and keep cholesterol levels down. Oats also exhibit unique antioxidant activity because of the avenanthramides, which are polyphenols that my reduce blood pressure levels. 

Frozen Fruits & Vegetables

Even though they are not fresh off the vine, frozen and fruits and vegetables do have health benefits. The produce loses a little nutritional value by being flash frozen after picking, but the nutritional profiles are lightyears beyond canned fruits or vegetables. Dietitians state that frozen fruits and vegetables are comparable to fresh varieties in the micronutrient department. They go great in smoothies, baked goods, and stir-fries. 

Apple Cider Vinegar

It’s best to purchase raw apple cider vinegar with “the mother,” as this is the healthiest variety. Apple cider vinegar is very versatile, tangy, and healthy. In fact, several studies found that apple cider vinegar has potent anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anti-diabetic, and heart-healthy properties. 

Nuts & Nut Butters

Nuts and nut butters are excellent sources of protein, fiber, and healthy fats. Depending on the type of nut or nut butter, you can store at room temperature or in the fridge. Natural nut and seed butters may require refrigeration and are much healthier alternatives to commercial, processed, butters that contain added oils, sugars, and preservatives. As for nuts and seeds, you can add them to many dishes, including salads, desserts, snacks, and oatmeal.

Raw Honey

We know most people are sweet enough, but a little extra honey in your life doesn’t hurt. Raw honey is an excellent natural sweetener that offers unique health benefits. According to several studies, raw honey exhibits anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties. It also offers an array of beneficial antioxidants that help to fight free radicals in the body. 

Healthy Oils

Coconut oil and olive oil are some of the best oils you can use and they keep safely at room temperature for more than a year or so. That means that you can buy more of these oils in larger quantities, so that you don’t run out. Cooking with healthier fats, like the ones in coconut oil or olive oil, enhances the body’s ability to absorb fat-soluble vitamins and minerals from food.

Fermented Foods

Everyone raves about fermented foods, and for good reason. Kimchi, sauerkraut, miso, natto, kombucha, and more contain beneficial probiotics that may improve gut microbiome. It’s possible that these foods may also regulate blood sugar and reduce inflammation. Because of their nature, fermented foods last a long time, so you won’t have to worry about food waste!

SHARE:

The post 10 Healthy Staples To Always Keep In Your Kitchen appeared first on Dherbs - The Best All Natural Herbal Remedies & Products.

They are cheap, attractive, convenient, and people eat them every single day. Ultra-processed foods are easy to come by and people find them delicious. Frozen meals, cereal, cookies, soda, and chips are just a few of the foods that can destroy your health. It’s not news that these foods are harmful to overall health, so there’s no use in telling people to avoid them. It is more feasible, however, for people to make healthier swaps for ultra-processed foods. 

According to a 2021 JAMA study, ultra-processed foods account for about 67% of calories in the average American child or teenager’s diet. Additionally, a different study concluded that  58% of an average American’s energy intake comes from white breads, cakes, diet sodas, and other unhealthy foods. Unfortunately, regularl consumption of processed and ultra-processed foods can lead to numerous health problems. More consumption of unhealthy ingredients increases the risk of depression, obesity, cancer, inflammatory bowel disease, diabetes, and heart disease.  

The Difference Between Processed And Ultra-Processed Foods

By definition, processed foods are foods that have been altered from their original forms. Processing is a deliberate change to a food that occurs before you consume it. Canning, pasteurizing, heating, and drying are all forms of processing. Processing typically involves the addition of oil, sugar, salt, or other substances. Fruits in syrup, canned fish or vegetables, or pre-made breads contain several processed ingredients. Some processing is necessary and doesn’t mean that every food you eat is unhealthy, for example, frozen fruit or vegetables.

Ultra-processed foods have many added ingredients, including artificial colors and flavors, stabilizers, preservatives, salt, fat, and sugar. The problem with these foods is that they contain no nutritional value. Manufacturers make ultra-processed foods from substances extracted from other foods, for example, starches, fats, added sugars, and hydrogenated fats. Frozen meals, soft drinks, hot dogs, processed meats, packaged cookies, cakes, fast food, and salty snacks are ultra-processed. 

The Spectrum Of Processed Foods

A bag of mixed frozen fruit that you add to a smoothie is not the same thing as eating Doritos. While both of those foods undergo processing, they are not the same thing. You can check out the following spectrum to gauge which foods to avoid and which ones to limit: 

Avoid Ultra-Processed Foods

As mentioned earlier, frozen foods, soft drinks, store bought cakes and cookies, cake mixes, and more contain added fats, starches, sugars, hydrogenated oils, and artificial ingredients. These are foods to avoid. 

Limit Processed Foods

It’s best to limit or rarely eat processed foods. These foods include store bought salad dressings, sausages, jarred pasta sauce, and whole-grain bread. Moderation is key with these foods, but you can also make your own versions. 

Minimally Processed Foods Are Better

Nut butters, plain yogurt, extra virgin olive oil, grass-fed/free-range meats, and frozen vegetables and fruits fall into this category. You should still watch out for the ingredients on these foods, but they are better than the previous two categories. 

Unprocessed Foods Are Best

Fresh fruit, vegetables, and wild-caught fish belong to this category. They are full of nutrients and don’t go through processing. 

In order to avoid ultra-processed foods, there are dietary changes you have to make. Ultra-processed foods cannot be the primary source of your calories. One study monitored 20 healthy overweight adults at a medical facility. Each participant consumed an ultra-processed diet for two weeks, and then followed that with an unprocessed diet for two weeks. For both diets, subjects consumed three meals per day, eating as much or as little as they wanted. 

During the ultra-processed diet period, roughly 83.5% of calories came from ultra-processed foods. During the unprocessed diet period, about 83.3% of calories came from unprocessed foods. The subjects consumed an average of 500 additional calories per day while following the ultra-processed diet. Finally, the ultra-processed diet increased the intake of carbohydrates and fat, and the participants lost an average of two pounds during the unprocessed phase. The conclusion of the study was that limiting ultra-processed foods could help decrease the risk or even prevent obesity.

SHARE:

The post What’s The Difference Between Processed And Ultra Processed Foods? appeared first on Dherbs - The Best All Natural Herbal Remedies & Products.

Maintaining a healthy diet may be one of the hardest things to do in life. It takes self-discipline, determination, and a will to want to be the healthiest version of yourself. Eating healthily, though, is often thought of as expensive or impossible if you don’t have a lot of money. This couldn’t be further from the truth, and doctors and nutritionists agree.

Why Should You Follow A Heart-Healthy Diet?

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), one person dies every 37 seconds in the United States from cardiovascular disease. Roughly 647,000 Americans die from heart disease each year, which equates to one in every four deaths. When you consider that diet plays a large role in your risk of developing heart disease, eating foods that are beneficial for you entire body, including your heart, is the right thing to do.

Foods To Tat And Foods To Avoid On A Heart-Healthy Diet

Foods You Should Eat

• Fruits and vegetables
• Legumes
• Raw nuts and seeds
• Whole grains
• Liquid oils (mainly coconut, avocado, olive, and walnut oils)
• Lean proteins

Foods You Should Avoid

• Dairy products
• Fatty or processed meats
• Trans fats
• Processed foods
• Refined sugars or grains
• Sugary drinks (soda, bottled juices, etc.)
• Sold fats

Tips For Heart-Healthy Eating On A Budget

Be Aisle Smart

We cannot stress this point enough, people. The center aisles of the grocery store will lure you in with their packaged cookies, chips, canned foods, and frozen treats, but they are trying to trap you. Vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, fish, and meat are shelved around the exterior aisles of the market. The only items you should buy from the center aisles are sodium-free canned beans (black beans, garbanzo beans, or kidney beans) because they have many heart-healthy fats. You can also purchase frozen fruit, so long as there are no added sugars or preservatives.

Don’t Shop On An Empty Stomach

If you are trying to practice self-discipline, you will not be able to act responsibly if you shop for groceries on an empty stomach. When you’re hungry, it’s much easier to impulsively buy things that you know you shouldn’t eat. Go to the grocery store on a full stomach with a list of foods that you should buy. This will help you stick to your budget and avoid unnecessary, unhealthy items.

Be Label Smart

Certain foods are more attractive than others. That’s just the way it is. For example, a sugary cereal is more attractive than a fiber-rich, natural grain cereal. And people buy what they are used to, so the willingness to step outside the comfort zone is another hurdle to jump over. Anytime that you purchase something with a label, you have to look at the calories, sugars, fats, cholesterol, protein, and sodium per serving. Sodium, saturated fats, trans fats, and cholesterol, should be consumed in limited quantities if you want a healthier heart.

Stop Eating Out

Eating out frequently is a surefire way to quickly deplete your funds. Additionally, the restaurant you eat at is often controlled by impulse. But…you can cook your own meals, bring your own lunch, pack your own snacks, and still eat an unhealthy diet. Therefore, you must apply the other tips in this article to reform your diet and increase the nutritional value of your homemade meals, snacks, and more.

Home Cooking On A Budget

Healthy eating is not complicated, although it can seem that way at first. The simplest way to ensure that all of your meals are properly portioned and heart-healthy is by meal prepping. You may find that your dollar goes a lot farther when you buy raw ingredients that make up a certain number of meals and snacks.

SHARE:

The post 5 Tips For Heart-Healthy Eating On A Budget appeared first on Dherbs - The Best All Natural Herbal Remedies & Products.

Clean eating and maintaining a healthy diet has been associated with emptying your bank account at the grocery store. Whole Foods Market may be responsible for this mindset, but we want you to move away from this notion because it is quite simple to eat healthy on a budget. In fact, you may even find that you save money when you focus on plant-based foods.

Why Should You Eat Healthy?

A lot of people have the desire to eat healthy, but they can’t seem to follow through with that diet for whatever reason. When people eat unhealthy foods, energy levels tend to deplete, the immune system weakens, and weight gain happens over time. Not only does focusing on healthy foods reduce your risk of diabetes, obesity, and heart disease, but it can also increase productivity, boost energy levels, and save you money, both on groceries and on healthcare costs in the long run.

Where Do You Start?

Eating healthy starts at the grocery store. Shop the perimeter of the grocery store and avoid the middle aisles because that’s where the processed foods, pre-packaged meals, frozen foods, and unhealthy snacks are. If you have to go to a middle aisle, choose the one with lentils, whole grains, and organic foods. Stock up on healthy foods so that you don’t have to eat out. You’ll spend more money eating healthy food at restaurants than preparing meals at home.

Know When You Don’t Need Organic

You don’t have to buy organic produce in order to eat healthily. Chemical use is limited for certain commercially grown produce, but we advise buying organic when it comes to “The Dirty Dozen” list. The produce items on that list tested positive for 47 or more different chemicals, so we advise buying organic when purchasing:

• Celery
• Peaches
• Sweet bell peppers
• Cherries
• Lettuce
• Nectarines
• Spinach, kale, and collard greens
• Apples
• Domestic blueberries
• Potatoes
• Imported grapes
• Strawberries

Stop Buying Junk Food

The amount you spend on packaged snacks, frozen meals, processed foods, and sodas would surprise you. Buying all of those food items is essentially pointless because they contain unhealthy ingredients and very little nutrition. You are better off purchasing quality whole foods, which are less expensive and more nutritious.

Shop For Seasonal Produce

Due to mass production and genetically modified organisms, many produce items are available throughout the year. You may notice that apples cost extra during the spring, or asparagus is quite expensive in the fall. This is because they have to be imported to get to your local grocery store, and you pay for a portion of that cost. Apples are cheaper in fall because that their season. For example, citrus varieties are more affordable in winter, while stone fruit (peaches, apricots, plums, and nectarines) are more affordable in summer.

Pack Your Lunch

If you eat out regularly, you can spend up to $100 or more in a workweek on lunch alone. Health food restaurants tend to be pricier as well. Additionally, you will be less tempted to make unhealthy food decisions when you bring your own lunch. This can take practice and a little meal prep work, but it pays off, both for your health and your bank account, in the long run.

Frozen Fruit Is A-Okay

When purchasing frozen fruit, make sure that the fruits in the bag are the only ingredients listed. Companies sometimes add sugars or other ingredients during processing, so be on the lookout! Frozen fruit is great for making smoothies, which should become regular meal replacements in your quest to become healthier. One more thing, if you purchase fresh fruit from the grocery store and you see that it may go bad before you use it, cut it up, put it in an airtight bag or container, and store it in the freezer for smoothies. That will help to limit your food waste.

SHARE:

The post 5 Tips For Eating Healthy On A Budget appeared first on Dherbs - The Best All Natural Herbal Remedies & Products.

There’s nothing better than consuming fresh fruit that is season. You want to savor the flavor of a juicy peach, indulge in the acidity of an orange, or snack on a bowl of freshly cut strawberries. Buying seasonally is also more economical! So how do you save these flavors for later, you ask? Rather than letting your fresh fruit rot away in several days, you can freeze it!

Why Freeze?

While freezing your fruit will alter the texture, it is a great way to preserve the flavor without using sugar, additives, or other chemicals. Berries are probably some of the best fruits to freeze, because they can go bad quickly, especially if you don’t store them properly. You can also use frozen fruits to make desserts, smoothies, purees, or you can use them as toppings for homemade, raw puddings.

A Few Tips Before You Freeze

• Choose fruits that are ripe. You don’t want to freeze unripe fruit.
• Use good quality freezer bags that make a good seal. Label your bags with the date that you freeze the fruit.
• Remove as much air as possible from the bags before sealing your fruit inside. Air is not a friend to fruit.
• You can freeze any amount of fruit. Just make sure that you choose the appropriate bag for the job.

A Simple Method For Properly Freezing Fruit

The only thing you really have to keep in mind when freezing fruit is the water content in each fruit. Other than that, freezing fruit is straightforward and simple. Follow the steps below to properly freeze your fruit.

Step 1

Wash and dry your fruit. Make sure there is no moisture! You don’t have to wash melons or pineapples, though.

Step 2

Make sure to cut all your fruit in bite-size pieces. Bite-size pieces aren’t necessary, but make sure that all the pieces are the same size so that they freeze evenly.

Step 3

Pat your fruit dry with a paper towel after cutting it.

Step 4

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spread the fruit evenly across the baking sheet. Cover with plastic wrap, place this in the freezer, and freeze for a few hours or overnight. The reason you do this is so that your fruit doesn’t clump together in the freezer bags.

Step 5

Remove the tray from the freezer and peel the fruit off the parchment paper. Transfer the fruit to your labeled freezer bags and return to the freezer. Don’t forget to get as much air out of the bag as possible!

Why Not Just Buy Frozen Fruit?

We knew you were going to ask this question because doing all of this seems like a lot of work. When you freeze fresh fruit, you can control the quality, freshness, and ripeness. Freezing fresh fruit also helps the fruit retain the nutritional value. Buying frozen fruit from the store has a couple problems because there are multiple steps that must be taken in order to freeze fruit.

First, manufactures have to preserve as much flavor, texture, and nutrition as possible. After washing the fruit, manufacturers typically apply ascorbic acid, or another similar compound, which prevents the fruit from ripening. Then a flash freezing process takes place. The calories of frozen fruit remain similar to fresh fruit if the manufacturer does not use a sweetener. Some frozen fruits may lose vitamin C content, but this depends on what the manufacturer does to the fruit.

If you really want to buy frozen fruit, we advise you to thoroughly read the label. You don’t want any added sweeteners or sugars. One cup of frozen blueberries will only contain 79 calories and 13 grams of natural sugars, whereas as one cup of frozen blueberries with added sugars can have 186 calories and 45 grams of sugar, 32 of which are added sugars. That is just one example, but you can see that that is why we encourage you to buy fresh fruits and freeze them if you want frozen fruit to use.

SHARE:

The post After Reading This, You Won’t Buy Frozen Fruit Again appeared first on Dherbs - The Best All Natural Herbal Remedies & Products.