By Lindsey Janeiro, RDN, LDN, CLC
Frozen raspberries are the tastiest way to kick off your warm-weather celebrations! When the weather warms up and smoothies start to become a go-to meal or snack, now is a great time to remember why frozen foods are just so awesome. When you have frozen raspberries in your freezer, you always have convenient, nutritious, affordable, and delicious fruit at your fingertips every day of the year.
Red raspberries grown for processing are picked at the peak of their ripeness when they’re at their highest quality, and then frozen within hours of harvesting. This gentle flash-freezing process locks in the beautiful raspberry flavor and maintains its nutritional integrity. Unlike other preservation methods, frozen raspberries contain just raspberries. No sugar, no additives, just cold air. Freezing is one of the ultimate ways to preserve food and does not reduce nutrients.
Raspberries are always getting lots of love from dietitians and other health professionals, and for good reason. One cup of frozen red raspberries has just 80 calories and contains 9 grams of fiber! That’s more fiber than any other berry. When comparing to other berries, red raspberries are also one of the lowest in natural sugar. One cup of frozen red raspberries is an excellent source of vitamin C and fiber.
On top of all the wonderful nutritional benefits and convenience of frozen red raspberries, there are a couple other reasons that make them a perfect food to celebrate. I’m a mom on a budget, so the fact that frozen food can often be a more budget-friendly choice is a big win in my book. I love the built-in value of frozen raspberries, because if I forget about the bag of frozen raspberries for a week in my freezer, they may have the exact same quality later! This may help reduce food waste, which saves me money and also helps the environment at the same time.
And last (but certainly not least), I love the tasty versatility of frozen raspberries! I personally find frozen raspberries so much easier to cook and bake with. They have a deep, sweet, slightly tart, intense flavor that I adore because it makes them so versatile. Their flavors just work whether it’s savory (like this amazing Raspberry Ginger Glazed Salmon) or sweet (like this Raspberry Chocolate Dessert Souffle). I love raspberries so much, that I incorporated them into arguably the biggest dessert of my life – my tiered raspberry chocolate cheesecake wedding cake!
There are many reasons to celebrate frozen raspberries, from their taste, versatility, convenience, and nutrition.
Lindsey Janeiro, RDN, CLC encourages people to play with their food! She’s on a mission to strip away the chore mentality and stress that surrounds cooking, nutrition, and food. Join her in living, eating, and cooking more intuitively and mindfully by checking out her services and latest recipes at Nutrition to Fit and on social media platforms as @nutritiontofit.
