These diets are especially useful for people who are
unable to cook or prefer not to cook. Since the ingre-
dients and portions of the meals are predetermined, the
diets are much easier to follow than those that require
counting calories or weighing ingredients. TheGood
Housekeepingfrozen-food diet is aimed especially at
people who feel that they don’t have time to diet, par-
ticularly if they have to prepare a different meal for the
rest of the family. Some frozen-food diets are designed
for diabetics, without simple sugars that could rapidly
increase blood-sugar levels. Frozen-food diets may be
difficult for vegetarians to follow.BenefitsIn addition to being quick and convenient, frozen-
food diets are designed by nutritionists to be well-
balanced, low in fat and calories, and to provide the
necessaryvitaminsandminerals.Theysupplyavariety
of different foods. The meals in the originalGood
Housekeepingfrozen-food diet take less than 10minutes
to prepare and enables the dieter to lose 1 lb (0.45 kg)
per week. The meals in the newerGood Housekeeping
frozen-food diet take 9 minutes or less to prepare and
enable the dieter to lose about 1.5 lb (0.7 kg) per week or
20 lb (9 kg) in just over three months. Commercial
frozen-food diets make weight-loss claims of an average
of 2–3 lb (0.9–1.4 kg) per week.
Frozen foods avoid spoilage problems associated
with fresh foods, particularly those that are harvested,
transported long distances, and stored before they
reach the consumer. Frozen foods also require fewer
trips to the grocery store.PrecautionsFrozen food, particularly frozen meals and entre ́es,
can be very expensive compared to buying fresh or
canned food and preparing meals, although frozen
fruits and vegetables may be less expensive than fresh
produce. Frozen-food diets also require a significant
amount of frozen storage capacity. Recommended
choices, such as those in theGood Housekeepingfro-
zen-food diets, may be biased toward advertisers or
corporate sponsors.
Like many processed foods, frozen foods—especially
frozen diet foods—containvarious chemicals that some
believe may be harmful. Frozen diet foods often contain
monosodium glutamate (MSG), flavorings, and hydro-
lyzed vegetable protein. In large quantities glutamate may
be damaging to the brain and nervous system.Risks
Frozen food is considered to be safe. Freezing
inhibits the growth of some pathogens and reduces
the risk of food contamination. However the thawing
and refreezing of frozen foods may pose a risk. Frozen
foods can remain too long in the freezer and can suffer
from freezer burn and the formation of ice crystals.Research and general acceptance
Research
In the 1990s the U.S. Food and Drug Administra-
tion declared frozen fruits and vegetables to be as
nutritious as fresh produce and, in some cases, more
nutritious.
The 2003 University of Illinois research study
found that women who ate frozen main courses for
lunch and dinner for an eight-week period lost an
average of 12 lb (5.4 kg). In contrast the women who
followed a diet that was equivalent in calories to the
frozen-food diet, but which required them to plan and
cook meals, lost an average of only 8 lb (3.6 kg).
According to LeaAnn Carson, a research dietician
and one of the study’s authors, the results suggest
that women who prepare their own food actually con-
sume more calories because they do not accurately
measure the ingredients, whereas the portion sizes of
the frozen-food entrees are strictly controlled.
According to Cederquist, medical research has
shown that a diet that varies the number of daily
calories slightly is preferable to one that strictly
adheres to a set number of calories. Varying the caloric
intake prevents the body’smetabolismfrom adjusting
to the set point and making it progressively harder to
lose more weight and maintain the weight loss.General acceptance
Frozen foods are a huge industry and frozen din-
ners and entrees constitute the largest category of
frozen foods. Consumer demand for frozen meals
grew steadily in the first years of the twenty-first cen-
tury. The average American eats six frozen meals per
month. In a survey reported by the AFFI, frozen-food
products were among the top three food items that
Americans did not want to live without. A poll con-
ducted by the Tupperware Corporation found that on
an average trip to the supermarket 94% of American
shoppers sometimes purchase frozen food and 30%
always buy some frozen food.
Surveys conducted in 2006 under the auspices of
the AFFI found that the majority of American shop-
pers believe that frozen foods have many of the sameFrozen-food diet