It has been a long, brutal day and aside from sleep, there is only one other thing on the mind: food. Now, there is the option of steaming some veggies over the stovetop or grilling up some chicken on the BBQ, but then there is the easier idea at hand, which gets the food to the mouth much more quickly. The easy way is the frozen food way. In the simplest matter, all that there needs to be done is popping in a frozen burrito into the microwave, then in a minute there is a steamy hot plate of oh-so-goodness. However, as it may seem to be the best thing to snatch after a tedious day, the after effects act much more tedious to one’s health.

Gorging down on the processed luxuries of American cuisine can cause numerous issues to a person’s body. The first item of concern is the ingredients. On the majority of frozen food packages, the lengthy list of ingredients can be found, leading into an assortment of strange names and unheard of substances. These ingredients are unnatural and harm the system, often causing an increase of problems to the individual. Coinciding, on average, frozen foods tend to contain from 700 to 1800 mg of sodium. This account produces severe risks for those with high blood pressure and can cause bloating to due to the high salt intake.

Additionally, to the frozen goodies that brag, “All Natural,” “Only 100 Calories,” or “Gluten-free,” there is still a flaw in even these systems. What frozen foods often produce when they are categorized as healthy and helping to keep the perfect figure is a lack thereof of proper nutrients. Health blogger Dr. Mercola explains that, “Some such meals have so few calories that they are actually too low for most people, which either encourages unhealthy snacking or, if that does not occur, causes the metabolic rate to slow down, making weight control more difficult.”

So, what can be done? The best idea is to make a weekly meal plan, that allows time for meal preparation ahead of time. There are many recipes and solutions provided online on beneficial meals that are healthy and will provide much greater nutrients than those cold-hearted frozen meals.