How to Create Feel-Good IBS Meals with Frozen Foods

Close the food delivery app and head to the freezer! After a busy day of work, family obligations, and household chores, it’s easy to revert to restaurant favorites. However, your wallet, health goals, and gastrointestinal system may suffer the consequences. So instead, rely on frozen foods to provide a speedy way to prepare an IBS-friendly cost-saving meal.

Frozen is fabulous!

It’s time to reinvent the way people see frozen foods. After all, they pack a nutritious punch! For instance, frozen produce is often picked during peak harvest and flash frozen, ultimately preserving its high nutrient content. While fresh produce may sound more appealing, it can undergo lengthy travel and grocery store time before it makes it to your fridge. The longer the food sits after harvest, the more nutrients it loses. Unless you shop at your local farmers market for seasonal items, your frozen produce could be your best nutritious bet!

Besides the nutrient content, frozen food can help minimize food waste. Despite one’s best intentions, produce may be forgotten in the fridge, creating a Franken-fruit. Eek! Frozen options can also help save a pretty penny, especially when compared to freshly prepped alternatives. You can cut down on cooking time, food waste, and money all while maintaining your health goals by including IBS-friendly frozen foods on your shopping list!

Freezer-friendly foods for IBS

When navigating the frozen food aisle, opt for ingredients that haven’t been preseasoned or marinated. Not only will they be lower in sodium or added sugars, but they won’t contain ingredients that would trigger symptoms of IBS. Keeping fruits, vegetables, and frozen grains (brown rice, quinoa) in the simplest form also provides a blank canvas for your culinary creativity. Check out these gut-friendly yet freezer-stable foods to help make mealtime a breeze.

• Protein: cod, haddock, salmon, trout, tuna, lean beef, chicken, turkey, lamb, seafood
• Vegetables: spinach, corn, carrot, collards, green beans, kale, oyster mushrooms, bell pepper, squash, sweet potato
• Fruit: acai, blueberries, dragon fruit, kiwi, navel orange, pineapple, raspberry, grapes, strawberries, tangerine

Easy meals to create with frozen foods

Take the guesswork out of mealtime by using frozen foods to create delicious meals that won’t trigger symptoms of IBS. Not sure where to start? Don’t fret! Check out these easy-peasy meal options!

Create a casserole. Toss frozen veggies straight into a glass casserole dish with your favorite herbs and spices or IBS-friendly sauce. Then, shake and bake. In the meantime, prepare a lean protein paired with a microwaveable gut-friendly grain. It’s that simple!

Slurp a soup. Frozen veggies make fantastic soup ingredients. Mix and match different combos, textures, colors, and nutrient profiles to create a drool-worthy dish. Experiment with adding extra-firm tofu for a plant-based protein boost!

Stir-fry. Toss your favorite vegetables into a wok to recreate a delivery-food favorite. Then, amplify your meal by adding frozen seafood to help reach your protein needs and improve mealtime satisfaction. Finally, pair your stir-fry mixture with microwavable brown rice or quinoa to create a balanced meal in minutes.

Make sweet treats! Frozen fruits can be used for just about anything. Toss them in your morning yogurt, oatmeal, or gluten-free overnight oats. Or, blend them into an irresistible and refreshing smoothie or bowl. Don’t forget to balance your creation with IBS-friendly protein options such as hemp hearts, chia seeds, flax seeds, and more! For chocolate lovers, experiment with cacao powder to create a decadent dish that adds 10 grams of fiber and 8 grams of protein with just 2 tablespoons.