After the peek into our pantry, it’s time to take the plunge into our fridge and freezer. Which items can we not live without and what are some of the freezer must-haves for any nutrient hunter? 

Before we get to the list, we wanted to highlight why the freezer is a nutrient hunter’s friend. Unfortunately, there are some presumptions that frozen food is not as healthy as fresh, but studies on lettuce actually show that the orac content (antioxidant capacity) is reduced by half only 30 minutes after leafy greens have been plucked. Freezing preserves the nutrients in fruits and vegetables and prevents further nutrient depletion for an extended period. Choosing frozen produce is often also cheaper than fresh, and added bonus if you’re trying to increase your intake and find your nose wrinkling when you wander around the fresh isles.   

Generally speaking, our health, our good gut bacteria and the planet – love almost all kinds of vegetables. It is also, generally speaking, a good tip to buy things seasonally and/or organic to the extent possible. However, as a consumer it can be hard to stay up to date on everything, so as a good rule of thumb, buying foods with “added value”, such as organic, highly nutritious or certified in some way is a good way to make sure you’re making smart choices.

The list below is a list of the items that make for a good base to keep around the house. We would like to point out though that rare is a time when all of the items would be found in our fridge or freezer. These are merely an approximate list of what flows through our shelves at home over the course of a month. Variation is really the key to acquiring a broad spectrum of nutrients year round.

Nutrient Hunter’s fridge and freezer staples:

Fruit:
green bananas
oranges
local apples
fresh dates
local pears

Vegetables:
red beets
tomato
arugula
broccoli
zucchini
sallad mix
carrots
ginger
sweet potato
alfalfa sprouts
pea shoots
turmeric
celery
eggplant

Cabbage and onions:
yellow onion
red onion
garlic
fennel
cabbage
red cabbage
kalarabi
kale
cauliflower

Freezer:
peas
broccoli
sunchokes
spinach
haricots verts
cauliflower
soybeans
beets
pumpkin
dill
chive
chopped garlic
blueberries
lingonberries
raspberries

Drinks:
kombucha

Extras:
natural tofu
natural tempeh
pressed lemon juice
nut butters

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