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Why you need big freezer deep freeze frozen Paleo Network-min

Why you need a big freezer

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I’m lucky to have a fairly big freezer, and I can’t recommend it enough, for so many paleo reasons. Here's why a good size freezer could transform your paleo diet

Why you need big freezer deep freeze frozen Paleo Network-min

Once a week cooking

I’m a huge fan of batch cooking – if you’re going to go to the effort of cooking dinner, why not make 8 dinners out of it? Whatever I’m making, I always at least double up the ingredients. I freeze individual portions in large freezer bags that I lay flat. This means they’ll defrost far quicker than if you freeze them in a big lump.

Grass-fed meat in bulk

So many farmers will sell amazing quality grass-fed beef – but only if you’ll buy a whole cow, or even just a quarter. This is great to share with friends – it’s far cheaper, you get some great cuts you might otherwise overlook. But it will need a lot of freezer space. With a big freezer, you could get all the meat you need to last for months and months in one purchase.

No wastage

If you’ve had a big harvest of home grown veggies, just freeze it for fresh home grown produce, all year round.

Smoothies always ready

Fruit is another great reason to have a good size freezer. Grad a handful of berries and add to your blender mix for an instant ice cool smoothie.

Paleo ice cream

Who needs an ice cream maker when you can make your own paleo ice cream and have it waiting for you in the freezer!

Budget conscious

A freezer is the best way to eat on a budget. Whenever you find special buys of meat or produce – buy and freeze!

 

are you eating contaminated fruit paleo network

Are you eating contaminated fruit?

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I've bought frozen fruit quite a few times recently. It’s often far cheaper than the fresh equivalent, and it’s far less wasteful, since I don’t eat a lot of fruit. In the summer it’s great for a quick frozen dessert too.

Contaminated Frozen Fruit Hepatitis A Australia Mixed Berry Paleo Network

So I’ve been horrified to read about the recent contamination recall on frozen mixed berries. Apparently certain packs have been recalled due to a potential Hepatitis A contamination. It hasn't been long since the horse meat scandal, but this seems so much worse, since the only ingredient in these packs is the fruit. With the hose meat contamination, it seemed to be mainly in heavily processed foods.

With illness starting up to 28 days after exposure to the Hepatitis virus, it may not even be clear yet how widespread the issue is. The official advice is now to boil berries before eating – but really, who does this?

The other shocker with this latest recall, is that the fruit in question is from China and Chile. I meticulously check where any fish and seafood I buy comes from, but had naively assumed the fruit would be domestic.

It really begs the question how can the contaminate have got into the product in the first place? Contamination often seems to occur through transfer of fecal matter from an infected person. Unbelievable that in this day and age of health and safety standards that could happen.

After hearing about this latest scare, I'm going to freeze my own fruit from now on. It’s going to be local fruit, washed and organic. It seems to be the only way to ensure you actually know what you’re eating.

I wonder what the next food scare will be?

 

Where Does Your Fish Come From Australia New Zealand paleo diet frozen-min

Where Does Your Fish Come From?

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Living on a great big island surrounded by the sea, I had always assumed the fish sold in Australia would be, well, Australian. If not Australian, perhaps from neighbouring New Zealand?

I was horrified in my local supermarket (the photos are from Coles, but Woolworths was a similar story) to look at the frozen fish on offer – I couldn’t find a single offering of Australian or New Zealand fish! It was also quite hard to even see the origin, as it seemed to be almost hidden on the labelling.

The one pack that had New Zealand fish was “made” in China. I want to eat local fish – and if it’s being shipped halfway around the world (and back) to be “made”, that raises a lot of questions in my mind about the manufacturing process, freshness, control and quality.

Where-fish-from-supplier-source-Asia-Australia-New-Zealand-Frozen-Coles-Woolworths-Imported-Local-min
The fish in the photo are labelled as being from (or made in) Vietnam, Malaysia, China – or more worryingly just “from local and imported ingredients”. For all the good that last label does, perhaps the local ingredient is the packaging they come in – and imported could mean absolutely anywhere!

Fish is something I’m particularly concerned to source well. After the Fukushima nuclear disaster in Japan, record levels of radiation have been found in local sea life. I just don’t want to eat food that might contain radio active material. A reasonable request?

There are also issues around differing mercury levels in different oceans – and the whole argument around farmed fish and sustainable fish. It is really important to know exactly what you are eating and where it is from.

Ideally we would all catch our own fish, or failing that go to a fish market or monger. But unfortunately, sometimes we’re busy working and need to rely on other sources for our food. For something as simple as fish, I would love to be able to buy local, in my local store – and to be confident about it’s origin, freshness and past!

I’d love to know where you get your fish – and if you’d ever buy frozen? Does the source of your fish worry you, as much as it does me?

Where Does Your Fish Come From Australia New Zealand paleo diet frozen-min