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Why You Need a Big Freezer on a Paleo Diet

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

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!

Emergency paleo meals

We all have those days when we’re too busy, too tired, or just not in the mood to cook. This is where your freezer can truly save the day. Having a stash of fully cooked Paleo meals means you’ll never be tempted to reach for takeaway or processed foods. Simply defrost and reheat a healthy homemade option — no compromise, no stress.

Freezing bone broth and stocks

Bone broth is a staple of the Paleo diet thanks to its gut-healing properties and rich mineral content. Make large batches and freeze them in portion-sized containers or even ice cube trays. This way, you’ve always got broth ready for soups, sauces, or sipping on its own for a nutrient boost.

Prepping your own frozen veg

Instead of relying on commercial frozen veg (which often contain additives), blanch and freeze your own. This is particularly handy when your favourite veggies are out of season or if you've found a great deal at the farmers’ market. You’ll avoid waste and have instant access to clean, additive-free sides for any meal.

Frozen herbs and aromatics

If you grow your own herbs or buy them in bulk, freeze them in olive oil using an ice cube tray. You’ll have flavour bombs ready to go for cooking — no wilting or wastage. Garlic, ginger, and even chopped onion can be frozen and added straight into your cooking, saving prep time while keeping things Paleo and fresh.

DIY frozen snacks and treats

Use your freezer for pre-made bliss balls, energy bites, or chocolate bark made with coconut oil and raw cacao. These are perfect for when a craving strikes — without reaching for non-Paleo treats. You can also freeze bananas and blend them into a soft-serve style dessert, or keep avocado halves ready for guacamole in minutes.

Seasonal eating made simple

A freezer makes seasonal eating effortless. Buy or grow produce when it’s at peak ripeness and price, then freeze for year-round access. This means you can enjoy mango, stone fruits, or asparagus long after their season ends — all while keeping your diet varied, nutrient-dense and local.

Time-saving marinades

Marinate your meat before freezing. This not only saves time but results in deeply flavourful meals, as the marinating continues during the freezing and defrosting process. Store them in flat freezer bags with all the marinade ingredients already added, ready to cook straight from thawing.

Organised meal planning

A large freezer lets you organise by meal type — breakfasts, dinners, snacks, sauces, broths, and so on. Use labelled containers or bags, and you’ll always know exactly what’s available. This makes it much easier to stick to your Paleo plan without resorting to quick-fix meals that don’t align with your goals.

Freezer must-haves for Paleo eaters

  • Pre-cooked grass-fed mince dishes like Bolognese or chilli
  • Homemade soups and stews in single serves
  • Portion-sized coconut flour muffins or breads
  • Raw meat and seafood, portioned and labelled
  • Frozen bananas and berries for smoothies and treats
  • Bone broth cubes or jars
  • Pre-cut stir-fry veggies
  • Stocked-up frozen herbs and aromatics

Freezer tips and tricks

To maximise your freezer’s potential:

  • Always label your bags or containers with the name and date.
  • Use airtight, BPA-free containers or silicone freezer bags to preserve flavour and avoid freezer burn.
  • Cool hot food completely before freezing to maintain texture and avoid condensation.
  • Group items by type or meal category using plastic bins or baskets for quick access.
  • Rotate stock frequently to use older items first — Paleo and practical!

Whether you’re a seasoned meal prepper or just starting out, investing in a big freezer can elevate your Paleo lifestyle from good to great. It reduces stress, increases variety, saves money, and ensures you always have clean, delicious food ready to go. What are your favourite Paleo freezer staples? Let us know in the comments!

Are You Eating Contaminated Fruit?

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.

How Safe Is Imported Produce?

The recent frozen berry contamination highlights a much bigger issue — the risks associated with imported produce. While Australia has strict food safety regulations, imported food is subject to different standards. Despite some testing, not all shipments are thoroughly screened. Many countries that export produce to Australia have lower hygiene standards, and even if a supplier is following guidelines, cross-contamination during harvesting, processing, or packaging can still occur.

When we rely on imported food, we’re often in the dark about the conditions it was grown, handled, and packaged in. The cost savings might seem appealing at first glance, but it comes at the expense of transparency and control. Buying local doesn’t just support Australian farmers — it drastically reduces the chain of custody, making it easier to trace and trust the food you eat.

Why Boiling Berries Isn't the Answer

The advice to boil frozen berries before consumption might sound like a simple fix, but it’s far from practical. Berries are often used in smoothies, desserts, and raw dishes where texture and flavour matter. Boiling them alters the consistency and can destroy the very nutrients that make berries such a healthy addition to your diet — particularly vitamin C and antioxidants, which are heat-sensitive.

More importantly, the need to boil fruit before eating should be a red flag in itself. We shouldn’t have to cook our food just to make it safe from viral contamination. This approach treats the symptom, not the cause. Instead, the focus should be on securing clean supply chains and demanding better oversight from food regulators.

The Value of Seasonal, Local Fruit

One of the best ways to avoid imported frozen fruit is to buy local produce when it’s in season and freeze it yourself. Not only is this safer, but it’s often cheaper, and the taste is superior. Strawberries, blueberries, and mangoes, when bought at peak season, can be frozen at home and used later with no compromise in quality.

Look for local farmers markets, co-ops, or fruit picking opportunities in your region. These often provide the freshest fruit with minimal handling, and you’ll be supporting local growers who take pride in their standards. Freezing your own fruit allows you to control everything — from the moment the fruit is picked to how it's stored and used.

How to Freeze Fruit at Home

If you’ve never frozen your own fruit before, it’s easier than you might think. Here’s how to do it safely and effectively:

  • Choose ripe, unblemished fruit: Wash thoroughly and allow to air dry.
  • Slice if needed: Cut larger fruit like mangoes or peaches into bite-sized pieces.
  • Pre-freeze: Spread fruit in a single layer on a baking tray lined with baking paper and freeze until solid. This stops clumping.
  • Store: Transfer to freezer-safe zip lock bags or airtight containers, label with date and type, and store in the freezer for up to 12 months.

This method helps preserve the structure, flavour, and nutritional content of your fruit — perfect for smoothies, baking, or snacking straight from the freezer.

The Bigger Problem: Processed Convenience Foods

Food recalls like the berry incident tend to get a lot of press, but they’re just the tip of the iceberg. Many processed convenience foods — even those marketed as “healthy” or “natural” — are made using imported ingredients from questionable sources. Whether it’s frozen vegetables, pre-cut salad mixes, or packaged snacks, the more handling and processing a food goes through, the greater the risk of contamination.

That’s why a paleo approach, focused on simple, whole foods that are close to their natural state, offers a powerful line of defence. When you prepare meals from scratch using fresh, seasonal produce, you drastically reduce your exposure to risky ingredients and hidden contaminants.

What Needs to Change?

Ultimately, the solution lies in better regulation and consumer awareness. Food imports should be subject to rigorous, consistent testing — especially when they come from countries with lower sanitation standards. Label transparency should also be mandatory. Consumers deserve to know not just the country of origin, but also how the food was handled, processed, and transported.

In the meantime, the best thing we can do is vote with our wallets. Support businesses and brands that prioritise traceability and ethical sourcing. Choose Australian-grown wherever possible. And when in doubt, go back to basics — fresh, local, and home-prepared beats processed and imported every time.

Final Thoughts on Frozen Fruit Safety

The frozen berry scare might be out of the headlines now, but it shouldn’t be forgotten. It serves as a wake-up call about the importance of food traceability, quality control, and consumer vigilance. Freezing your own fruit is a simple and empowering step towards a safer, more nutritious kitchen.

So next time you’re at the shops or market, think about what’s in season, what’s local, and what you can freeze yourself. It’s a small action, but it adds up — for your health, your confidence in your food, and for the safety of those you prepare meals for.

I wonder what the next food scare will be?

Where Does Your Fish Really Come From?

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

How to Choose Better Fish in Australia

If you're trying to eat more consciously, especially within the Paleo framework, fish is one of the most beneficial foods you can include. But that benefit quickly vanishes when the fish you're buying is riddled with unknowns—questionable origins, vague labelling, or long journeys that compromise its quality. So how do you source fish that aligns with both your health values and ethical concerns? Let’s explore the practical steps you can take to ensure you’re choosing better, cleaner, and more sustainable fish.

Understanding Seafood Labelling in Australia

In Australia, labelling laws for seafood are often a source of frustration for consumers. Unlike fresh seafood at a fish market or deli counter, packaged and frozen seafood is not legally required to disclose the country of origin in a clearly visible format. While businesses must include country-of-origin labelling, it’s often in small print or hidden on the back, and processed or mixed-origin products can use vague statements like “local and imported ingredients.” This doesn’t help consumers who want to avoid fish imported from regions with lower safety and environmental standards.

What’s worse is the deliberate opacity in the processing chain. A product might be “caught in New Zealand” but “processed in China,” which raises many questions about how the fish was handled, stored, and altered along the way. If you're buying fish for its health benefits, this convoluted journey could be undermining your intentions.

Why Local and Wild-Caught Really Matters

When it comes to seafood, “local” often means fresher, more transparent, and better regulated. Australia and New Zealand both have strong fisheries management systems and relatively low contamination risks compared to some overseas suppliers. Wild-caught fish from clean waters are less likely to have accumulated heavy metals or environmental toxins like PCBs or dioxins.

Farmed fish, depending on where it's raised, may be fed unnatural diets, treated with antibiotics, and housed in overcrowded conditions. In contrast, locally caught wild fish tend to be richer in omega-3s and free from the harmful additives used in some overseas aquaculture operations.

What to Avoid When Buying Fish

  • Generic labelling: Avoid packages that say “from local and imported ingredients.” That’s code for “we don’t want to tell you.”
  • Multiple countries listed: If you see two or more countries mentioned, it often means the fish was caught in one country and processed in another, usually to save money.
  • “Made in” vs “Product of”: “Made in” often refers to where processing occurred, not where the fish was caught. Always prefer “Product of Australia” when possible.

Best Fish Choices in Australia

If you want to buy smarter, here are some fish varieties that are typically considered safer, more sustainable, and paleo-friendly within Australia:

  • Australian wild-caught salmon: While rare, it can occasionally be sourced fresh. More often, opt for wild Alaskan if it's available and clearly labelled.
  • Barramundi: A great Aussie favourite, barramundi is often farmed in Australia under higher standards than imports. Look for “Australian-farmed” on the label.
  • Flathead and whiting: These are commonly caught in local waters and available fresh at fishmongers or markets.
  • Sardines: Small oily fish like sardines are often sustainably caught and have lower mercury levels due to their size and short lifespan. South Australian sardines are particularly good.

Tips for Finding Quality Fish Locally

You don’t always need to shop at a high-end fishmonger to find decent fish. Here are some tips for sourcing better fish even when shopping at mainstream retailers:

  • Shop at the deli counter, not the freezer aisle. You can ask questions and usually find more accurate country-of-origin information.
  • Check your local farmers’ markets. Coastal regions often have stalls run by local fishermen or co-ops.
  • Ask your fishmonger. A good fishmonger will always be upfront about the source and freshness of their stock. If they’re vague, it’s a red flag.
  • Read the fine print. Yes, it’s annoying. But turning over the packet might be the only way to find out where the fish truly comes from.

When You Really Need Frozen Fish

Sometimes, frozen is the only option—especially if you live inland or need something that will keep longer. In this case, your best bet is to choose products labelled “wild caught” and “product of Australia or New Zealand.” Avoid fish that’s been breaded, seasoned, or pre-cooked, as these often include processed oils, wheat, and mystery ingredients.

Vacuum-sealed frozen fish with clear catch information can still be a good compromise. Look for packaging that includes the species name, catch method (like line-caught or trawled), and catch area. If it’s MSC (Marine Stewardship Council) certified, that’s another reassuring sign.

The Bigger Picture: Sustainability and Food Sovereignty

Supporting local fisheries is about more than just your health—it’s about sustainability, employment, and reducing your carbon footprint. Buying Australian or New Zealand seafood helps ensure money stays in the local economy, supports responsible environmental practices, and reduces the food miles your dinner travels.

When we outsource food production to countries with looser regulations, we lose control over quality, labour standards, and ecological impacts. Choosing locally caught fish is a small but powerful way to vote with your dollar for a better food system.

Have You Checked Your Own Freezer?

If you're feeling curious, take a look through your freezer or pantry and see where your fish products really come from. You might be surprised how little you know about their origins. Next time you're at the supermarket, make it a point to compare the labels and see just how much information is being kept vague or hidden.

Real food, like fish, should be simple. It should be something we can trace back to its source, something we can feel good about feeding to our families. The next time you’re shopping, consider this: if you wouldn’t drink water from an unlabelled bottle, why eat fish from an untraceable source?