Are Frozen Foods Still Raw?
Raw reader Dodie asks:
I do have a question for you- when making smoothies and such, does using a frozen berry mix (no syrup added) count as raw? I’ve read around and heard different things.
A truly raw food is one that has not been processed in any way and remains in its whole, natural state.
So by definition, raw staples such as oil, cacao, and dried nuts are not really raw. All three of these foods have been processed to some extent (in the case of oil, quite a bit!).
It also means that fresh foods that have been frozen are not truly raw either. While freezing is one of the least destructive way to perserve food, there is some destruction and oxidation—and, therefore, some nutrient loss—that results from the process.
So no more banana ice cream, then? 
The 80/20 Rule for Weight Loss
Know any people who work out constantly yet eat whatever they want? And no matter how much they work out, they still carry around a load of excess fat?
It’s because they’ve got the formula all wrong.
Unlike what early morning infomercials will tell you, weight loss has very little to do with exercise (20%) and almost everything to do with diet (80%).
Now when it comes to health and nutrition alone, we can apply the same rule, perhaps even upping it to 90/10 rather than 80/20.
If the 80-90% of what you eat is healthy fresh food, you’ll likely be pretty healthy. If it isn’t, the state of your health will reflect that.
So what does this have to do with frozen foods?
Reserve Your 80% for the Really Raw Foods
This is what matters the most. For the 80-90% of your diet, eat only fresh, whole, ripe, raw fruits and vegetables.
For the other 10-20%, that’s where you can incorporate some not-so-raw foods like dried nuts and frozen fruits. For instance, use a cup or two of frozen mango in a smoothie or thaw out a bag of corn for a creamy corn and avocado soup.
Personally, I love making smoothies with bananas and frozen wild blueberries during the winter when the variety of fresh produce is limited. It’s by far one of the tastiest smoothies I can think of.
What Do You Think?
Do you use frozen foods in your diet? Do you avoid them?
Comments always welcome! 
Go raw and be fit,
Swayze
P.S. Hate to burst your bubble, but getting healthy is actually a bit more than just making sure that 80-90% of your food is raw. The truth is, eating lots of fruits and veggies doesn’t guarantee that you’re getting optimal nutrition.
And of course, there’s the whole cravings issue to deal with. How in the world can you eat 80-90% fresh foods when all your body craves is cooked, processed junk?
That’s where my cravings-killing program “How to Conquer Your Cooked Food Cravings” comes in…
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11 comments
I like to eat frozen wild blueberries with bananas smoothie, especially when I can get fresh blueberries or they are really expensive. I eat this smoothie occasionally.
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Barb Reply:
September 12th, 2011 at 10:30 AM
This is wrong since blueberries are sub-acid fruits and bananas are sweet fruits. By combining these 2 fruits together you are not getting the proper digestion nor the nutrients from it. Only combine blueberries with sub-acid fruits and bananas with sweet fruits.
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Nick Reply:
September 12th, 2011 at 2:35 PM
Thanks for the info. I don’t have that smoothie that often. It never seems to bother me. Most of the time I drink green smoothies. Thanks Barb.
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Barb Reply:
September 12th, 2011 at 4:15 PM
But everytime it is affecting your digestion even if you don’t notice anything at the time. It just doesn’t digest or assimilate well.
Nick Reply:
September 12th, 2011 at 5:08 PM
Thanks, Barb, What kind of smoothies do you recomend. Do you drink green smoothies. I try to stay very stick on my diet because I like to feel good all the time, but sometimes I do stray off a little. But most of the time I’m very good.
Thanks, Nick
Swayze,
I use a good deal of frozen foods in my diet. Manly bananas that I have allowed to ripen and then froze for handy storage when I need a ripe banana and don’t already have one on hand. I also enjoy making my version of ice cream with the frozen bananas. Nearly every day I add at least one frozen banana into my two quarts of green smoothies.
While my diet is not 100% raw, I am what Kevin would call “high raw”.
Love your site and emails, keep it up!
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I totally agree. That’s exactely what I do.
Thank you.
I love reading your newsletters! They are pure and fresh like the food you promote!!
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Dear Swayze,
I recently read a book”The 7 Principles of Fat-Burning” by Eric Berg and he says the nutrients in raw nuts and seeds will be more available to you if you soak them in water overnight to sprout them and then eat them sprouted. Any truth to this? Thanks.
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I love this article, Swayze! I believe it brings up a very important point — I mean the 80/20 rule. It makes so much sense and gives a good guidelines.
As far as frozen foods are concerned, I use them in my diet also. It was a tough decision to make, because I wanted to be as much raw as possible.
And, like you mentioned, it’s not always easy during wintertime when the selection of fresh produce is limited. Like many fellow fruit eaters here I use mostly frozen berries like raspberries and blueberries to make smoothies. My personal favorite is a Health Berry Blend with Marion Blackberries, Blueberries and Black Raspberries by Stahlbush Island Farms. Blended with bananas it makes the most delicious smoothie ever!
However, I have a few rules regarding frozen foods. Here they are:
1. I don’t use frozen fruits and vegetables in my meals every day.
2. I only use one type of frozen fruit/vegetable per meal. For instance, if I make a smoothie with frozen berries, then I won’t use frozen bananas in that same smoothie. Everything else that goes into that smoothie will be fresh.
3. I always thaw frozen foods and bring them to room temperature before consuming. It depends on a type of a meal I am making: In case of frozen berries, I just thaw them slightly before blending with bananas and some warm water. Other fresh ingredients and water bring the whole smoothie to a normal room temperature, which is optimal. On a rare occasion, I would use a bag of frozen broccoli florets in my raw soup, and then it has to be completely defrosted. The reason I am doing it is this: Frozen foods, when consumed very cold can be quite damaging to our delicate gut flora. As far as I remember, Dr. Graham talks about it in his Perfect Health Program.
To conclude this comment, I would like to mention that I eat as much fresh fruits and vegetables as I can, and only resort to their frozen counterparts when I don’t have a lot of options.
Once again, thanks for the great article, Swayze!
Vlada
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Barb Reply:
September 12th, 2011 at 10:36 AM
Remember that frozen foods are acidic so be careful and not to consume a lot of them. You can have 20% of acidic foods and 80% alkaline in order for your pH to stay in the normal range and
be in good health.
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Good topic Swayze,
I only use 1/2 a bag of frozen berries in my smoothies during the winter when the fresh selection is rather lean. Like Vlada I thaw them first and make the rest of the meal and day with fresh produce.
Soaking nuts is the only way to go; they taste so much better as opposed to dry even if the jury is still out on whether or not it’s better for you. I believe it is.
Diet is important and so is appropriate exercise. You can be relatively healthy for a long time on a subpar diet if you exercise, just as you can eat an optimal diet without adequate exercise and not feel or be truly healthy.
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Leave a comment, beautiful.