FREEZER TO YOUR RESCUE

Your freezer can be your best friend when you’re slimming. Here are some of the best waistlinefriendly frozen foods to have on standby.

PEAS
Frozen peas count as healthy pulses as well as a veg portion — so add them to everything for a boost of vitamin C, folic acid, protein and soluble fibre. They will lower the GI of a dish (the rate at which it releases sugar into your blood stream), sustaining you for longer. Frozen peas actually have more vitamins than fresh ones because they are frozen within two-and-a-half hours of harvesting, sealing in all the goodness.

OVEN CHIPS
Oven chips are skinnier (average 4.2% fat) than home-made fried chips (average 6.7% fat), making for a healthier, as well as more convenient option if you’re weight-watching. Because they are frozen so quickly, oven chips also have 33% more vitamin C in them than chips you cut yourself from fresh potatoes.

FISH
Fish frozen at sea has locked in freshness and makes the perfect low-cal supper simply grilled or steamed with new potatoes and veg. If you don’t like it plain, choose “dusted” (not breaded or battered) fillets, as the calorie count is lower.

SPINACH
A good source of iron (which slimmers can sometimes fall short on), and fills up space on your plate for virtually no calories. Frozen can be better than fresh. Evidence shows that two days after picking, fresh spinach has already lost 75% of its vitamin C, while frozen spinach only loses around 25 per cent of its Vitamin C content for as long as you keep it in the freezer.