Health Experts Agree: The Unexpected Frozen Food You Need To Stop Eating ASAP—It’s So High In Fat

Frozen Breaded Fish

"Many buy frozen foods for convenience and time-saving," Legezynski notes. "A lot of these products are heavily processed; the convenience and good taste come at a cost of additional fats and sugars." As it turns out, this is true even when it comes to some types of frozen fish.

Fish on its own is great for you—it's a fantastic source of lean protein and healthy fats. However, Legezynski says you shouldn't be deceived by certain frozen options.  Namely, he says frozen breaded fish should be avoided because the breading adds an alarming amount of excess fat. "Fish is a great source of lean protein, and people understandably expect that a coating of breadcrumbs will do little to change that," he says. "However, what's true for the process you'd go through in your own kitchen is definitely not for frozen process foods—even for the same simple item."

Legezynski explains that the variety of breaded fish you find in the freezer section of the grocery store offers way less nutrition and way more health risks than the kind you'd be able to make in your own home. "The breading takes the fish from a virtually fat-free source of lean protein to a high-fat option," he warns. "This is also partly because the fillets used are very small to save money and then padded with lots of fattening breadcrumb coating." Yikes! No wonder they're so tasty; they're practically all breadcrumb!

Luckily, there's a simple solution to this. You don't have to give up breaded fish altogether; you just have to get a little creative in the kitchen and channel your inner chef to make your own, rather than buying the pre-made kind at the store. "I would recommend buying frozen fish fillets, and adding the breadcrumbs yourself if you still want them," Legezynski concludes. Sounds perfect!