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Real Life Nutrition Questions Answered
printReal Life Fitness Questions Answered
Emma Brown
Nutritionist
Janet Aylott
Nutritionist
Kelly Marshall
Fitness Consultant
Q.
How unhealthy are ready meals really?
I had always understood that the most unhealthy aspect of eating these meals was the fact that it was microwaved, especially in the healthy ranges of ready meals. But apparently there are 'hidden' nasties in them? What nasties are these and how nasty are they exactly?
People often pride themselves on making their own food and freezing/microwaving their culinary masterpieces but these raises a couple of points for me. Firstly, I really don't like my own cooking - I have an inability to enjoy anything I've been responsible for making. I can eat my own cooking but it's never as nice possibly due to all the fancy spices and techniques that the factories can resource on mass and with ease that I cannot.
Secondly, I had always thought that by 'processed' this means how much it has been tampered with? i.e. freezing and microwaving. Surely this makes it not fresh and processed? Am I wrong? I live in a household with my fussy 8 year old son, who will only eat dry and bland food (a complete opposite to me), and my partner who has the metabolism and appetite of a racehorse, who eats full fat everything on mass. I have declared that he has to sort his own meals out if he wants to eat that way, but I still have to shop for and prepare for two very different diets everyday so ready meals are so necessary for me! Please could you give me the low-down on them?
A.
Our expert says...
Thank you for your question. I agree that it can be a confusing area, so let me try and explain. Ready meals tend not to be the healthiest of food choices for a number of reasons. By the time you buy them in the supermarket, their ingredients are no longer fresh and the nutritional value of some of the ingredients will probably have declined over time. This is often made worse by the high temperature the meal may have been cooked, or partially cooked, at during manufacturing.
The 'nasties' that you refer to depend on the type of ready meal you are buying. However, many contain more salt than you would use if you were cooking the meal yourself and salt intake has been linked to high blood pressure and water retention. Also, you may be surprised by the fact that some savoury dishes have added sugar too! I believe it always pays to look at the ingredients!
You may also find artificial colourings, flavourings and preservatives in your ready meal, because otherwise the food would only last a few days in the fridge before it went off. Freezing home cooked food is different, as it doesn't have any of these additives and most of the nutritional value will remain in the frozen food.
It is a shame you don't like your own cooking, but can't you go back to basics and keep things simple? A piece of chicken, or fish, with a jacket potato and some fresh veg doesn't take a lot of skill and will be fresh, nutritious and filling. Ready meals are fine occasionally, and can be useful when time is short. You can make then healthier by eating them with 2 or 3 different fresh vegetables, but I wouldn't recommend eating them every night. I hope this helps.
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