Why do people eat ready meals

The information contained on this page and in any third party websites referred to on this page is not intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice nor is it intended to be for medical diagnosis or treatment. Third party websites are not owned or controlled by Bupa and any individual may be able to access and post messages on them. Bupa is not responsible for the content or availability of these third party websites.

We do not accept advertising on this page. For more details on how we produce our content and its sources, visit the About our health information section. Victoria Evans. Ready meals and your health Whether you know them as microwave meals, frozen meals, convenience meals or TV dinners, there are lots of reasons why you might opt for a ready meal over a home-cooked one. Are some ready meals healthier than others? How to make ready meals healthier Get to know your labels The traffic light labelling found on the front of some food packaging can help you to compare the nutritional content of different ready meals and guide you to make a healthier choice.

Add a side of fresh vegetables or salad One of the easiest ways to make any meal healthier is to add at least one portion of fresh vegetables or salad to your meal. Quick and easy healthy meal ideas Cooking a healthy meal may take less time than you think - try my delicious vegetable pasta recipe below to help you get started. Wholemeal veggie pasta recipe Boil up to 60g dried, per person of wholemeal pasta.

Add a carton of chopped tomatoes, three tablespoons of frozen or fresh veg of your choice and half a can of cooked beans to the pasta. Gently simmer until the sauce is hot. Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies. Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.

Recommended How processed food makes you eat more France erupts in scandal over reported use of 'fake cheese' in Many elderly people turn to ready meals, but can they compete with a. More about Health Food Ready meals. Already subscribed? Log in. Forgotten your password? Want an ad-free experience? View offers. A ready-made meal is a prepackaged frozen or fresh meal that requires none or very little preparation besides heating up.

And, luckily for us, ready-made meals have come a long way since macaroni and cheese TV-tray type dinners. You can now find gourmet meals ranging from specific cultural cuisine to organic and vegetarian options.

The latest, and possibly the healthiest, are packaged in such a way that the container functions as a steamer, allowing rapid cooking of essentially raw ingredients typically fish or chicken and vegetables immediately before consumption. It's no surprise that frozen ready-made meals are popular. They're fast, convenient, inexpensive, easy and preportioned. The challenge, of course, is to find healthy ready-made meals that taste good, satisfy your hunger and won't sabotage your diet.

The freezing process in frozen ready-made meals tends to degrade the taste of food. To compensate for this, the meals are processed with extra salt and fat to add flavor. In addition, stabilizing these products for a long period typically means that preservatives and unhealthy vegetable oils will be used on some items. There is, however, some variability between brands, so you'll need to read the "nutrition facts" panel on the package to see whether your choice is a healthier one.

Unfortunately, most ready-made meals aren't properly balanced. They either provide too much starch or none at all, some are far too high in protein and fat and the majority of them do not contain enough nutrients in the form of vegetables or salad. To top it all off, most ready-made meals come in servings that are too big, so it is important to portion them correctly.

Welcome to the re-heating revolution and the birth of the ready-made meal. Ready-made meals are celebrated as the harbinger of convenience; replacing a home-cooked main meal with simplistic food in user-friendly packaging, and requiring minimal preparation time, and with few or no added ingredients.

This prompts the question: can we replace home cooked meals with ready-made alternatives at no expense to our health? Before you decide you pick up a frozen ready-made meal at the supermarkets, there are a few things to consider.

A major concern with these meals is their nutritional composition. Unfortunately, most ready-made meals are high in energy, saturated fats and sodium and are often low in fibre and micronutrients.