Please tell me ready meals aren't that bad :(

bcattoes · April 2013

No, they are not. They are usually small portions for the calories, lacking in nutrition and high in sodium. Some are better than others so just read the labels and choose wisely. I would also suggest keeping some sugar snap peas, mini peeled carrots or other prechopped vegetables in the fridge to eat along with them to up the nutrition of your meal. If you like tomato juice or low sodium V8 those will up your potassium intake to offset the high sodium meals.

I know several healthy people who eat frozen meals regularly.

KenosFeoh · April 2013

I'm not even sure what a ready meal is.

ItsCasey · April 2013

There are much better ways to get around cooking than frozen meals. Buy a rotisserie chicken, pull off the skin, and mix it with some leafy greens and other assorted vegetables for a quick, healthy salad. Get a pork roast, some garlic, some onions, and whatever seasoning you like. Toss it in a slow cooker first thing in the AM, and when you get home, BAM, dinner is waiting for you. Just add a salad and a cup of brown rice (the kind in the little containers that you can heat up in the microwave).

If you're going to be successful at losing weight and keeping it off, some effort is required. I will now quote Mark Twight: "Why are you looking for secrets or shortcuts? Is the hard road really "that" hard? Do the work and working hard gets easier to do."

joleenl · April 2013

On occasion they are probably fine.

Something to think about though... The additives in food add up quickly....

For example based on what you said, on top of the packaged meals you have:

Yogurt - (Specially the ones that are flavored ones) could have sugar, artificial sweeteners, colors, artificial flavors, etc
Granola bars - Sugar, salt, artifical sweetners, oil, etc
Ham -Sulphides and phosphates, sugar, salt, MSG.... etc

I really think "bad" foods are a matter of personal preference. There are lots of people that are healthy and have lost weight on packaged and processed food. However the more research that comes out on some of the chemicals, we are finding that the are either responcible or contribute to a lot of diseases and symptoms.

Good luck with your decision!

alsunrise · April 2013

They aren't that bad. There are better options, but there are worse options too.

Mcgrawhaha · April 2013

or maybe she is just tired and rushed from "life"? im not tired, but im extremely rushed, and by the end of the day, IM DONE! 5 kids, 4 in competetive sports monday through saturday, 1 with a health condition, im a full time student, 2 dogs, 3 cats, house to care for, husband to whine at me... im lucky if i get to brush my hair, so it comes down to doing whats quickest for me. day off to prepare meals? i dont have a day off right now, im going full speed 7 days a week, and if i did have a day off, it wouldnt be cooking! i dont watch my sodium, i have no reason to at this point. i stay right around 2500 each day, i stay full, and im not 250 pounds like i was in september... some people just need to do whats easiest and quickest to fit their lifestyle!

Akimajuktuq · April 2013

Real food doesn't take long to prepare. One can stir fry anything. I'm super lazy and I make most of my food from scratch including mayo and salad dressings.

Read the ingredients and research what they are. Ready meals really are that bad; at least for my health. The salt, fat and sugar used in processed foods are always the lowest quality and the least healthful (soy and canola oil) and manipulated to increase the "bliss point" which means that they are carefully designed to be as desirable (read "addictive") as possible.

If it works for you to eat them and you don't want to change, then eat them. You don't need anyone's permission to do what you are going to do anyway.

ninerbuff · April 2013

Pronounce this without stumbling or looking up if it's good for you or not.

Alpha-Linolenic-Acid, Asparagine, D-Categin, Isoqurctrin, Hyperoside, Ferulic-Acid, Farnesene, Neoxathin, Phosphatidyl-Choline, Reynoutrin, Sinapic-Acid, Caffeic-Acid, Chlorogenic-Acid, P-Hydroxy-Benzoic-Acid, P-Coumaric-Acid, Avicularin, Lutein, Quercitin, Rutin, Ursolic-Acid, Protocatechuic-Acid, and Silver,Vitamin A, B1, B2, and B6, Niacin, Pantothenic acid, Folic acid, Vitamin C and Vitamin E, Calcium, Copper, Iron, Magnesium, Manganese, Phosphorus, Pottassium, Selenium, Sodium, and Zinc,Tryptophan, Threonine, Isoleucine, Leucine, Lycine, Methionine, Cystine, Phenylalanine, Tyrosine, Valine, Argenine, Histidine, Alanine, Aspartic Acid, Glutamic Acid, Glycine, Proline, and Serine.

I'll tell you what it is later.

A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

CoachReddy · April 2013

those aren't ingredients, thus it's a logical fallacy.

katy_trail · April 2013

so if i have a great vocabulary/reading level and can read those words, it's ok to eat them right? right?

katy_trail · April 2013

yeah it's mostly vitamins

Sunnyjb · April 2013

Pretty sure I drink at least three scoops of this a day

CoachReddy · April 2013

weird.

ninerbuff · April 2013

Doesn't sound like she's a mother of 4 and catering to them.
Not going to debate with you on it, but it sounds like you're doing all the work. No spouse help?

A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

ninerbuff · April 2013

Lol, that's not the point. If pronunciation is the criteria, then lots of foods would be deleted.

A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

NikiChicken · April 2013

This.

They are great in a pinch - I keep a stash at home for emergencies - but there are so many better things out there. I don't find them very filling either and they tend to leave me wanting something more. I just prefer to keep a stock of the basics at home and cook for myself rather than rely on these. It really doesn't take long to cook something a whole lot more satisfying and nutritionally sound.

bcattoes · April 2013

That's what I was thinking. The chemical makeup of something is not the same as ingredients.

CrazyTrackLady · April 2013

Wow, such a strong assumption that I'm an illiterate fool. I KNOW what those are, and I CAN pronounce them. And, as has been already mentioned, they aren't ingredients so your point is moot.

I do hope you don't eat chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream. Because, you might want to look up THOSE ingredients.

CoachReddy · April 2013

the point is that the person you quoted was referring to ingredients. nothing you posted was an ingredient. thus it's a false equivalency you're trying to create between two completely different things.

i can pronounce "apple" just fine.

sunnyhlw77 · April 2013

Processed meals, whether they be frozen, dried, restaurant or whatever are all high in sodium They may be low in calories but are likely to be high is sodium. To give flavour to something they add sodium in a variety of ways, watch your lables. If you can, choose whole foods. I know that those meals are convenient but make your own convenience foods or find someone you know to make you convenience foods out of whole foods (ie: you buy the groceries etc.). When I was single, I used to be gone from home from 7:00 am until after 6:00 pm, not a lot of time, a couple weekends a month I would do batch cooking and freeze it in individual portions to take for lunches or to have for supper. The nice thing is that I could watch the sodium, fat and sugar content and overall it was cheaper than the convenience foods. I try to add as many whole foods to my diet, there are a few things I can't obviously but otherwise I like my veggies fresh, my meat local and not processed, etc. Hope this helps a little bit. Good luck!

Please tell me ready meals aren't that bad :(

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