why do frozen meals get such a bad rap

sdraobs · 02-11-2018 3:22pm #1

Is it lazy news/journalism to talk about all processsed foods being bad. I am lazy myself which is why i want to find a way to heath healthy and cheaply. so i am hoping frozen meals are the solution.

I can understand products like palm oil, pizzas, cornuctose and all the different names for sugar, but looking at the ingredients for a frozen spag ball from a main supermarket, it looks quite okay:

INGREDIENTS: Cooked Spaghetti(Water, Durum Wheat Semolina), Tomato Purée (Water, Tomato Purée), Beef (13%), Tomato, Onion, Water, Cornflour, Red Wine(Red Wine, Preservative (Sulphur Dioxide)), Garlic Purée, Rapeseed Oil, Salt, Chicory Fibre, Yeast Extract, Basil, Thyme, Flavouring, Oregano, Black Pepper, Acidity Regulator (Citric Acid), Onion Powder, Beef Extract, Tomato Powder, Sunflower Oil.

So looking for peoples views as to whether they consider frozen packaged meals bad. is it the method of cooking that is so bad. if i make a spag ball from scratch and freeze and i processing it?

the veg in them are frozen (accept not much veg in this particualr spag bog) but arent frozen veg healthier than fresh ones that lose vitamins sitting in fruit and veg aisle.

Dial Hard · 02-11-2018 3:53pm

It's the nutritional info you need to be looking at rather than just the ingredients list. Ready meals are often laced with salt, fat and sugar to make them palatable. Pay particular attention to the portion sizes listed - the nutritional info given may be for half a pack but you might easily eat the whole thing.

The same meal cooked from scratch at home and then frozen is a different beast altogether. You can control exactly what goes into it and will likely use better quality ingredients than the mass-produced version.

sdraobs · 02-11-2018 4:13pm

Dial Hard wrote: »

It's the nutritional info you need to be looking at rather than just the ingredients list. Ready meals are often laced with salt, fat and sugar to make them palatable. Pay particular attention to the portion sizes listed - the nutritional info given may be for half a pack but you might easily eat the whole thing.

The same meal cooked from scratch at home and then frozen is a different beast altogether. You can control exactly what goes into it and will likely use better quality ingredients than the mass-produced version.

Thank you Dial Hard. If thats as bad as it is, then ill go with frozen meals. Ill choose the low salt/fat/sugar ones, and keep an eye on nutritional values. So your message is reassuring.

Macy0161 · 02-11-2018 4:27pm

Dial Hard wrote: »

Pay particular attention to the portion sizes listed - the nutritional info given may be for half a pack but you might easily eat the whole thing.

Definitely pay attention to this bit, something that seems to be getting worse in my experience. One example I see all the time in work is those microwave rice pouches - the headline nutritional data on the side is per portion, which is half a pouch, rather than the whole lot.

Alf Veedersane · 02-11-2018 4:29pm

sdraobs wrote: »

Thank you Dial Hard. If thats as bad as it is, then ill go with frozen meals. Ill choose the low salt/fat/sugar ones, and keep an eye on nutritional values.

You'll rarely get ones that are low in salt, fat and sugar. One being low usually means another is higher.

sdraobs · 02-11-2018 4:32pm

Macy0161 wrote: »

Definitely pay attention to this bit, something that seems to be getting worse in my experience. One example I see all the time in work is those microwave rice pouches - the headline nutritional data on the side is per portion, which is half a pouch, rather than the whole lot.

my diet strategy is to eat as much good food as i want. good food including something like spag bog. so not worried about calories

im sure my comments have been ridiculed/attacked to death in other sub-forums, but i dont think people are getting fat from over eating dinners like lasagnes, meat and two veg, rice packets etc. i think people are getting big from cakes/ takeaways, donuts, chocolate that is all around us. thats my view. im not an expert, not even an amateur at this type of thing. just my view.

Lux23 · 02-11-2018 4:33pm

Plus you can only take the food producer's word for it when it comes to the ingredients listed on the packaging. The horsemeat scandal will tell you there could be all sorts of crap in ready meals that might not be listed. You're better making it from scratch and freezing it yourself.

Alf Veedersane · 02-11-2018 4:34pm

sdraobs wrote: »

my diet strategy is to eat as much good food as i want. good food including something like spag bog. so not worried about calories

im sure my comments have been ridiculed/attacked to death in other sub-forums, but i dont think people are getting fat from over eating dinners like lasagnes, meat and two veg, rice packets etc. i think people are getting big from cakes/ takeaways, donuts, chocolate that is all around us. thats my view. im not an expert, not even an amateur at this type of thing. just my view.

People get fat from eating too many calories.

sdraobs · 02-11-2018 4:35pm

Lux23 wrote: »

Plus you can only take the food producer's word for it when it comes to the ingredients listed on the packaging. The horsemeat scandal will tell you there could be all sorts of crap in ready meals that might not be listed. You're better making it from scratch and freezing it yourself.

im too lazy, and time is money. thanks for pointing out that too. i wouldnt be surprised with the lack of regulation.

sdraobs · 02-11-2018 4:38pm

Alf Veedersane wrote: »

People get fat from eating too many calories.

yeah, but i reckon if people never eat chocolate/crisps/donuts/ice cream/ pizzas/takeaways etc ever again, id say in practice, their would be no obesity.

Alf Veedersane · 02-11-2018 4:42pm

sdraobs wrote: »

yeah, but i reckon if people never eat chocolate/crisps/donuts/ice cream/ pizzas/takeaways etc ever again, id say in practice, their would be no obesity.

So if people ate less, their would be no obesity.

I concur.

sdraobs · 02-11-2018 4:44pm

Alf Veedersane wrote: »

So if people ate less, their would be no obesity.

I concur.

well they can eat more, as long as its not the wrong foods.

but i agree, in that by eating more good food, they will be eating less calories. so in one way they would be eating less.

Macy0161 · 02-11-2018 4:47pm

It's very easy to go over maintenance over indulging in "good" food like nuts. It's not only "bad" food that are calorie dense.

OhHiMark · 02-11-2018 4:47pm

You can absolutely get fat from just eating pasta, potatoes, meat, rice etc. without touching chocolate or cake.

Alf Veedersane · 02-11-2018 4:48pm

sdraobs wrote: »

well they can eat more, as long as its not the wrong foods.

but i agree, in that by eating more good food, they will be eating less calories. so in one way they would be eating less.

Just be aware that while spag bol can be 'good food' ready meals rarely are.

sdraobs · 02-11-2018 5:02pm

Alf Veedersane wrote: »

Just be aware that while spag bol can be 'good food' ready meals rarely are.

yeah but i think its lazy journalism to say ready meals are bad. without giving reasons. i see it on all these tv programs that the uk/irl governemnt are peddling to get us to eat better.

based on Dial Hard, ill stick iwth the frozen meals. ingredients arent that bad. better than the average person who might think they are too tired to cook so order in a pizza/mcdonalds/ or krispy kreme

Alf Veedersane · 02-11-2018 5:12pm

sdraobs wrote: »

yeah but i think its lazy journalism to say ready meals are bad. without giving reasons. i see it on all these tv programs that the uk/irl governemnt are peddling to get us to eat better.

based on Dial Hard, ill stick iwth the frozen meals. ingredients arent that bad. better than the average person who might think they are too tired to cook so order in a pizza/mcdonalds/ or krispy kreme

Dial Hard also explained why ready meals are usually not considered good food:

:Ready meals are often laced with salt, fat and sugar to make them palatable. Pay particular attention to the portion sizes listed - the nutritional info given may be for half a pack but you might easily eat the whole thing"

Dog Man Star · 02-11-2018 5:16pm

Frozen meals need preservatives, usually buckets of salt.

I'm no nutritionist, but I can tell you that I have never felt as satisfied after a ready meal as I have after a bucket of stew or a plateful of pasta.

I lived on my own for a while and would always go for a ready meal after work. Now that I know better, I would have spent my Saturday afternoons cooking batches of ragu, curry base or pizza bases, rather than pulling meself off.

02-11-2018 5:30pm

Frozen meals are invariably processed to the nines, and not be relied upon for a healthy & balanced diet. Next.

Rory28 · 02-11-2018 5:43pm

You won't get what you want from frozen dinners OP. Its not much effort to boil some ham and make a weeks worth of dinner/sandwiches out of it.

Allinall · 02-11-2018 5:45pm

[Deleted User] wrote: »

Frozen meals are invariably processed to the nines, and not be relied upon for a healthy & balanced diet. Next.

This is a meaningless comment.

All meals are “processed”.

02-11-2018 5:58pm

Allinall wrote: »

This is a meaningless comment.

All meals are “processed”.

Stand corrected, altered in any way during preparation whether fresh or frozen. A more accurate description is laden with preservatives, usually high in sugar/salt content which is not conducive to best health in the long-term.

sdraobs · 02-11-2018 6:01pm

Deleted User wrote: »

Stand corrected, altered in any way during preparation whether fresh or frozen. A more accurate description is laden with preservatives, usually high in sugar/salt content which is not conducive to best health in the long-term.

the ready meal i referred to was low in sugar/fat. frozen foods dont have preservatives as the frozen state preserves them.

i am open to changing my opinion on frozen packaged meals. though i think all other users that are contributing to this forum have that mentality that they are bad without knowing why they are bad. i dont have an agenda. just the piercing with a fork and bang into microwave is alot quicker and less hassle than cooking from stratch if work was already done.

_Brian · 02-11-2018 6:04pm

Dog Man Star wrote: »

Frozen meals need preservatives, usually buckets of salt.

I'm no nutritionist, but I can tell you that I have never felt as satisfied after a ready meal as I have after a bucket of stew or a plateful of pasta.

I lived on my own for a while and would always go for a ready meal after work. Now that I know better, I would have spent my Saturday afternoons cooking batches of ragu, curry base or pizza bases, rather than pulling meself off.

My wife is a registered Dietitian and she doesn’t rate these as a proper food for anyone.

Op thinking they will eat as much as they want and thinking people don’t get fat from lasagna or bolonase is a proper joke of an outlook.

Problem with eating as much as you like is the portions gradually increase over time to keep you satisfied, people “get fat” from overeating, no matter what it is your eating.

_Brian · 02-11-2018 6:08pm

sdraobs wrote: »

the ready meal i referred to was low in sugar/fat. frozen foods dont have preservatives as the frozen state preserves them.

i am open to changing my opinion on frozen packaged meals. though i think all other users that are contributing to this forum have that mentality that they are bad without knowing why they are bad. i dont have an agenda. just the piercing with a fork and bang into microwave is alot quicker and less hassle than cooking from stratch if work was already done.

They do know why they are bad, too much salt, sugar and fats.

Also the foods are cooked in large quantities with a view to them being preserved, often cooked and the nutritional value partially or completely lost.

They you reheat them again, further damaging the food value.

These convenience foods will come nowhere close to freshly cooked foods cooked by yourself where you know what is in them. There is no shortcut to having a proper diet, it takes an amount of effort and input from yourself.

Remember, you can’t exercise away a bad diet.

02-11-2018 6:09pm

sdraobs wrote: »

the ready meal i referred to was low in sugar/fat. frozen foods dont have preservatives as the frozen state preserves them.

i am open to changing my opinion on frozen packaged meals. though i think all other users that are contributing to this forum have that mentality that they are bad without knowing why they are bad. i dont have an agenda. just the piercing with a fork and bang into microwave is alot quicker and less hassle than cooking from stratch if work was already done.

As a blanket statement this is completely false. What about that pizza taken out of the freezer?

sdraobs · 02-11-2018 6:14pm

Deleted User wrote: »

As a blanket statement this is completely false. What about that pizza taken out of the freezer?

I gave an example of a frozen packaged meal ingredients at the start of the thread that seemed healthy, and i bashed pizzas as they always seem to be bad.

Im not saying all frozen packaged meals are bad. there seem to be good ones. and if i find one with low salt, low sugar, and non-bad fats, they seem okay. esp if i have some frozen veg with them.

Seems to be a market for someone to make good quality dinners and freeze them. But probably wouldnt get off the ground as they are painted with teh same brush taht all packaged frozen meals are bad.

Dog Man Star · 02-11-2018 6:28pm

Cooking for one is boring and pointless. You're cooking for 20 mins and it's eaten in 10.

Like I said, cooking up a slow cooker ragu on a Saturday afternoon is better.

Monday: Get in from work, kettle on, pasta in boiling water, ragu in microwave for 5 mins and you in the shower.

Get out 10 mins later and it's all done.

I wish I had done this, rather than microwaving a frozen shepherds pie.

Likewise, homemade pizza bases in freezer made on Saturday, while listening to football.

Monday, get home, oven on. Shower. Get out, spread sauce on pizza base, add toppings: tuna, chorizo, whatever's in fridge, into the oven. 10 minutes, perfect pizza.

sdraobs · 02-11-2018 6:31pm

Dog Man Star wrote: »

Cooking for one is boring and pointless. You're cooking for 20 mins and it's eaten in 10.

Like I said, cooking up a slow cooker ragu on a Saturday afternoon is better.

Monday: Get in from work, kettle on, pasta in boiling water, ragu in microwave for 5 mins and you in the shower.

Get out 10 mins later and it's all done.

I wish I had done this, than microwaving a frozen shepherds pie.

thanks, that sounds like a good idea. i appreciate your input and suggestion.

Alf Veedersane · 02-11-2018 6:45pm

sdraobs wrote: »

the ready meal i referred to was low in sugar/fat. frozen foods dont have preservatives as the frozen state preserves them.

What you posted in the OP:

INGREDIENTS: Cooked Spaghetti(Water, Durum Wheat Semolina), Tomato Purée (Water, Tomato Purée), Beef (13%), Tomato, Onion, Water, Cornflour, Red Wine(Red Wine, Preservative (Sulphur Dioxide)), Garlic Purée, Rapeseed Oil, Salt, Chicory Fibre, Yeast Extract, Basil, Thyme, Flavouring, Oregano, Black Pepper, Acidity Regulator (Citric Acid), Onion Powder, Beef Extract, Tomato Powder, Sunflower Oil.

They don't rely on being frozen to preserve them. They add sulphur dioxide (E220).

sdraobs · 02-11-2018 6:49pm

Alf Veedersane wrote: »

What you posted in the OP:

INGREDIENTS: Cooked Spaghetti(Water, Durum Wheat Semolina), Tomato Purée (Water, Tomato Purée), Beef (13%), Tomato, Onion, Water, Cornflour, Red Wine(Red Wine, Preservative (Sulphur Dioxide)), Garlic Purée, Rapeseed Oil, Salt, Chicory Fibre, Yeast Extract, Basil, Thyme, Flavouring, Oregano, Black Pepper, Acidity Regulator (Citric Acid), Onion Powder, Beef Extract, Tomato Powder, Sunflower Oil.

They don't rely on being frozen to preserve them. They add sulphur dioxide (E220).

okay, i stand corrected. i was hoping for some justification or someone to agree. i think i must be wrong. thanks for contributions everyone. f**king chopping and frying pan for me. ....cleaning up*** ahhh:(.

why do frozen meals get such a bad rap

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