Ready Meals

[Sowitzki]

As a newly diagnosed pre-diabetic who doesn't cook, I'm struggling to find best retailers for convenience meals and which specific meals to look for (my nearest are Tesco and Waitrose, though I could do others online). Some foods have high carbs but "including X [low] sugars"-is that ok or do the carbs then provide additional sugars? And what about snacks? Why on earth does the charity and NHS think we're all Nigellas!

 

[Bruce Stephens]

Some foods have high carbs but "including X [low] sugars"-is that ok or do the carbs then provide additional sugars?

Total carbs are what you want to be looking at. The nutritional box will also show how much of that total is sugar (which is also relevant, but total carbs are mostly what you want to look at).

 

[Sowitzki]

Thanks for prompt reply. So for example retailer "Cooks" beef stroganoff w 5.3% carbs (incl 2.0% sugar) is fine, though it includes 12.5% fat and 198/100gm calories? And is it true that sweet potatoes are better than wholegrain rice or wholewheat pasta? Is there somewhere that one can see all foods ranked; a bit like Slimming World? Thank you

 

[Bruce Stephens]

So for example retailer "Cooks" beef stroganoff w 5.3% carbs (incl 2.0% sugar) is fine, though it includes 12.5% fat and 198/100gm calories?

I don't know that I'm the right person to make that kind of judgement. I mostly wanted to clarify that total carbs includes the sugars so you shouldn't add those numbers together.

 

[Felinia]

If you're not used to looking at the nutritional box, you need to be aware that most of them show "per 100gm". So if it says 10gm carbs per 100gm, and the item weighs 500gm, then the total carbs are 50gm. Snacks could be nuts, seed or vegetable crudities. So your quoted beef stroganoff is actually 554 calories, 14.8gm carbs of which 5.6gm sugars, 35gm fat for a single serving. So not so fine!! Regarding the sweet potatoes, the answer is marginally. I roast squash wedges or have cauliflower rice or edamame bean pasta.

 

[sean123]

Hi, you don't have to be Nigella to be able to cook, I wouldn't say I'm a good cook but I don't eat ready meals I just eat fairly simple meals.
Invest in an air fryer, if its just for you you can get one for about £50 that'll be good enough.
That's what I do, put meats in it and potatoes if you want some carbs (I personally only eat carbs 2/3 days a week), generally 185c for 15 minutes, turning it over half way, but there's instructions online for most things. Can put veg in it too but I prefer to boil or steam them, again that's really easy to do. Eggs are easy enough too and won't budge your blood sugar, fried egg is very simple to cook, cook in a little bit of olive oil - spray it from a spray bottle and its minimal calories if you're tracking.
If you want a food ranking look up the Glycemic Index (GI), that'll show you the impact each food will have on your blood sugar.
But generally speaking avoid ultra processed foods, which is basically most ready meals and snacks, they'll have less carbs and less sugar. Carbs turn into sugar.
Separate tip, if you want to stop snacking eat more protein and fewer carbs, processed carbs trigger a hormone response which tells your body you're still hungry, even when you shouldn't be - think how hungry you are 30 minutes after a McDonalds.
Finally, if you like fruit some fruits are higher in sugar than others, the GI will guide you, but berries are best.

 

[Inka]

As a newly diagnosed pre-diabetic who doesn't cook, I'm struggling to find best retailers for convenience meals and which specific meals to look for (my nearest are Tesco and Waitrose, though I could do others online). Some foods have high carbs but "including X [low] sugars"-is that ok or do the carbs then provide additional sugars? And what about snacks? Why on earth does the charity and NHS think we're all Nigellas!

Look at the carbs per portion. You might want to set a max carbs per meal, so you can then choose your ready meals according to that. Most of the pasta ones are high carb unsurprisingly. Are you able to buy cooked meat and microwave some green veg to go with it? That’s a very low carb meal, for example.

If you order your food from an online supermarket app, you can look at the carbs before you buy. Some of the healthier meal ranges have lower carbs.

 

[Lucyr]

I rely on ready meals due to a medical condition. My main criteria for choosing “healthier” ones is that the meal includes a protein source and a veg, and I consider 40g carb or less in the full meal to be the lower carb ones. I look at the ingredients list to see if it’s recognisable things too.

I like protein to be at least 20g+ to keep me full (the higher the better). I also keep vegetables in my freezer and add them into the meal directly before cooking when appropriate or I add them on the side (mixed peppers or those blocks of spinach can go into anything really)

Note that I don’t specifically low carb but I am trying to reduce them and if you were low carbing to a specific target then 40g per meal for your two main meals would fit into a low carb diet of up to 130g carb per day

 

[Lucyr]

So your quoted beef stroganoff is actually 554 calories, 14.8gm carbs of which 5.6gm sugars, 35gm fat for a single serving. So not so fine!!

Genuine question - why isn’t that fine? Not much carbs and 35g fat and 554 calories would fit within the recommended daily allowances.

 

[Gildersleeve]

Hi...
I hoping I learn in the coming days what generally works regarding sugar contents of food or what ingredients will convert into sugar. I guess that they would be carbs.

I wasn't a big sweet, chocolate and cake eater. Or a drinker but two things come to mind.

I'll pick a figure at random. Say I eat a complete meal that fills me for hours and it contains 10g of sugar. But you eat say a chocolate bar. A cake or a rice pot, a few biscuits and they do not fill you but might have 25g of sugar or more I guess we should and have to conceed that they have to be given up.

There must sites that list the GI and Gloucose readings of popular foods/drinks to help us.

When I was told I was pre diabetic approx 3 weeks ago I found a pocket sized book listing approx 2,000 foods for £6.99. It offers other information like fibre, fat, saturated fat, carbs, calorie values and average portion size.

 

[Drummer]

I find it odd that people don't cook meals for themselves, as it seems so easy with all the kitchen gadgets available today.
I have a grill which can be set to a temperature so you heat it up - a light comes on, put the food in and wander off until it 'peeps'.
I use a pressure cooker. Toss in ready chopped meat and stir it around with a sliced onion if liked, cook for a few minutes, add in a pack of frozen mixed veges, simmer or take up to pressure and allow to cool straight away - job done.
When counting carbs you need to add up the carbs in the various ingredients. Only the number of carbs is important, the 'of which sugars' is fairly irrelevant as for most people as soon as they get starch in their mouth, the digestion begins and it is broken down into sugars - that was the first experiment I did in the Biology lab at age 11.
When eating low carb I am not hungry. I do not have to consider 'feeling full' - I'm not a cushion - when my nutritional needs are met I can miss meals, go a whole day without eating if I'm doing something urgent or interesting.

 

[Martin.A]

Genuine question - why isn’t that fine? Not much carbs and 35g fat and 554 calories would fit within the recommended daily allowances.

The only issue I see is with the fat, and how much of it is the 'bad' saturated fat and how much is the 'good' unsaturated fat.

 

[Leadinglights]

Hi...
I hoping I learn in the coming days what generally works regarding sugar contents of food or what ingredients will convert into sugar. I guess that they would be carbs.

I wasn't a big sweet, chocolate and cake eater. Or a drinker but two things come to mind.

I'll pick a figure at random. Say I eat a complete meal that fills me for hours and it contains 10g of sugar. But you eat say a chocolate bar. A cake or a rice pot, a few biscuits and they do not fill you but might have 25g of sugar or more I guess we should and have to conceed that they have to be given up.

There must sites that list the GI and Gloucose readings of popular foods/drinks to help us.

When I was told I was pre diabetic approx 3 weeks ago I found a pocket sized book listing approx 2,000 foods for £6.99. It offers other information like fibre, fat, saturated fat, carbs, calorie values and average portion size.

It sounds like the book I got Carbs and Cals which I found to be my bible and helped in making better choices which alongside using a home testing blood glucose monitor enabled me to choose foods which were suitable.

 

[s'nic]

I hoping I learn in the coming days what generally works regarding sugar contents of food or what ingredients will convert into sugar. I guess that they would be carbs.

Yes, the carbs convert to sugars, so the important thing in a supermarket is to look at total carbs per 100g on the back of a packet.
Some folks use phone apps to help them track carbs.

 

[Satan’s little helper]

Thanks for prompt reply. So for example retailer "Cooks" beef stroganoff w 5.3% carbs (incl 2.0% sugar) is fine, though it includes 12.5% fat and 198/100gm calories? And is it true that sweet potatoes are better than wholegrain rice or wholewheat pasta? Is there somewhere that one can see all foods ranked; a bit like Slimming World? Thank you

Like @Bruce Stephens , I only look at the carb count. “Of which are sugars” would also dictate the timing of my insulin dosage, too. For me “calories” mean nothing with regards to managing my T1.
Are there weight issues you are managing too?

 

[Lucyr]

The only issue I see is with the fat, and how much of it is the 'bad' saturated fat and how much is the 'good' unsaturated fat.

The saturated fat is below the RDA too though

 

[Lizajane10]

As a newly diagnosed pre-diabetic who doesn't cook, I'm struggling to find best retailers for convenience meals and which specific meals to look for (my nearest are Tesco and Waitrose, though I could do others online). Some foods have high carbs but "including X [low] sugars"-is that ok or do the carbs then provide additional sugars? And what about snacks? Why on earth does the charity and NHS think we're all Nigellas!

I’ve found M&S best in my limited experience but you have to read all the labels - I’ve been looking for under 10g carb per 100g. A couple of their meaty stews including one surprisingly with dumplings came in under or around 10%. Also cauliflower cheese but I’d make that myself rather than buy it. Definitely add a green veg or a salad though to improve all your nutrients and ratios.
Some of the high protein meals are also lower carb but many aren’t - needs a lot of label-reading.
As a meat-eater I tend to have meat or fish with veg but skipping potatoes/pasta etc - there are lots of pre-prepared meats in various sauces or marinades that would be easy to cook but just add the veg or the salad.

 

[Martin.A]

The saturated fat is below the RDA too though

Yes, that's true - 15.4g saturated fat per portion, whereas the RDA is 30g for the 'average' man and 20g for the 'average' woman. For me that would be too high for one meal and I would have to watch my intake for the rest of the day.

 

[Lucyr]

Yes, that's true - 15.4g saturated fat per portion, whereas the RDA is 30g for the 'average' man and 20g for the 'average' woman. For me that would be too high for one meal and I would have to watch my intake for the rest of the day.

If this is your main meal though then you’d be under for the whole day and week. Since most people wouldn’t eat red meat twice a day every day.

 

[s'nic]

Yes, that's true - 15.4g saturated fat per portion, whereas the RDA is 30g for the 'average' man and 20g for the 'average' woman. For me that would be too high for one meal and I would have to watch my intake for the rest of the day.

I agree, that would be way too high for me

Recommendations from the WHO is 30% or less of daily calories from total fats, and 10% of daily calories as sat fats. To hit those 'average' 20g / 30g targets using the WHO's recommendations ...
- an average man would need to consume 2700 calories a day for a 'target' of 90g fat, of which 30g would be saturates
- an average woman would need to consume 1800 calories a day for a 'target' of 60g fat, of which 20g would be saturates.

Personally I mostly consume under 40g total fat with saturates very low.
Except yesterday .. I had a busy week and hospital visit on top. I wanted something nice last night and I went a bit crazy on cake / biscuits / snacks - result: about 50g fat (11-12g saturates) and 217 ish carbs 😳