Frozen ready meals 'convenient way to control calorie consumption'

Those who are trying to lose weight may find that eating frozen low-fat ready meals can be a convenient way to control calories, it has been suggested.

Frances Largeman-Roth, senior food and nutrition editor of Health magazine, has offered guidelines that should allow people to ensure that they are consuming nutritious produce, as well as controlling their calorie consumption.

Speaking to CBS News, she advised that when choosing diet frozen ready meals, consumers should ensure that the product contains at least three grams of fibre, which will help them to feel full for longer.

Adding vegetables - both frozen and fresh - to the entree will also help to balance out the meal, while ensuring that it goes someway towards providing the UK-recommended five portions of fruit and vegetables per day.

When looking at the ingredients list in such dishes, Ms Largeman-Roth stated it is vital to ensure that the first item listed on the label is something like pasta, chicken or vegetables, rather than fillers or stabilisers.

It is also wise to choose frozen meals which contain no more than 500 calories and include less than 30 per cent of the recommended daily sodium consumption of 2,300 mg, the health expert suggested.

Recent comments from registered dietician Laura Jeffers back up Ms Largeman-Roth's claims - she said that frozen diet meals can prove to be one of the most effective ways to manage portion control and lose weight.

And what's more, they taste great too. Tests recently undertaken by Consumer Reports found than frozen convenience foods have improved in both flavour and quality since they were last assessed in 2004.

Written by Bruce Kord