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Best ready meals UK

Although ready meals have come a long way since the advent of the pot noodle and pukka pies, the majority of them are still unhealthy. Several studies have linked ready meals to an increased rick of obesity, heart disease and cancer. Despite the fact that the UK now consumes 79 million ready meals every week, a 2018 study by the Sorbonne in Paris and The University of Sao Palo showed that a 10 per cent increase in the proportion of ultra-processed foods in the diet was associated with increases of 12 per cent in the risk of overall cancer, with an 11 per cent in the risk of breast cancer.

Preservation remains the problem, as well as taste. As ready meals need to stay edible for longer than fresh produce they usually contain increased amounts of salt and additives. They also appeal to our neanderthal taste buds with high amounts of added sugar.

In an ideal world we should all be preparing meals from scratch, eating high quantities of vegetables, fruit, lean proteins nuts, seeds, beans, pulses and legumes. But the first rule of health and weight loss should also be sustainability and achievability. Time, work and family pressures dictate that organic whole food meals just aren’t always achievable. The good news is that if you choose carefully, ready meals can be reasonably healthy, filling and part of a successful weight loss programme.

We have chosen 2 of the best ready meals UK from each of the the mainstream supermarkets. A quick search on google will reveal additional good choices. Look out for low levels of sugar (less then 3g per 100g), low levels of saturated fat (less than 3g per 100), few additives, reasonable protein content (over 15g per 100) and reasonable fibre content (over 8g per 100). The British Nutrition Foundation has some good guidelines on their site if you’d like more information.

Best ready meals UK

Tesco 

Pulled ham in mustard sauce – good protein and low in sugar. £3.00.

Salmon in watercress sauce – high in protein, low in sugar and with fish oils and fats. £3.00

Prepared chicken breasts with salad and/or vegetables is also a great ready meal. There are lots of different varieties. Moroccan chicken breasts with mixed vegetables. Almost a “from scratch” meal.

Waitrose 

One of the best selections of ready meals. Although on their website they class 13g of sugar per 100 as low which is amusing.

LoveLife Calorie Controlled pulled ham hock in mustard sauce £3.50

 LoveLife Mushroom & Aubergine Ragu £3.50

Again prepared chicken and fish with vegetables or salad are a great choice and close to home made. Easy to cook cajun chicken breasts work great with mixed vegetables.

Sainsbury’s

Sainsbury’s Fish Pie, Be Good To Yourself £2.50

We couldn’t find any other options with less than 11g of sugar per 100g. The “Be good to yourself Spinach and Ricotta Canneloni” contains 14g of sugar per 100g. It’s 400g, so 56g in total, or 14 teaspoons of sugar.

M & S

M & S probably have the best selection of healthier options.

Chicken Katsu Curry, King Prawn Spelt Risotto, sesame king prawns and rice salad, Asian chicken and noodle salad are all good options. You will need to go into a store to check them out though.

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Do body fat scales work?

The weighing scale is still the most common method of health or whether someone is fat. Although it’s a useful tool in measuring progress for weight loss it is limited in that it only measures a single parameter –  weight. However, risks to health and longevity are not solely down to weight, but fat. Many people now have digital scales – but do body fat scales work?

Being too fat is now well known to increase the risks of heart disease, some cancers and high blood pressure. Although for many appearance is a good indicator of fat levels, this isn’t always the case. Weight, fat and size are not always the same thing. It’s possible for someone to appear reasonably thin, but to have too much fat, hidden around internal organs. As we age, loss of muscle mass is part of the ageing process, which is great for the scales. But it’s still unhealthy as our lean muscle mass is replaced with fat. Unless you do (and you should) strength training. Similarly, strength training can increase lean muscle mass, but also weight. So although we may have built some muscle through training and lost fat, this will not necessarily show on the scales. This is where a  a body fat % is useful.

Bodyfat % guidelines 

Bodyfat % is the amount of fat that you have compared to the rest of you – so your muscles, organs, bones and of course brain. Some personal trainers would call this your FFM – fat free mass. This will vary by gender and also by age. The younger you are the lower your body fat should be. For females, anything over 25% would be considered high. For men this is anything over 20%.

How do body fat % scales work?

The scales use a system called biometrical impedance – essentially how much resistance your body presents to an electrical current passed through it. Fat is a poor conductor, so the higher the resistance, the greater the body fat %. The electrical current goes up one leg and down the other.

Do body fat scales work?

The most accurate, lab based methods of measuring body fat are underwater weighing, deuterium dilution, dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA), computerised tomography (CT), and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Recent developments have produced a “pod” that uses air-displacement plethysmography to measure body fat (ADP). This is considered to be as accurate as the other traditional methods mentioned above.

Consumer Reports in the US tested 6 well known scale brands against a pod. None came out of the test well. For some of the test subjects the scales over-read their body fat. For others it under-read. The scales that came the closest to the readings given by the pod were still off by as much as 21%. However, they were all consistent – so if used as a starting point they can be fairly well relied on to gauge progress. Just not actual body fat levels.

Why so inaccurate?

Bio impedance devices only measure the lower part of the body. So for those holding most of their fat around the hips, the reading will be more accurate. For those who store fat around the tummy and upper body though, the results will be less accurate. Results can also vary depending if your feet are wet or dry (that also applies to the whole lower body). Recent exercise, man made parts (like knee replacements) and amount of water drunk will also effect the results.

Does that matter?

Provided that there is consistency in testing – ie weigh on the same day, at the same time, wearing the same clothes (or not) – the impedence scales should be a good guide to fat loss. However, other methods will still be more accurate. Simple measurements (waist, umbucus, hip etc) done professionally will show progress well – or lack of. Another simple (and cheap) way of judging fat loss is how your clothes fit. Everyone has a favourite pair of “X”, and as the weeks go by you will know of they are getting looser.

What about callipers my trainer uses

Tests done in 2009 by NCBI showed that there was no significant difference between calliper testing to determine body fat % and the gold standard pod (air displacement) test. So they are accurate. However, the testing did vary according to the type of callipers used and also if the tester was inexperienced.

So what’s the verdict?

Want to be sure? Use a pod. It’s slightly more expensive though. The university of Westminster offer a basic measurement for £49. Otherwise, if you need a progress guide, then bio impedance scales are ok, provided you are aware that the actual measurement will be off. Ideally a combination of measurements, clothes and callipers is best if you don’t want to break the bank.

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Best fitness festivals UK

If Reading or Wired festivals sound like more than your body can handle – at least without a week off afterwards to recover –  there are now a range of fitness festivals that you can go to. These come in different guises, from seminar style events to full on outdoors fitness camps with extras. But if you need a break, love fitness and health and want to come back fitter and healthier than when you set off, these best fitness festivals UK are definitely worth a look.

Balance

Last year over 9,000 Londoners got together at balance to sweat and get fit together. The ultimate wellness festival, it focuses as much on food and nutrition as it does on actual fitness; the aim is to make achieving balance in a busy city existence easier. There are sister events in New York and Amsterdam, so you could try those and get an even more exciting experience, arts and fashion thrown in. London’s top boutique studios will be there doing an array of fitness classes – Another_Space, Third Space, F45, Barry’s Bootcamp, Les Mills and Boom Cycle. There are also more mind focused classes like Triyoga, Barre, and a Sanctuary room.

Location – The Old Truman Brewery, East London

When – 11th-13th may (be quick!)

How much – Tickets from £24.50 at Balance-festival.com

The Big Welsh retreat

As the name implies, the Big Welsh Retreat is a more outdoorsy and organic style of festival, providing a recuperating break from the stresses and connectivity or working life. The festival is also a more family friendly getaway, featuring live music, yoga, dance and fitness classes, arts and crafts as well as cookery workshops. On the nature side there are foraging walks in the woods, kayaking on the river Cleddau and trekking. There is also a G&T workshop if you want to perfect your mix.

Location – Lawrenny, Pembrokeshire.

How Much – £15 from GoSweat.com

When – 25th-28th May

LoveFit

LoveFit is what you would expect from a proper fitness festival. There is a full workout schedule of every class imaginable with DJ sets ongoing for the ultimate weekend getaway. The festival hosts world class studios from 1Rebel, Fierce Grace and Reach Fitness. The setting at St Clere Park in Kent is beautiful, adding a stately home and parkland vibe. LoveFit follows the same pattern as a music festival, with themed days; on the Friday there is a disco vibe with leg warmers and afro wigs as optional followed by DJ sets. Saturday is a mix of house and funky beats while Sunday lets you recuperate a little with acoustic sets and muzak. 1Rebel, Fierce Grace and Reach Fitness all have classes there and you can even clamp it up with deluxe teepees from Hotel bell Tent.

Where – the Pinetum. St Clere Estate, Kent

When – 20th to 22th July

How much – weekend tickets start at £89 from lovefitfestival.com

Sweatlife

Run by Canadian sports brand Lululemon, this immensely popular event focuses on hard workouts, sweat yoga and personal development. Like a music festival it lasts for two days, with scheduled workouts, classes, workshops and talks held throughout the 48 hours. Sweatlife works with high-end boutique gyms who hold introductory classes for anyone wanting to try something new. Frame, Kobox, Psycle London and Xtendbarre are all partners. 

Where – Tobacco dock east London

When 23rd to 24th June

How much – day tickets from £30 from lulemon.com

Yoga Connects

Lots of yoga. This world-renowned festival brings a range of all the different and new types of yoga into one place. Yin yoga, Ariel yoga, acro yoga and the more standard varieties are there. There is also a spotlight on the spiritual side of things, with shamanic ceremonies, Capoeira drumming and raving. There is a ‘no plastic zone’ and environmental seminars and talks. Children under 12 go free and there are also kids activities and junior yoga.

Where – Abbots Ripton, Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire.

When – 29th June – 1st July

How much – Tickets start at £37 from yogaconnects.co.uk

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