Ready-to-eat meals are not the problem—we are.

The microwave has a bad reputation. Somewhere between instant noodles and late-night regret, ready-to-eat meals became the symbol of lazy eating. But what if the problem is not the food itself, but how we choose it?

Caption: A woman puts a ready-to-eat meal into the microwave to heat it up

Ready-to-eat meals are often blamed for unhealthy eating, but that’s not entirely fair. In reality, they can sometimes be even healthier than traditional cooking, especially when compared to oily, high-salt takeaway or rushed home cooking. Let’s be honest, not every “home-cooked meal” is actually nutritious.

The real issue is not ready-to-eat meals, the issue is how we choose them. An MDPI article suggests that the nutritional quality of ready meals varies widely, with both unhealthy and more balanced options available. In other words, grabbing a random frozen meal every night might not be the best idea. But pretending all the ready-to-eat meals are junk food is not the best idea either. Do you think ready-to-eat meals are all negative? Think about it again. Some of them are basically superheroes. Pre-packaged, balanced protein, carbohydrates and vegetables. And now many ready-to-eat on the market have detailed labels. Read the labels to choose a nutritionally balanced bowl, not the bowl stuffed with fried food. Reading a little label can save a lot of regrets in the future. 

What’s the best point? I think it’s definitely convenience. As highlighted in an Oxford Academic article, ready-to-eat meals may even support better meal planning and more consistent eating habits. Prepare your meal in advance. When you are too busy, you only need to press the microwave button to solve a meal, instead of ignoring a meal because you are too busy. So, using a microwave doesn’t mean you’ve given up on life.

I have a simpler and more efficient way to prepare ready-to-eat meals by yourself. You only need to spend a few hours on a certain day of the week to cook for the whole week and keep the food safe. In a few days, you will be grateful to you in the future. It not only saves time during busy weekdays, but also gives you full control over ingredients, portion sizes, and nutrition. As discussed in a Home Cooks article, it is possible to create meals that are both nutritionally balanced and cost-efficient through simple meal planning. 

Caption: Prep all your weekly meals in one go.

It‘s time to stop blaming ready-to-eat meals. They are not ruining our health—we are, when we choose poorly or rely on them without thinking. Used wisely, they can be wonderful and even a little life-saving on busy days.