Instant or ready to eat meals is the trend of the day now! The reasons can be varied - lack of time to cook, not having fixed meal timings, for a quick variety dish (Chinese/continental), living alone, to avoid cleaning of utensils etc

Instant meals like any other convenience foods have added colours, flavours, preservatives, Fats (that cause increased bad cholesterol in the body) or ingredients that are above the recommended levels. Recent research highlights that adults & children eating high fat ready meals are at greater risk of obesity, heart problems, blood pressure, and cancer.

The instant meals have a high content of sodium (as salt or ajinomotto) which when taken for more than 2-3 months continuously will have an impact on the kidney function. These meals should be avoided by pregnant & breast feeding women, overweight individuals, renal, cardiac & diabetic patients.

The other disadvantages of instant meals are they are high in fat & lack fiber. The type of fat used increases the blood cholesterol & triglycerides. You need to carefully read the labels - low fat options would be high in sodium! These meals have a high level of hydrogenated fat or margarine that increases the Trans fat levels in blood leading to cardiac problems.

Excess intake of refined foods like corn flour used as a thickener in soups, whiteflour/maida may also lead to increased triglycerides in blood or constipation in children.

The use of artificial colours & flavours to make them tasty & appealing is another problem. Excess intake of these chemicals has shown to cause an increase in bronchitis, asthma, allergies & sometimes cancer too.

Hence it is ok to take these meals in moderation, but not as an every day meal or for long periods. If you have started using it as an emergency, try to find an alternative - cooking over the weekends & freezing or refrigeration, training a maid/cook who can cook for you. You could discuss/plan a suitable solution for your lifestyle in consultation with a qualified nutritionist.

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