Are Ready Meals Harmful?

The food industry markets and sells large quantities of finished products.

Ready meals  overcrowd the shelves in the supermarket. Packaged, in tins or as frozen food – ready meals have the advantage of being quick and easy to prepare, they can be eaten almost anytime and anywhere, and many of them also taste relatively good.

The food industry markets and sells large quantities of finished products. However, one does not warn of the possible harmful consequences for health that can arise from regular consumption.

However, the well-kept secrets of the food industry are now largely known. Various studies have examined the dangers of frequent consumption of ready-made meals. However, consumer health is not taken into account when selling. 

Ready meals: Highly harmful foods

One of the keys to the success of ready-made meals is that they always taste the same until the expiration date.

What the consumer mostly ignores, however, is that this can only be  achieved through various chemical processes  in which numerous preservatives and other substances are added so that the dishes stay “fresh” and taste good for as long as possible.

Most precooked and processed foods  contain large amounts of sugar, saturated fat, sodium, chemicals, and significantly less fiber than recommended. 

Frequent consumption of these dishes can have negative consequences for health. In the long term, the following diseases can occur:

• Increased cholesterol level
• diabetes
• high blood pressure
• obesity
• Different types of cancer

Processed foods that can pose health risks include.

Biscuits, chocolate snacks, industrially manufactured pastries, ice cream, muesli bars, soft drinks, ready meals, hamburgers, instant soups and noodles, canned meals, sausage products and in general all processed instant products.

One of the biggest problems with these foods is that they contain fewer nutrients and more calories. 

This means that far more calories are consumed, but there is still a lack of the necessary vitamins and minerals that are essential for the proper functioning of the body and for fat digestion.

Acrylamide – one of the greatest dangers in ready meals

The food industry has done a good job convincing consumers that processed, precooked foods are the best choice.

The advertising shows every day how easy and fast it is to prepare these dishes and how delicious they taste – the consumer trusts it when shopping.

However, various studies have examined the harmful effects of the advertised ready meals. Frequent consumption of these foods is warned as this could have serious health consequences.

One of the dangerous substances that was studied over 10 years ago is a likely neurotoxic chemical that can also cause cancer: acrylamide.

This substance is created when you process foods rich in carbohydrates at high temperatures – for example when deep-frying, cooking, roasting or grilling.  This chemical substance is created by a reaction between sugar and asparagine, an amino acid.

The foods that contain the dangerous acrylamide include, for example:  potato chips, french fries, the crust of some types of bread, toasted bread, crispbread, breakfast cereals, etc.

Consumers are not aware of the dangers

Manufacturers are winning over consumers with their finished products through expensive advertising campaigns. However, you are not obliged to provide information about possible harmful effects on health from frequent consumption of these products.

Not all additives in food have to be declared by law. For example, a frozen croissant with numerous additives can easily be sold as “fresh from the oven”.

Are you aware of the additives found in many foods? Once you start researching them, you will probably prefer to avoid finished products because they can be harmful to your health.