We put off everything, our dreams, our aspirations, our tasks, to some other day, yes we do some, achieve others, but I don’t know if you noticed still it feels the time is flying off. We are always busy on the go, yet so many of us complain if only there was more time. There is so much advancement all with the idea of creating more free time, to live your ideal life, but the majority of the population is just breathing by. We upgraded the way we commute, how we connect with others, the way we work (physical labor to mechanization), heck even our home-cooked meals have been replaced by ready to eat boxes. And I am pondering, of course, there are some obvious benefits but deep down has it really helped us?
For example take a look at ready to eat meals, just pop them in the oven and with the ting sound your lunch/dinner is served. Sounds easy enough, saves time, with tons of options to choose from. Some of them are even pocket-friendly. You live alone, you don’t have time to cook or you don’t know how to cook, or maybe you just don’t like doing it. Whatever your excuse, the truth is you are doing yourself a disservice if you rely on those processed cartons with dehydrated items to make your meals. Here’s how readymade meals harm your health:
· No matter how you look at it, but you can’t deny the fact that these are processed items heavy on all sorts of unnatural additions (fortified would be the term) of nutrients as the ingredients lose all their natural ones while going through the many levels of processing to become the pack. These unnatural nutrients are hard for our system to digest and absorb. So basically you won’t meet your daily requirement levels of essential nutrients.
· The next challenge that these meals pose is high amounts of salt, sugar, and fats in them. In order to increase the shelf-life and for keeping the flavor survive they are doused with copious amounts. And in the long run these play with our hormonal balance. They also open us to the risk of cardiovascular diseases, digestive problems, hypertension, and others.
· Obesity: Yes eating ready meals regularly can lead to obesity. This is attributed to the small portion size and also partially due to the fact that it suppresses the hormones that tell us we are full. Making us eat more than required.
· They are also harmful in the sense that there is no guarantee as to the quality of ingredients used in them. Profit being the generating source it’s common practice to use lower grade materials like replacing quality oil with cheap hydrogenated oils. Additionally, through the processes of manufacture and packing, there is a risk of contamination and chemicals entering your body.
I don’t mean to berate the whole concept, and not all products are the same. Also, not all home-cooked meals are healthy, (butter chicken cooked in creamy gravy, imagine what will happen if you eat that daily). But essentially most home meals are better than microwave dinners, and in the long run, all the hours you spend on cooking for yourself will be better than the hours spent on your gadgets.