“Yes, grated cheese contains an anti-caking agent, but it’s still cheese and incredibly convenient. You save time and dishes, so it’s a win-win.”
Sekula reaches for bagged coleslaw – “an easy way to add vegetables to wraps, burgers, bowls or a simple dinner” – canned beans and lentils, fresh cheese slices, frozen stir-fry vegetables and frozen berries.
What they skip
Henderson passes on processed cheese slices, chocolate breakfast cereals, pre-made pancakes and instant pasta meals.
Sekula avoids individual chilled ready meals, individually portioned snack packs, pre-made smoothies, premium protein bars and pre-cut fresh fruit.
“They may work for one person, but four separate meals become expensive and often do not provide enough food for active teenagers,” Sekula says of ready meals. The logic holds across most of the list: paying extra for portioning and packaging, without much nutritional upside.
An omelette is a great way to get some extra veges into your day. Photo / 123RF
The realistic weeknight dinner
Henderson’s fallback is a three-egg omelette with whatever’s left in the fridge: tomato, gherkin, leftover veges, any cheese she has on hand.
“It’s quick, affordable, satisfying and a great way to throw in whatever you have.” She has it once a week.
When she’s tired and doesn’t want to cook, her other go-to is fresh pasta, pesto, sour cream, shredded chicken, spinach and tomatoes: about 10 minutes from kettle to table.
Sekula’s version is a supermarket rotisserie chicken, served with slaw, wraps or fresh rolls, hummus, and cucumber or avocado when it’s affordable, so everyone builds their own. Leftover chicken becomes school lunches the next day.
Microwave rice, especially brown and wild rice varieties, get the dietitians’ thumbs-up for a good convenience food choice. Photo / Babiche Martens
The shortcut worth paying for
Both name microwave rice as the standout. “You pay a little more for the convenience, but it makes it much easier to put together a quick, balanced meal,” says Sekula, who rates the wholegrain and wild rice mixes in particular.
Frozen vegetables and fruit, canned beans and lentils, canned fish, wraps and rotisserie chicken all get similar backing: reliable, and genuinely useful rather than just easy.
Beware the health halo
Some convenience foods sound healthier than they are. Henderson is wary of bottled smoothies, pre-marinated meats and vegetable crisps.
“They’re still chips and are often high in fat and salt, so buy them if you enjoy them – but they shouldn’t be thought of as a substitute for eating vegetables.”
Sekula’s most overrated pick is premium protein bars.
“The word ‘protein’ can give a product a health halo,” she says, “but it does not automatically make it more nutritious, satisfying or good value.”
She’d rather reach for yoghurt, nuts or peanut butter.
Henderson’s overrated pick is sweet spreads, such as Biscoff or pistachio spread. They’re expensive, easy to overeat and less nutritionally useful than plain peanut butter.
Pre-made falafel mix makes for an easy nutritious knock-up meal. Photo / Babiche Martens
What deserves more credit
Both think processed and packaged get an unfair rap. Henderson makes the case for frozen fish, falafel mix, frozen hash browns, wraps and chilled soup pouches, so long as they’re served with vegetables and protein. Sekula backs frozen vegetables and fruit, canned legumes, canned fish and pre-made falafel mix.
“These foods are sometimes criticised simply because they are processed or packaged, but they contribute to a nutritious meal,” Sekula says. “It is more useful to look at how they are used and what they are served with, rather than judging each product in isolation.”
Three to always keep at home
Lily’s essential three: Frozen vegetables, microwave rice or grains, and canned tuna.
Julia’s essential three: Frozen mixed vegetables, canned beans, chickpeas or lentils, and wraps.
Henderson also keeps a pantry stocked with herbs, spices, garlic and onion powder and stock powder, ready to lift a simple meal. With a few basics like these on hand, Sekula says, “These three foods can form the base of a wide range of quick, balanced meals without relying on takeaway.”
Neither dietitian is precious about cooking from scratch. Convenience foods aren’t the opposite of eating well; used right, they’re what makes eating well realistic on the nights it otherwise wouldn’t be.
Herald contributor Nikki Birrell has worked in food and travel publishing for nearly 20 years.