Copyright mirror
While everyone knows it's important to eat a balanced diet, sometimes life gets in the way and your only option is to stick a frozen meal in the oven for 20 minutes. But a dietitian says there's an easy way to improve your frozen dinners - and it costs less than £1 and takes just a few seconds to do. Dietitian Natalie Fox, known as @natalie.fox.rd on TikTok, said: "Convenience food gets a really bad reputation, but there's a lot of reason why something like this might be really helpful." However, acknowledging the nutritional value of most frozen meals is lacking, she says there's an easy way to spruce them up to make sure you're getting the health benefits you need. Holding up a chicken tikka masala, she said: "My biggest concern here is that this meal is not going to be very satisfying, and the reason why I think that might be the case is because the protein level is on the low side. "The fibre level at two grams per serving is very low, and the calorie content is also on the lower side at just 390 calories." To fix this, all she does is add a can of chickpeas for protein and a serving of frozen veg - with these extra items adding up to around 62p in total. From here, she mixes it up, and puts it back in the microwave for a few more minutes to make sure it's warm enough to eat. She added: "These simple additions double the protein content of this meal and pack it full of fibre so that this convenience option is nourishing and satisfying, enjoy." Commenting on her video, one user said: "The calorie count is such a thing! As a 6'4, 350lb man, sure, I need to work on my calorie consumption, but three 'meals' of less than 500 calories means I am going to add easily equal empty calories." Another user added: "I like to add nuts and seeds for added protein, fibre, and good fats. A plant based yogurt is a good option too." A third user said: "I always add some vegetables to the VTM, but chickpeas is a good idea." One more user added: "This is wildly specific because I ate that exact Trader Joe's dish for dinner with a big PB&J as well. "On the run to sports so not my proudest but same concept!" According to the Eatwell Guide, to have a healthy, balanced diet, people should try to
