Thanks to dramatic changes in near-fresh processing technology and recipe and product development in the food industry, it is now possible that convenience foods can play a role in a healthy diet. The problem is that there are currently no safeguards on the market to ensure that processed foods abide by minimum nutritional standards.
Rethinking processed foods:
By seeing junk food as a subset of processed food, dialogue about the objective dietary value of processed foods becomes possible. Some processed and convenience foods have low nutritional value but there are many products on the market that can be consumed as part of a balanced diet. Today’s ranges of vegetarian frozen foods, world foods, tinned fruits in natural juices, and tinned beans of all varieties, can provide a great variety of taste and versatility for meal combinations.
Visualising healthy meals with processed foods:
Nutrition groupings and other advice tend to focus on numbers of foods/portions, and abstract concepts, rather than on real food events. Conversely, the food industry tends to present visual ‘serving suggestions’ on product packaging and in TV advertising. This shows how examples of acceptable food intake, meal ideas, can be conveyed in a ‘tangible’ and appealing way. The idea of ‘combos’ is to visualise fresh-processed food combinations within the ‘meal structure’ (as discussed by Douglas, 1982 and 1984; and Nicod, 1980):
Centrepieces – including a piece of meat, curry, nut roast
Staples – bulk foods include grains and starchy vegetables
Trimmings –mainly green and orange vegetables but also accompaniments such as pickles
By using this ‘tripartite’ structure – which is equally applicable to ‘non-English’ dishes, such as curries and pastas in which ‘trimmings’ and ‘centrepiece’ are often combined in cooking – fresh-processed combos can be designed to maintain balance in the overall nutrient intake.
Time and energy savings:
In addition, meals can be designed to maximise the amount of ‘free’ time during preparation, which is usable for kitchen or other chores, and to minimise the use of fuel energy.
Hob – many natural foods are fast foods. Thai rice and red lentils cook in 15-20 mins. Flavoured packet rice can be combined with natural rice for more subtle flavouring or less salt. Frozen veg can be cooked with curry and chilli or with rice to save on fuel and washing up.
Oven – processed foods such as sausages, cauliflower cheese, and pies, are usually higher calorie and combine well with bread and chunks of raw veg. Meats with a longer prep time can be accompanied by frozen roast potatoes and fresh roast veg.
