We all love being able to eat without putting too much effort in – and who can blame us? Life can get so busy and trying to fit in cooking around things like work, family and training can be really hard. Eating well is so important to optimise our physical and mental health, so how can we make sure we eat well whilst spending minimal time in the kitchen? This is where convenience foods come in!
Ready-to-eat foods are almost overflowing on the supermarket shelves, but which are worth buying? As usual, being able to read a food label is key to making the best choice (see our guide here).
With these things in mind, here we’ve given you some good options from our top 5 convenience foods:
Canned tuna/beans
Sirena Tuna With Beans
| Energy (cals/serving) | 370 |
| Protein (g/serving) | 27.8 |
| Saturated fat (g/serving) | 1.8 |
| Sugar (g/serving) | 3 |
| Sodium (mg/serving) | 675 |
Tuna and beans are a wonderful option as an energy and protein dense snack on the go, or the basis of a quick and easy meal. If you’re looking for something to add extra protein in your day or as part of your training program, one of these provides a whopping 27.8g protein. Coming in its’ own self-contained can means all you need is a fork in your bag and you could have this anywhere!
John West Protein + Iron Tuna Roasted Capsicum & Three Bean Mix
| Energy (cals/serving) | 335 |
| Protein (g/serving) | 29.5 |
| Total fat (g/serving) | 15.6 |
| Saturated fat (g/serving) | 2 |
| Sugar (g/serving) | 1.8 |
| Dietary fibre (g/serving) | 7.5 |
| Sodium (mg/serving) | 728 |
| Iron (mg/serving) | 3.5 |
Besides the protein hit, another great reason to include tuna and beans in your diet is the fibre for gut health, and the healthier fats (omega 3) that tuna provides. Omega-3 fats have been shown to have numerous health benefits (to read more about this, check out our article on Omega 3’s here). This John West tuna and bean mix contains the benefit of extra iron, important for transporting oxygen around the body and many other functions.
Quick rice
Sunrice Long Grain Brown Rice Cup 2 pack
| Energy (kJ/serving) | 212 |
| Protein (g/serving) | 4.1 |
| Saturated fat (g/serving) | <1 |
| Sugar (g/serving) | <1 |
| Dietary fibre (g/serving) | 5.1 |
| Sodium (mg/serving) | <5 |
Brown rice is a great staple for your pantry. As a wholegrain food, it contains far more fibre than regular white rice, meaning it keeps you fuller for longer and provides benefits for your gut. These convenient microwave cups take only 40 seconds to heat up, meaning almost instant carbohydrate to add to any meal! Try combining with a protein and some vegetables for a quick and easy meal at work or on the go.
Uncle Ben’s Microwave Brown Red Wild Rice Medley
| Energy (cals/serving) | 187 |
| Protein (g/serving) | 4.3 |
| Saturated fat (g/serving) | 0.5 |
| Sugar (g/serving) | 0.5 |
| Sodium (mg/serving) | 3 |
For those of you who love to share, this pouch serves two – for you and your significant other. Containing a combination of brown, red and wild rice (which are all wholegrains) will provide variety on your plate. Add to your favourite protein and vegetables for a rice salad or have with a quick stir fry for an easy meal.
Salad kits
Coles Kitchen Superfood Salad Bowl
| Energy (cals/serving) | 251 |
| Protein (g/serving) | 13.9 |
| Saturated fat (g/serving) | 1.7 |
| Sodium (mg/serving) | 276 |
Coming in its own container means this is a great option to take to work or training. This salad includes washed and ready-to-eat salad leaves, edamame beans, pumpkin and sunflower seeds, dried cranberries and a spiced yoghurt dressing – yum!
Woolworths Crunchy Noodle Coleslaw Kit
| Energy (cals/serving) | 111 |
| Saturated fat (g/serving) | <1 |
| Sugar (g/serving) | 7.2 |
| Sodium (mg/serving) | 192 |
There is something about the crunch of noodles in a salad that I absolutely love! Just make sure to wait until you are ready to eat it before tossing through the dressing, otherwise you’ll lose that beautiful crunch.
Frozen vegetables
Birds Eye Stir Fry Oriental
| Energy (cals/serving) | 45 |
| Saturated fat (g/serving) | 0.1 |
| Sugar (g/serving) | 3.8 |
| Sodium (mg/serving) | 16 |
Including 5 serves of vegetables in your diet is so important for general health as well as prevention of chronic diseases. But did you know the variety of different vegetables is important too? Try to eat ‘a rainbow of vegetables’ each day. This Frozen vegetable mix will help you with this. They have included broccoli, yellow beans, carrot, sugar snap peas, water chestnuts & red capsicum for you to add to your stir fry for an instant rainbow.
Mccain Mixed Vegetables Peas Corn & Carrot
| Energy (cals/serving) | 80 |
| Saturated fat (g/serving) | 0.2 |
| Sugar (g/serving) | 5.6 |
| Sodium (mg/serving) | 35 |
This is a must have for your freezer! An easy way to make sure you get your vegetables in at dinner is by microwaving a serve of these to add to your meal. Super and quick and super easy!
Sachet oats
Uncle Tobys Oats Porridge Quick Sachets Original
| Energy (cals/serving) | 129 |
| Protein (g/serving) | 4.4 |
| Saturated fat (g/serving) | 0.6 |
| Sugar (g/serving) | 0.3 |
| Sodium (mg/serving) | 2 |
Wholegrain rolled oats, grown in Australia, 5-star Health rating – what more is there to say? Rolled oats provide the benefits from wholegrains, as well as containing beta-glucan, which helps to lower cholesterol in your blood. Sometimes the original way is the best way to start your day. Porridge has never been easier to have for breakfast than now with these convenient quick sachets.
Carman’s Protein Rich Porridge Sachets Almond, Vanilla & Cinnamon
| Energy (cals/serving) | 179 |
| Protein (g/serving) | 10.2 |
| Saturated fat (g/serving) | 0.6 |
| Sugar (g/serving) | 3.1 |
| Dietary fibre (g/serving) | 4.1 |
| Sodium (mg/serving) | 17 |
If you would like an extra protein hit to get you going in the morning, try these protein rich porridge sachets. With 10g protein and 4g fibre in each sachet, this tasty porridge will keep you fuller for longer without reaching for that early morning tea snack.
If you’d like some help with more ideas for healthy eating around your busy schedule, contact us today to see how we can work together to meet your nutrition goals.