The UK is the biggest market for ready meals in Europe, and the single elderly rely more on ready meals than any other group in British society. But do these meals provide adequate nutritional value? A recent editorial suggests there are grounds for concern.

On the positive side, popular ready meal versions of dishes like roast dinners and shepherd’s pie are good sources of protein, which is particularly important for the elderly. And labels warn the consumer of some drawbacks, like when there are high levels of salt and saturated fat. But the levels of key desirable nutrients – such as healthful omega-3 fats and micronutrients like vitamins and phytochemicals – are not so apparent. In most cases there is no obligation to provide this information. Yet many surveys suggest that nutrients like these are deficient in the elderly. It is not known to what extent an over-reliance on ready meals of low nutritional value may be contributing to these deficiencies.

Supplements can only partially compensate for deficiencies since they do not provide adequate dietary fibre or antioxidant phytochemicals. A recent report from the Joint Research Council of the European Commission concluded that a better way to bridge any nutrient gaps is by obtaining essential nutrients such as vitamins and minerals from natural food sources. In particular, the report highlighted the strong evidence base for the benefits of the Mediterranean Diet (MD). This diet has been shown to be the best way of achieving recommended levels of a wide range of nutrients. Moreover, the MD promotes health, increases longevity and reduces the risk of age‐related diseases of particular concern to the elderly, such as Alzheimer’s disease and age-related macular degeneration.

Many elderly people aspire to eat food of a high nutritional standard, as epitomised by the MD. But a range of social and medical factors can deplete the motivation to shop for and cook such ingredients, so the ready meal becomes a frequent alternative. Hence, for the health of the ageing population, it is crucial that ready meals are produced to a high nutritional standard.

Richard Hoffman
School of Life and Medical Sciences, University of Hertfordshire, Hatfield, UK

Publication

Convenience foods and health in the elderly.
Hoffman R.
Maturitas. 2016 Apr

Read offline:     

Related Articles:

	How to reduce salt in bread by fooling taste Reducing sodium dietary intake is a global priority in public health. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends sodium intake for adults to be 2 g/day maximum, equivalent to 5 g/day…
	Nutritional strategies in managing postmeal glucose… The postmeal hyperglycemia is a common feature of Type 2 Diabetes (T2D) with the majority of the patients have not achieved the postmeal target of less than 7.8 mmol/L at…
	Siloxanes in consumer products affect energy… Volatile methyl siloxanes (VMS) are man-made compounds containing silicon and oxygen with organic side groups (typically methyl groups) attached to the silicon atoms. Siloxanes can have linear (denoted by L…
	Other components of less common oilseeds are much… Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) are thought to be some of the most important nutrients and health promoting constituents, the presence of which is usually insufficient in a daily diet, which…
	Microalgae-based wastewater treatment for nutrients recovery The world may face deficits of water supplies in the decades ahead, for both potable water and water for irrigation, due to human population growth, droughts and floods due to…
	Essential fatty acids in the vegan/total vegetarian diet People choose vegetarian/vegan diets and for many reasons, however, these diets require careful dietary planning. The essential polyunsaturated n-6 (omega-6) and n-3 (omega-3) fatty acids are required for synthesis of…