Revealed: The meal handles the MOST calories – and some very surprising tweaks that could keep you from gaining pounds at lunch
Don’t have the time or desire to make your own packed lunch to take to work every day? A meal deal β which typically gets you a sandwich, a snack and a drink for Β£3.50 to Β£5 β can be a tempting alternative.
According to research from The Grocer, a third of us now have meal deals every week.
Earlier this week, meal deals hit the headlines, with Sainsbury’s shoppers in an uproar after some yoghurt products were placed in the ‘main course’ category, rather than the ‘snack’ category.
The supermarket states that yoghurt with granola is a popular ‘main dish’ for breakfast, and that plain yoghurt is the preferred lunch snack.
But the bigger concern is that unless you choose wisely, your lunch can be high in calories and overloaded with fat, sugar or salt, unknowingly setting you on the path to weight gain and poor health if you regularly indulge in meal deals.
‘An average woman needs no more than 600 calories at lunch,’ says registered dietitian Dr Sarah Schenker.
“Exceeding this by 100 calories every day for a month can lead to almost a pound of weight gain.”
Yet research from the University of Birmingham last year found that 23 per cent of meal deals in supermarkets and High Street shops exceeded the recommended government guidelines of 600 lunch calories.
And in addition to potentially sabotaging your waistline, many of the options are firmly in the camp of ultra-processed foods (UPF), meaning they’re highly processed, packed with artificial additives, salt, sugar and saturated fat, and increasingly in are associated with obesity and obesity. poor health.
‘The High Street meal deal has become an unhealthy minefield and it’s very easy to stumble unless you take the time to analyze your food choices and scrutinize the labels,’ says Sarah Schenker.
‘When you look at the options available, it is not easy to put together a healthy lunch from most meal deals.’
She admits that she will sometimes opt for a meal deal, but she opts for a protein-rich salad, fruit and a bottle of water.
Sarah Schenker recommends looking for the healthiest foods you can find. “Choose a whole-wheat sandwich or salad with the dressing on the side, so you can control how much you use, and choose a piece of fruit as a snack,” she says. You should also choose foods with as little processing as possible (“avoid anything with a long list of chemical ingredients”) and water or regular coffee or tea to drink, rather than pumpkin, juice or soda.
“Instead of worrying about minimizing calories, focus on maximizing protein and fiber.” 20 grams of protein and plenty of fiber in the form of vegetables, legumes and nuts should provide the nutrients you need and keep you feeling full for longer,β she says.
To find out which meal deals are a good option, we asked Sarah Schenker for her verdict β and health assessment β ββon a selection of offers on the High Street.
Sainsbury’s, Β£3.50
Brie, bacon and chili chutney sandwich PLUS flapjack with butter PLUS Coca Cola
Total: calories, 1,014; saturated fat, 17.4 g; protein, 28.3 g; sugar, 88.5 g; salt, 2.23 g
Expert opinion: This meaty sandwich has all the calories you need for lunch (580), so you really don’t need the extra 224 calories in the flapjack or the 210 in the Coke. And despite being a good source of protein (25g) and fiber (5g), the sandwich also provides an unhealthy 25g of fat and 2g of salt, which is linked to high blood pressure.
In fact, this meal deal combination amounts to half of a woman’s daily recommended calorie limit and 17 teaspoons of sugar. If you make this choice every day, you will quickly be on your way to obesity and poor health.
Buying all three items as a meal deal might save you Β£2.35, but you’re much better off choosing fruit as a snack and water to drink, or buying the sandwich on its own for Β£3 – saving you 50p – and rinse this away with a glass of tap water. 2/10
Tesco, Β£3.90
Salmon and Tuna Sushi PLUS Kit Kat Chunky Duo PLUS Lucozade Sport Silent Orange Drink
Total: calories, 859; saturated fat, 9.7 g; protein, 13.54 g; sugar, 74.4 g; salt, 3.26 g
Expert opinion: Sushi is a popular lunch choice and with this option you get some healthy omega-3 fats from the fresh salmon and tuna β but this meal is low in protein and fiber so is unlikely to be very satisfying. To reduce your salt intake, throw away the bottle of soy sauce. More worrying is the enormous sugar increase you get from the drink and chocolate. You’d better choose the egg white pot (two hard-boiled eggs) and a sugar-free drink to prepare a more balanced meal. 4/10
Co-op premium meal deal, Β£5.50
Yo! PokΓ© bowl with salmon and avocado PLUS carrots and hummus dip PLUS sparkling water
Total: calories, 568; saturated fat, 4.3 g; protein, 20.3 g; sugar, 18.3 g; salt, 4.2 g
Expert opinion: It’s sometimes worth paying a little more for a good, balanced meal deal β this salad bowl contains a healthy amount of filling protein (18g), healthy fats in salmon and avocado, as well as vegetables and rice.
With the meal deal (which saves you β¬1.69) you can add a nutritious snack of carrot sticks and humus, improving your nutritional intake even further (with more fiber and extra protein in the chickpea dip).
When choosing a salad, look for enough mixed vegetables such as beetroot and pumpkin (not just lots of leaves) and a source of protein (fish, meat or a combination of legumes and nuts). 9/10
Morrisons, Β£3.50
Ham and cheese sandwich PLUS McCoy’s salt and vinegar chips PLUS Diet Coke
Total: calories, 635; saturated fat, 6.9 g; protein, 25.4 g; sugar, 4.7 g; salt, 2.65 g
Expert opinion: The sugar-free drink keeps the calorie count low, but beware of any ham and cheese sandwich β the combination is notoriously salty (it contains 1.7g) and with chips (0.95g) it will bump your total towards your daily salt intake (that’s 6 g per day), which increases your risk of high blood pressure. Choose a sandwich with some salad to improve the nutritional profile; choose cheese or ham β not both β and immediately swap those chips for a fruit jar. 4/10
Sainsbury’s, Β£3.50
Coronation chicken sandwich PLUS Muller Rice strawberry PLUS Starbucks mocha Frappuccino iced coffee
Total: calories, 734; saturated fat, 6.97 g; protein, 34.15 g; sugar, 53.3 g; salt, 2.08 g
Expert opinion: There are 11.4 grams of sugar in this sandwich, 20.4 grams (five teaspoons) in the rice pudding pot and 21.5 grams in the iced coffee β which amounts to an eye-watering 53.3 grams or 11 teaspoons of sugar in this lunch meal. well above the NHS recommended daily limit of 30g and equivalent to five bowls of Crunchy Nut Cornflakes β with very little nutritional value to help your body and brain function all afternoon. Such a sugar rush is very likely to disrupt concentration and energy levels, and you will be tempted to reach for a sugary biscuit with your afternoon cup of tea.
The sandwich choice is offset by its high protein content (21.8 grams), but this meal would score higher if you chose one with whole wheat bread, a fruit snack and a sugar-free drink, such as water. 2/10
Morrisons, Β£3.50
Chicken salad sandwich PLUS black and green olive snack jar PLUS Plenish Turmeric Defense shot
Total: calories, 500; saturated fat, 3.22 g; protein, 26.84 g; sugar, 9.78 g; salt, 1.91 g
Expert opinion: This is an excellent sandwich choice because it contains 25.7 g of protein with 5.1 g of fiber and very little salt or unhealthy fat.
A savory snack, such as olives, will increase your intake of healthy fats and fiber, but it can also increase your overall salt intake, increasing your risk for elevated blood pressure. As a bonus, you get a vitamin boost in this turmeric shot (100 percent of your daily vitamin B12 needs). With this meal deal you not only get a varied nutritional mix, but you also save β¬ 2.45 if you had purchased the items separately. 8/10
Waitrose, Β£5
Huel vanilla complete meal drink PLUS Child protein double dark chocolate nut bar PLUS Virtue yerba mate strawberry-lime drink
Total: Calories, 677; saturated fat, 7.8 g; egg white, 31.5 g; sugar, 13 g; salt, 0.74 g
Expert opinion: If you want to be healthy, why would you choose an ultra-processed meal replacement drink like Huel when you can get all the nutrients you need β in the form we are designed to consume β in one of the salads or sandwiches available? in these premium priced meal deals? Yes, this meal provides a lot of protein (31.5 g), but the fat and sugar content is high. And don’t be fooled by the apparent health halo on the fizzy drink: It’s just water with sweeteners and caffeine. 3/10
Tesco, Β£3.40
Spicy chicken pasta pot PLUS Propercorn sweet and salty popcorn PLUS Tropicana orange juice
Total: calories, 658; saturated fat, 1.3 g; protein, 20.7 g; sugar, 41 g; salt, 0.2 g
Expert opinion: You’ll get a good amount of protein from this meal, and the orange juice counts as one of your five per day. But the hidden sugars in the pasta (11.6 g), together with the orange juice (26 g), ensure that the blood sugar level becomes too high for one meal. Again, water and whole fruit would improve your meal deal combination. 6/10
Waitrose, Β£5
Spicy bean and sweet potato wrap PLUS Lindt chocolate bar PLUS Innocent Invigorate Super Smoothie
Total: calories, 798; saturated fat, 19 g; protein, 13.6 g; sugar, 54.3 g; salt, 1.06 g
Expert opinion: This healthy-looking combination shows how easy it is to fall into unhealthy lunch habits. You don’t get enough protein to feel full all afternoon. If you opt for a vegetarian option, it’s good to boost your protein by choosing a protein-rich snack (such as a packet of nuts and seeds which contains 4.6 grams of protein) β and although the smoothie does count as one of your five daily meals, the fruit sugar (33 g) causes your lunch sugar level to become too high. 5/10