Portion Sizes

[fido]

This evening I tried for the first time a boil in the bag cod portion in parsley sauce from Lidl. It tasted OK but was the smallest piece of fish you ever saw. They come frozen in a pack of 4. Looking now at the packet, the total weight is 600 grammes of which 50% is fish. This means each piece of fish weighs just 75 grammes. The next time I will eat the remaining 3 portions as one serving! This type of thing always puzzles me as they could charge more if the portions were bigger, or are they just trying to con customers into thinking they are getting a bargain fish supper for 4 people? If the latter is the case it will only work once for each customer.

 

[WoodYouLike]

No, Lidl is a German company. In Germany fish is a small part of a whole meal (with potato's or rice or pasta, veggies etc, etc).

'They' forgot to translate the amount of fish or pack-seize to UK 'standards'

 

[AdamW]

I find that with ready meals you often need to eat one intended for 2. I think there is some logic to this:

People vary in size dramatically. I should think the "normal" weight range for an adult would be around 8 stone (petite woman) to 16 stone (big man). So, what constitutes a double portion for a petite woman would logically be a single portion for a large man. Or a small Simon (sorry mate, couldn't resist )

 

[kendor]

Although you jest over the size of the portions they are probably using health guidelines to guage the portions, maybe that's why we are a nation of obese people?

 

[jasy]

Or maybe they are making money out of people who are either too lazy or busy to cook a meal

 

[WoodYouLike]

Or Lidl is the first in the UK to recognize the change in households? More and more are staying single for longer. So one product packed in four portions can cater for all kinds of households.
(See Times on Saturday)

 

[planenut]

I do most of my shopping in Tesco; they sell pies (steak and kidney, or chicken and mushroom), four in a box, most of the time about £1.50. For me, two of the pies makes a good meal, when I have company and we have this type of meal I have to make do with one.

 

[breezer]

buy 2 boxes then

 

[jasy]

I do most of my shopping in Tesco; they sell pies (steak and kidney, or chicken and mushroom), four in a box, most of the time about £1.50. For me, two of the pies makes a good meal, when I have company and we have this type of meal I have to make do with one.

If i came round yours for a meal and i got a tesco's pie i would be very polite and eat it all up thinking "it's the thought that counts"

 

[AdamW]

I'm more of a Fray Bentos steak and ale pie man myself. Haven't had one in over a year though, I read the nutritional information once and it put me right off!

I'm a little overweight but I cook properly almost every night. I don't eat anything that is inherently unhealthy, my problem is that I eat too much carbohydrate. Rice and pasta in large quantities. I find if I eat a ready meal I still feel hungry afterwards, doesn't seem to be so filling as a "proper" meal.

I recall a few years ago they found kids who ate ready meals and assorted junk were less likely to suffer from vitamin deficiencies as those whose parents cooked properly, because the manufacturers are obliged to stuff extra vitamins in.

 

[big-all]

I recall a few years ago they found kids who ate ready meals and assorted junk were less likely to suffer from vitamin deficiencies as those whose parents cooked properly, because the manufacturers are obliged to stuff extra vitamins in.

they also add to much salt sugar and hidden fats

 

[nstreet]

I think ready meals have their place, but I don't think they are good value. Next time you buy your boil in the bag fish, ask the fishmonger how much cod or haddock you would get for the same price.

 

[kendor]

I'm more of a Fray Bentos steak and ale pie man myself. Haven't had one in over a year though, I read the nutritional information once and it put me right off!

I'm a little overweight but I cook properly almost every night. I don't eat anything that is inherently unhealthy, my problem is that I eat too much carbohydrate. Rice and pasta in large quantities. I find if I eat a ready meal I still feel hungry afterwards, doesn't seem to be so filling as a "proper" meal.
I recall a few years ago they found kids who ate ready meals and assorted junk were less likely to suffer from vitamin deficiencies as those whose parents cooked properly, because the manufacturers are obliged to stuff extra vitamins in.

This seems to confirm what i was saying earlier it's not the small size of portions it's the fact that we expect more and it's this excessive calorie intake that has made the population so obese, along with all the complications associated with it now such as heart disease and diabetes which amongst others is putting the strain on the countries health service.
What is needed urgently is a remedy to this.
Unfortunately the "No treatment if you smoke" policy along the lines of if you are more than say 20% overweight for your height then you get no treatment would cause more problems than it cured.
So the only option seems to be that which a government CAN control making sure that food manufacturers only produce healthy foods/meals.
Of course this won't stop the Adams of the world from consuming 3 or 4 of these meals in a sitting
Just as an addendum, just thought that maybe there could be a Tax like on smokes where if you buy more than one of these meals then the price goes up, a sort of buy one get one free in reverse.

 

[fido]

I suppose what I was getting at is that most people would not be very impressed if they went to a restaurant and ordered cod and were only given 75 grammes of fish (unless it was a swanky nouvelle cuisine place, where you only ever get a dirty plate anyway).

 

[AdamW]

I suppose what I was getting at is that most people would not be very impressed if they went to a restaurant and ordered cod and were only given 75 grammes of fish (unless it was a swanky nouvelle cuisine place, where you only ever get a dirty plate anyway).

I waitered in such a place, I was often embarassed to put the plate in front of the diner paying £30 for what was essentially a kid's-sized dinner. I felt especially bad if there was an adolescent boy, they eat like a blue whale!

Unfortunately the "No treatment if you smoke" policy along the lines of if you are more than say 20% overweight for your height then you get no treatment would cause more problems than it cured.

I know an obese bloke who doesn't go to the doctor, because he got sick of hearing "you need to lose weight" everytime he went. Daft bu**er really should have listened, he's diabetic now