WELCOME to the world of fat jab meals – with smaller portions, extra nutrients and tightly controlled calorie counts.
More than 1.6million people in Britain have tried – and 3.3million are considering it – so the way we eat is changing.
Clemmie Moodie tested supermarkets’ fat jab foodCredit: Darren Fletcher
One concern for anyone on the jabs is that they will not get enough fibre, protein or vitamins.
The meds make you feel full, reducing your appetite and curbing cravings, so you eat less.
And Morrisons, Co-op, M&S, Asda and other supermarkets are responding to shoppers adjusting their eating habits.
Even bakery chain has added more protein-rich menu treats.
As an early adopter of the jabs – I every couple of months or so – I was keen to see exactly what all the fuss was about.
Plus, as someone who lives alone, I am sick of throwing meals out or giving leftovers to the dog (she’s not a katsu fan, it transpires) and the idea of a small, perfectly portioned dinner is ideal.
So, after a quick gym trip – maintaining muscle mass while jabbing is key – I was ready to dive into nine microwaveable delights.
Here I offer my verdict, with each meal rated out of five…
Katsu Chicken, 400g, £7
The M&S chicken katsu lacked seasoningCredit: Darren Fletcher
THIS was like eating a yummy chicken katsu at Wagamama, only to discover the chefs had forgotten the seasoning.
Chunky pieces of chicken give this curry a satisfying texture, though, and with a delicately chargrilled flavour this feels like the healthiest curry ever.
It comes on a bed of quinoa, butternut squash, edamame beans and spinach.
It also comes in a quality box, which I will reuse – and offsets the cost.
- Fibre: 8.4g
- Protein: 44.8g Fat: 16g
- Calories: 392
Rating: 3/5
M&S Tandoori Chicken, 400g, £7
The M&S tandoori chicken leaves you feeling fullCredit: Darren Fletcher
COMES in at approximately half the price of my usual hungover Deliveroo tandoori tikka masala – and, as an added bonus, doesn’t leave me looking eight months pregnant afterwards.
I whip up some Greek yoghurt with mint sauce – my healthy version of raita – and it literally feels like a cheat-day takeaway.
Bulked up with red onions and peppers, my usual pilau is replaced with cauliflower rice.
I am impressed.
Every morsel gets monstered and I feel satisfyingly full.
- Fibre: 8g
- Protein: 42g
- Fat: 11.6g
- Calories: 344
Rating: 4/5
Creamy Chicken Korma, 250g, £2.50
Asda’s korma has a decent level of creaminessCredit: Darren Fletcher
ALL credit goes to Asda for packing a decent nutritional punch here.
Upmarket Indian chain Dishoom’s version comes in at around £18.50, which goes to show what a steal Asda’s GLP1-friendly product really is.
The colour is a bit browner than I would have liked – I associate a korma with a pleasing yellow hue.
It nonetheless had overtones of coconut and a decent level of creaminess.
A solid effort.
- Fibre: 6.5g
- Protein: 23.5g
- Fat: 8.8g
- Calories: 325
Rating: 3/5
Asda Chicken and Mediterranean style pasta bake, 250g, £2.50
Asda’s pasta bake is too low on fibreCredit: Darren Fletcher
I FELT a bit meh about this offering – it seemed a perfunctory lunch.
That said, it came in a delightfully compact, palm-sized tub which could slip into the most elegant of handbags (if push came to shove), and the fusilli was well cooked – not too soft or bland.
There were bits of veg in it, but with only 1.3g of fibre, this isn’t ideal for the many fat jabbers who cite constipation as an unfortunate side-effect of the treatment.
- Fibre: 1.3.g
- Protein: 19g
- Fat: 4.8g
- Calories: 554
Rating: 3/5
Co-op Naked Chicken Katsu Curry, 400g, £4.25
Co-op’s katsu curry was too blandCredit: Darren Fletcher
I GAVE up on this one after three mouthfuls.
Bland and fairly unappetising to look at – a sludgy, sewer-brown sauce greeted me upon pulling back the plastic lid – the chicken breast chunks were also much smaller than their M&S counterparts.
There was also a lot of rice padding, which was splattered Jackson Pollock-esque with an assortment of bright vegetables. (Pollock was an abstract artist known for his “drip and splash” technique.)
But, at only £4.25, there is no way I could recreate this so cheaply at home.
- Fibre: 6.8g
- Protein: 27g
- Fat: 6g
- Calories: 357
Rating: 2/5
Slimming World Beef Rendang, 500g, £5
Iceland’s beef rendang was rich and full of flavourCredit: Darren Fletcher
Slimming World, you guys rock!
This was an unexpected triumph – a rich yet delicately spiced rendang, full of flavour and in a large portion size.
With overtones of cinnamon and generous portions of tender beef, it was also hard to believe I was “slimming” while eating it.
At only 325 calories, this provided real bang for your buck, and left me stuffed, but not unpleasantly so.
- Fibre: 9g
- Protein: 38g
- Fat: 4.5g
- Calories: 325
Rating: 5/5
Iceland Slimming World Hunter’s Chicken Pasta, 550g, £4.50
Iceland’s chicken pasta comes in a huge portionCredit: Darren Fletcher
I SOUND as though I have shares in Slimming World, but I really don’t. This was another tasty delight from a company clearly keen to adapt to a brave new slimming world.
The chicken was incredibly moist and satisfyingly large, while the penne was al dente and swimming in a rich, tomatoey sauce.
The portion size was also ridiculously large and, miraculously, I was unable to finish it.
- Fibre: 7.7g
- Protein: 57.2g
- Fat: 12.1g
- Calories: 583
Rating: 5/5
Bean & Sweet Potato Shakshuka, 280g, £3.75
This Morrisons dish is crammed with fibre and proteinCredit: Morrisons
I REALLY wanted to love this Applied Nutrition bad boy because it looked so appetising.
However, with the meal clocking in at fewer than 300 calories, perhaps it’s little surprise to discover that it wasn’t packed full to the brim with flavour.
Still, as a quick, three-minutes-in-the-microwave breakfast, this offering hit the spot and is crammed with fibre and protein which, nutritionally, makes it a great, energy-boosting start to the day.
Another downside was that the halloumi tasted a bit bland and rubbery.
- Fibre: 13g
- Protein: 19g
- Fat: 8g
- Calories: 288
Rating: 3/5
Morrisons Sweet Potato Cottage Pie, 280g, £3.75
This Morrisons pie was unexpectedly deliciousCredit: Morrisons
Winner, winner chicken dinner! Well, beef dinner.
Poor Applied Nutrition was up against it when I reluctantly took a bite, given that this was my final meal of the tasting test and, by now, I never wanted to swallow another bite of anything ever again.
But swallow away I did, because this was so unexpectedly delicious.
A rich lentil and beef ragu, delightfully seasoned and topped with moreish sweet potato, which gave it an appealing bright orange crust.
This nutrient-heavy lunch ticked all the boxes.
- Fibre: 13.6g
- Protein: 17.1g
- Fat: 5.6g
- Calories: 288
Rating: 5/5
Eze Chidiebere Paul
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