When it comes to quick meals, many people use the terms ready-to-eat food and instant food interchangeably. However, they are not the same. Both options are designed to save time in the kitchen, but they differ in preparation, nutrition, and convenience.
Ready-to-eat foods are fully cooked meals that only need heating before consumption, while instant foods usually require some cooking or preparation, such as boiling or adding hot water. Understanding these differences helps you choose what works best for your lifestyle. You might want a wholesome, balanced meal on the go or a quick-fix snack to satisfy sudden hunger.
Amidst busy schedules, such ready to eat food or instant food options can make your life so much easier! However, it’s important to understand the difference between ready-to-eat and instant foods, though initially they might look the same. We will also help you make the best selection based on your dietary preferences and daily schedules.
What is Ready-to-Eat Food?
Ready-to-eat foods, as the name suggests, are fully cooked foods that you can consume within minutes without further preparation. All you need to do is warm up the package contents (if required) for an enhanced eating or snacking experience. You can even enjoy it right out of the pack, which saves your time and effort, especially on low-energy days of hectic schedules. Some examples may include millet khichdi or millet pongal that come in sealed packages, enabling you to consume them right out of the pack or after a little warming up.
These food options are ideal for travel, students, or working professionals who do not have enough time to prepare lunch meals. Most ready-to-eat foods have a stable shelf life due to advanced packaging, so you can store them for your busy days when you need an emergency meal solution.
What is Instant Food?
Instant foods are usually partially cooked, and they involve minimal preparation, such as adding hot water or cooking the package contents for a few minutes. Instant foods are designed to help people prepare a quick meal for themselves.
Some millet instant food examples include millet noodles, millet idli or dosa batter, and multi-millet Choco Nut Meal. These usually come in dried, semi-cooked, or powdered formats. These instant food options require minimal cooking or mixing, which hardly takes a few minutes. Millet-based instant foods offer similar health benefits and the taste of freshly-cooked home meals, ideal for those times when you wish for a fresh and hot dish, without sparing much time.
Ready-to-Eat Food vs. Instant Food: Which is Better?
The choice between ready-to-eat and instant foods depends on your personal preferences, nutritional choices, and routine. Consider your time constraints on a daily basis and your meal requirements to make the right choice.
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It is recommended to opt for ready-to-eat foods if you are always on the go and have limited access to the kitchen due to time constraints.
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Choose instant foods if you have a few minutes at hand and are willing to enjoy a hot and freshly prepared meal, which you can customise a bit according to your taste buds.
If you are just willing to grab a quick bite, opt for some ready-to-eat millet protein bars, nut crackers, or cookies for an instant burst of energy and to appease your hunger pangs.
Benefits of Ready-to-Eat Millet and Instant Foods
Millet foods offer multiple health benefits, thanks to the rich nutritional profile of this traditional grain. At the same time, they come in convenient and modern-day packaging to meet the emergency eating needs of today’s busy generations. Whether you are planning an office lunch or looking for a quick meal on your upcoming plans, here are some reasons you must opt for ready-to-eat and instant millet foods.
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Instant Energy and Nourishment: The biggest advantage of ready-to-eat food is that it needs no cooking at all. You can simply open the pack and enjoy it. At most, a quick heat-up is recommended to bring out the flavors. Instant food, on the other hand, takes just a few minutes of light cooking or boiling before it’s ready. Both options are perfect for those days when you’re too exhausted to cook or rushing to get out the door.
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Balanced, Nutrition-Rich, and Wholesome: Millets are nutrition-dense grains that work on improving one’s optimal health and well-being. For instance, millet khichdi, pongal, or noodles are filled with the goodness of protein, dietary fibre, and essential vitamins and minerals. The presence of fibre supports healthy digestive function and boosts satiety to reduce your sudden hunger pangs and prevent overeating.
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Travel-friendly and Convenient: Ready-to-eat millet food options come in convenient formats and compact packaging, making them ideal for travel and school or office lunches. Most of them do not need kitchen utensils; all you need is a bowl and a spoon, and a source of heat (if you prefer heating your food). On the other hand, instant foods require 1-2 additional utensils for preparing the meal, and you need a gas stove or microwave oven.
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Longer Shelf-Life: RTE and instant millet foods have a great shelf-life, which makes them a good option for preparing emergency food kits. These ensure that the food does not lose nutrition and stays fresh even when consumed after a few months. Since millets have lower amounts of oil content than wheat or rice, they can be stored for a long time.
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Made from Clean Ingredients: Millet-based RTE and instant foods are made from minimal, traditional ingredients, making them equivalent to home-cooked food in terms of nutritional value and taste. Unlike many commercial ready-to-eat products, millet-based meal options are not made of harmful additives, colours, or artificial preservatives. So, you can enjoy real and healthy food in its clean and pure form.
Ensuring Convenient and Healthy Eating with Ready-to-Eat Foods and Instant Meals from Sabala Millets
The ready-to-eat food and instant meal options from Sabala Millets are designed to fulfil your nutritional gaps even on the busiest days, when you might not get a chance to prepare a wholesome meal. We offer a wide range of RTE meals, including Millet Khichdi, Millet Pongal, Multi-Millet Upma, and Millet Bisibele Bhath. Whereas, our instant millet-based foods include Millet Rawa Dosa Mix, Millet Rawa Idli Mix, Millet One-Pot Meal Mixes, etc. All our products are based on traditional Indian recipes, which comprise clean ingredients.
Final Words
To conclude, these instant meal mixes or ready-to-enjoy snacks are preferred for their convenience and high nutritional profile, as they offer a perfect balance between health, speed, and taste. As we are increasingly being pushed towards a sedentary and always-on-the-go lifestyle, ready-made healthy food options are taking center stage. With little to no preparation, you can have a warm meal within minutes - that’s the perfect meal we want on low-energy or busy days!
