How a nutritionist turns processed foods like fish sticks into protein and fiber-packed meals

• Aiming for the “perfect diet” can be a one-way ticket to failure and misery.
• The nutritionist Sophie Gastman uses the odd convenience food when she can’t be bothered to cook.
• Instant noodles with vegetables or fish sticks with peas are quick and nutritious meals, she said.

“I always have tinned fish. I’ve got tuna, sardines, mackerel, salmon, literally always,” Gastman said.

She chucks them onto a salad, smashes them on toast, or stirs them through a stir-fry or a bowl of rice.

“You could literally put them on anything,” she said.

Instant noodles

Gastman always keeps instant noodles in her cupboard.

She likes to have hers with edamame beans, which she always has in the freezer, frozen dumplings, an egg, and whatever veggies she has on hand.

Gastman asks herself, “What can I add to a very basic meal, like an instant noodle, to make it a bit more balanced?”