{"id":850532,"date":"2026-06-07T10:58:15","date_gmt":"2026-06-07T10:58:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/850532\/"},"modified":"2026-06-07T10:58:15","modified_gmt":"2026-06-07T10:58:15","slug":"nutritionist-turns-processed-foods-into-protein-fiber-packed-meals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/850532\/","title":{"rendered":"Nutritionist Turns Processed Foods Into Protein, Fiber-Packed Meals"},"content":{"rendered":"

Sophie Gastman<\/a> tries to balance protein, fiber, carbs, and healthy fats<\/a> in every meal, and she’s not scared to use convenience foods and store-cupboard staples when she’s low on energy or time.<\/p>\n

“There’s a lot of guilt that comes with buying certain ingredients,” Gastman,<\/a> a nutritionist who fights misinformation and the author of “Find Your Healthy,” told Business Insider.<\/p>\n

Leaning on store-bought foods like fish sticks might be the difference between you making a homemade meal and ordering takeout, Gastman said.<\/p>\n

“In nutrition, it’s never black and white. There’s always the middle ground,” she said.<\/p>\n

Gastman shared the three convenience foods she leans on to make quick, nutritious meals.<\/p>\n

Fish sticks<\/p>\n

\"Fish<\/p>\n

Fish sticks with homemade potato wedges and peas are a go-to for Gastman when she wants something simple and quick.\u00a0<\/p>\n

M-Production\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

On days she’s feeling exhausted or nostalgic, Gastman reaches for the jumbo fish sticks she always has stocked in her freezer.<\/p>\n

She typically throws them into her air fryer with some chopped potatoes to make homemade fries, and pairs them with peas.<\/p>\n

In about 15 minutes, she has a plate filled with protein from the fish, and fiber and nutrients from the peas and potatoes.<\/p>\n

Tinned fish<\/p>\n

\"Tuna<\/p>\n

You can put tinned fish on anything, Gastman said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Nungning20\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

Tinned fish<\/a> is having a moment because it’s versatile, high in protein and healthy fats, and minimally processed.<\/p>\n

“I always have tinned fish. I’ve got tuna, sardines, mackerel, salmon, literally always,” Gastman said.<\/p>\n

She chucks them onto a salad, smashes them on toast, or stirs them through a stir-fry or a bowl of rice. <\/p>\n

“You could literally put them on anything,” she said.<\/p>\n

Instant noodles<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Instant noodles paired with vegetables and some protein make a balanced meal, Gastman said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Maria Korneeva\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

Gastman always keeps instant noodles in her cupboard.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Gastman asks herself, “What can I add to a very basic meal, like an instant noodle, to make it a bit more balanced?”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Sophie Gastman tries to balance protein, fiber, carbs, and healthy fats in every meal, and she’s not scared…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":850533,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[37],"tags":[4381,6331,347561,990,291410,210,298480,347562,12812,1182,153415,79938,80096,1929,311399,342216,145603,67,132,68],"class_list":["post-850532","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nutrition","tag-business-insider","tag-fiber","tag-fish-stick","tag-food","tag-freezer","tag-health","tag-healthy-fat","tag-instant-noodle","tag-meal","tag-nutrition","tag-nutritionist","tag-pea","tag-potato","tag-protein","tag-sardine","tag-sophie-gastman","tag-tuna","tag-united-states","tag-unitedstates","tag-us"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/116708475297345844","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/850532","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=850532"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/850532\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/850533"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=850532"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=850532"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=850532"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}