Open the lid and pour the pesto over the pasta. Take the chicken nuggets out of the freezer and pop them in the microwave. Your hunger is quickly satisfied. "Ready meals are highly processed foods," says Fritz Treiber. "This means that the nutrients are pre-treated, the body can absorb them more quickly and gains more calories from them." The result: rapid weight gain. In addition, these products contain many additives in addition to the cheapest ingredients. "Some of these have been well researched," confirms the molecular biologist, "but we know too little about the effects of the mixture of substances." However, Treiber does not want to demonise industrially produced food. Above all, he wants to educate people. Because, as in other cases, it's the dose that makes the poison. "It makes a difference whether I enjoy a ready meal or fast food every day or once a month."
How Austria can eat better!
The nutrition expert highlights these topics in the new ORF programme "So isst Österreich besser!" (How Austria can eat better!), which will be broadcast every Wednesday at 9:05 p.m. on ORF1 from today, 18 February, until 15 April 2026. In each episode, Fritz Treiber breaks down different ready meals, such as pesto, instant noodles and Grammelknödel, into their individual components, astonishing celebrity chefs in the process. Eveline Wild, Richard Rauch and Max Stiegl prepare the dishes themselves, and then taste them together with presenter Silvia Schneider. What is entertaining also has added value for TV viewers. "We give tips on how to cook healthy food quickly and cheaply," reveals Fritz Treiber. The sustainable aspect, such as the origin of the food, is also important to him. Treiber recommends: "Legumes are inexpensive and regional sources of protein."
Fritz Treiber shares his expertise not only on screen, but also as a lecturer on the bachelor's degree programme "Nutrition, Health, Consumption". "We are training the teachers of tomorrow, who will pass on their knowledge to the next generation," says Treiber, emphasising the programme's social mission.
Fritz Treiber serves up the latest research on nutrition in an easily digestible form at the University of Graz's taste laboratory. The courses are open to anyone interested and focus on a variety of topics. For example, on 9 March 2026, the programme will feature creative recipes from the "Planetary Health Diet" that improve health and the climate. ⇒ Learn more about the courses on offer
Superfoods fact check
Fritz Treiber has also summarised how to eat healthily in his successful non-fiction book "Fact Check – Healthy Eating, Magic Pills and Miracle Diets". In it, he dispels widespread myths, such as that dietary supplements boost the immune system or that vitamin C cures cancer. The author also explains that superfoods do not have to come from Japanese fields or Mexican highlands, and that health-promoting spermidine is not found in large quantities in hard cheese or pumpkin seeds.