They ARE a lot of sodium compared to home cooked meals, but they're certainly less than the typical restaurant meal and I like them a lot. =)
Fresh ingredients in a meal is no doubt healthier for you, but the convenience is amazing, especially with the labels there and everything.
I just bought a bunch of the Michelina's Avantage meals.
I got Chicken Cheddar Brocoli 190 calories for the whole meal.
It's 34% Sodium, i wonder if I picked a bad one...?
I'm gunna go check the website. www.michelinas.ca
I love Amy's Organic! Tasty, filling, quality ingredients, not as over-processed as other microwave dinners. Not all of them are low-cal, but I'd rather eat these than anything else.
Sometimes I'll wash and eat a whole bell pepper or tomato along with an Amy's meal. A little more freshness and bulk for a more complete meal, and I can still be lazy about fixing dinner!
And this is all just there!! And in good portions usually!! And it tastes (good) for the most part.
I actually just got back from grocery shopping... bought 7 of them... from shrimp pasta to indian food! I wouldn't even dream of making that!
Other than sodium.... I can't think what might be bad about them.
What about microwave side effects.... the waves? or the plastic? no clue.... just a thought.
Original Post by c_jamie:
Just wanted to add the Amy's Organic Kitchen ones seem really healthy. But they are 2-3 times the price!!! I am not sure I can justify it :(
Oh, I know, they're really expensive. That's the bummer. I usually stock up like crazy when they go on sale, and I still end up spending a lot. But for me, it has less to do with weight loss than with my overall health -- I try to eat organic as much as possible now. I know that when I'm old, years of eating mostly organic ingredients will definitely have a better impact on my health than years of eating mostly chemical-soaked, nutrient-leached ingredients.
My grocery bills have SKYROCKETED since I started calorie-counting. You'd think that since I'm eating less... but fruits and veggies cost more than chips, and organic costs more than everything else. But I'm also cutting down on a LOT of money that would inevitably go to binges, take-out, fast food, and delivery. I'm no longer slipping some chocolate or candy in the basket every time I stop at the drugstore for shampoo. All that really adds up.
And I tell myself, in the long run, my medical bills will be much more manageable! Regular clothing costs less than plus-sized clothes! I won't have to replace as many worn-out pants because I'll lose my inner thigh fat! I'll spend less on soaps and lotions because of less surface area to cover! And that's how I justify it. =)
kelz80, as a cancer survivor, my doctor has warned me to stay away from the frozen meals as much as possible. I will have the occasional frozen meal but I take care to read the nutritional information and try to stay away from the ones with extreme amounts of sodium.
If you are healthy for the most part, no problems with high blood pressure or any other health problems, then I don't see that they can cause much harm. If it comes down to having to choose between a McDonald's Big Mac meal or a Weight Watcher's frozen dinner, the WW dinner is obviously the better choice by far.
Here's some interesting information that came from the American Institute for Cancer Research (http://www.aicr.org). I really like how it tells you how you can balance out one of the frozen meals.
Q: Is it okay for me to rely on frozen dinners for my meals if they are healthy ones?
A: Frozen dinners that limit fat and sodium content are a good start compared to many other frozen meals. Regular versions of these dinners can contain 30 to 55 grams of fat and 700 to 2,100 milligrams (mg) of sodium per serving. You should check the nutrition information on these healthier dinners, however. Some products designed for weight control reduce the fat and calorie content, but sodium content can still be 600 to 800 mg. Depending on your other food choices for the day, this high amount of sodium makes it difficult for a person to stay under the American Institute for Cancer Research’s (AICR) recommended limit of 2,400 mg for the whole day. In fact, the newest Institute of Medicine recommendations say that it’s best to stay under 1,500 mg to prevent and control high blood pressure. If you plan to eat frozen dinners frequently, the health-oriented meals that keep sodium at 400 to 600 mg are better. You should also keep in mind that even the healthier frozen dinners can have small quantities of vegetables. In fact, some products that feature vegetables in their name place cornstarch higher on the list of ingredients than any vegetable. If you create vegetable sides for the healthier kinds of frozen dinners, you can have a delicious meal that is much more nutritious. While convenient frozen meals are heating, open a bag of ready-to-eat salad. Or microwave a bag of microwavable, prewashed spinach, serving it with a splash of balsamic vinegar or a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese. Salad bars at grocery stores can provide either salads or chopped vegetables for a quick stir-fry at home. Many kinds of fully prepared fruits are also available. Since some health-oriented convenience meals can be a little low in calories, eating extra vegetables and fruits can make these meals more satisfying and sustain your energy for several hours.
As kaufmkk says, If you don't have a requirement for a low sodium diet, then I think frozen dinners are fine. I see that Healthy Choice has the least sodium of the popular brands, as far as I can see, and Amy's is also lower in sodium. I think they are good for learning portion control too.
My only problem with them is the teensy serving of vegetables. I always added a large serving of vegetables to them, either steamed on in a salad. A friend of mine is losing by having a salad and fruit for lunch and a Healthy Choice dinner and fruit for supper every weekday. He's very busy and doesn't cook for himself.
Kashi is fantastic too-Target carries them and so does Stop and Shop. 8 grams protein 7 grams fiber-Black bean mango is awesome, its vegan and all natural :)
Sodium is 430mg, a little less than most!
I do enjoy the convenience of frozen dinners, but I don't like the sodium. It was probably me that said they were high in sodium...lol. I don't have any problems with blood pressure but I don't want them in the long run. Comparing to the Nutrition panel I'm only supposed to have 1,508mg of sodium daily. You'd be surprised how much sodium is in EVERYTHING. I haven't had a day since the beginning of the year (when I started) that I haven't gone over on my sodium intake...but I'm still learning.
