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If you’re wondering how healthy are Lean Cuisines Frozen Dinners, you’re not alone. Many people see them in their grocer’s freezer aisle with promises of being low in fat, low in carbs, and often being popular diet program approved. But are they really healthy for you? Will they actually help you lose weight?
Most of Lean Cuisine’s frozen dinner entrees contain between 200-400 calories. 200-400 calories for a meal is a reasonable range, however, when you think about how teensy tiny the serving sizes are, it’s not surprising that for many they simply are not filling enough, which may cause one to eat something else with it as well, making the calorie count drastically go up.
Another concern with anything frozen is that you do not get the same nutritional and health benefits as you would as eating fresh foods. Not to mention, reheating something in your microwave does not always taste the best.
The second thing to consider when thinking about eating frozen dinners and how healthy they are is that they are pre-packaged processed meals. This often means they have many added ingredients that you really don’t need – such as food coloring, preservatives, and other chemicals. Just look at the ingredient list on any of the frozen food packages, and it is likely you will see at least 1-2 things you cannot even pronounce, let alone identify what it actually is without doing a full blown research paper to know its health effects.
A third disadvantage to these frozen dinners is that they are high in sodium. While sodium should be a part of a diet in moderation, a single dinner can have an entire day’s allowance of sodium in it! Being able to control your salt intake is very important if you are concerned about sodium or water weight gain.
If you’ve been eating Lean Cuisines Frozen Dinners, there is no need to panic. Chances are you have not eaten enough of them to see any significant effects, and it is likely they are no more worse for you than eating any other frozen processed meals.
The convenience of frozen dinners is obvious – there is nothing quite as simple as sticking something in the microwave for a few minutes and then being able to eat it! However, if you truly want to see a difference in your health and your weight, preparing your own meals in the best way to go. There are many shortcuts you can take to making your own meals, such as cutting up vegetables ahead of time or even buying pre-sliced veggies at grocery stores. Many things can still be cooked in the microwave without being frozen first and without all of the unnecessary food additives added in.
Lean Cuisines and other frozen dinner entrees are not the best choice – cooking your own healthy and natural foods will bring you much better results in your diet and your nutrition.
