frozen dinners bad or good

gilramirez14

Who eats Adkins frozen meals or like smart ones lean cuisine are those really healthy to eat they seem high in carbs still

NerdieMcChub

I say bad because I find them repulsive. High in sodium too. But if you like them and they fit in your calories, go for it. I prefer fresh foods, personally. I know exactly what's going in my body when I weigh, measure, and make my food myself.

Holly_Roman_Empire

They're loaded with sodium to make them taste better. If you fit them into your calorie allotment, you can lose weight while eating them.

I personally don't find the macros to be ideal, and I don't find them to be very filling.

Whether they're healthy or not, is really up to the individual and whether or not it can help them reach their goals.

fuhrmeister

Eat them occasionally. They are more processed than some other choices and can be high in sodium. But much better that eating fast food. Have a few on hand help me to stay under wen I'm tempted to run to Chick fil a for lunch.

_lyndseybrooke_

Bad, and not because of nutritional value. Bad as in they taste like crap and I'd need to eat three of them to satisfy my hunger.

The biggest thing with frozen dinners is that they're usually very high in sodium. However, unless you have some sort of medical condition, sodium isn't a huge deal as long as you're drinking an adequate amount of fluids to avoid water retention.

If you enjoy them and they fit into your calorie and/or macro goals, go for it.

goddessofawesome

They're not bad for you I just wouldn't eat them all the time. I have some in my freezer for when I'm feeling lazy and don't want to cook.

Jolinia

One of the great things about eating low carb is steak. I'm not trading steak for a little tray of thawed slop.

dewsmom78

I agree, they are very high in sodium. And one of those meals aren't really filling because there's so much pasta or rice vs veggies and meat. You can make your own healthy meals and freeze them in lunch sized containers.

angf0679

I try to avoid them. They have to much salt in the to begin with. Plus, I can get ingredients to make the same thing and it would be cheaper on a by meal basis.

gilramirez14

Thanks everyone I just find I crave pasta sometimes

Jolinia

gilramirez14 wrote: »

Thanks everyone I just find I crave pasta sometimes

You can make pasta noodles out of squash.

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lishie_rebooted

dewsmom78 wrote: »

I agree, they are very high in sodium. And one of those meals aren't really filling because there's so much pasta or rice vs veggies and meat. You can make your own healthy meals and freeze them in lunch sized containers.

^This is what I do.

I'm not anti-Lean Cuisine, Healthy Choice, etc. I just don't find most of them very filling. But you can bulk them up by adding more veggies. Some of the ones from Trader Joe's are actually pretty filling, I've kept some on hand if I'm ever in a pinch.

gilramirez14

I'm not a big fan of squash

Holly_Roman_Empire

Jolinia wrote: »

gilramirez14 wrote: »

Thanks everyone I just find I crave pasta sometimes

You can make pasta noodles out of squash.

Then it would not be pasta.

Nottafattie

Pasta can be your best friend, especially if you get the whole grain variety. Good source of fiber and burns slower (body works harder to process it) and keeps your blood sugar from spiking radically. I'd personally choose something you'd make yourself over something premade, but frozen dinners on the whole aren't terrible if it's a moderation thing.

lishie_rebooted

Jolinia wrote: »

gilramirez14 wrote: »

Thanks everyone I just find I crave pasta sometimes

You can make pasta noodles out of squash.

That's not pasta. That's squash...

gilramirez14 wrote: »

I'm not a big fan of squash

OP, I made homemade mac & cheese muffins 2 weeks ago.
1 muffin is like 120 cals? (too lazy to look). They freeze great, reheat great, taste great, and are easy for portioning out.

Here's the recipe:
http://www.emilybites.com/2011/04/mac-cheese-muffins.html

The calorie count will vary based on the type of cheese and milk you use. I doubled the recipe and got 30 muffins which is why mine are 120cal not closer to 150.

Pair one or two of those with some protein and a veggie and you've got a well rounded meal right there.

Meatloaf muffins are easy to make and freeze.
http://www.skinnytaste.com/2011/08/skinny-meatloaf-cupcakes-with-mashed.html

acheben

gilramirez14 wrote: »

Thanks everyone I just find I crave pasta sometimes

Then eat some pasta. 2oz of dry spaghetti cooks up into a pretty substantial portion (at least for me) and is only around 200 calories. That leaves plenty of room for some chicken or ground beef and veggies.

AmazonMayan

I only do frozen meals like that if it's all I can have because I'm away from home. They don't keep me full very long and it can be hard sometimes to find one that isn't almost all pasta or rice.

I'm going to add pasta back into my food rotation soon and plan on doing maybe half a portion to start and adding lots of protein and some healthy fat so that I get full. Pasta is one of my "worst foods" because it's hard to stop eating more. I know I will only be able to cook that small portion at a time. I only stopped eating it to get my cravings and portions under control. I'm in a better place now