Lean Cuisine??

CorydonCutie

I used to eat these alot a long time ago and I thought they were pretty good. I am currently working and have been eating a lean ham & fat free american cheese sandwich on 35 calorie whole wheat bread with 1 tbsp of Light Mircale Whip. So I don't get burned out on these, some of you who have been dieting long than I have, can you tell me if these are healthy for you? I mean I know they are healthier than eating fast food, but are they really good for you? I so want to do this right but am flying by the seat of my pants here. Any other suggestions for something quick and easy?

pbell

i started eating these as a way for my body to readjust to proper portion sizes and they are ok every once in a while since they still are kind of high in calories fat salt and sugar. as long as its not every day i would think they would be ok.

morawjo

I've read on previous posts here before that they are better than eating fast food...but that they have a lot of sodium in them...so you just need to keep an eye out for that.

caitlinmottl

lean cuisines are pretty good dietary options, especially the ones with no preservatives. I find the most satisfying are their panini sandwichs, the meal options sound good but after heated they can be a bit dissapointing. but try em out and see what ya like, and maybe with the paninis add a lil snack baggy of fruits or veggies (:

JustForMe27

Here's the thing that I have found with anything like that... It is pretty much guaranteed to be loaded with sodium! So while they are easy on the calories they still get you with the sodium!. I would recommend taking a day and just cooking a few meals that you can portion out and freeze. Good luck, hope I answered your question.

kate1398

Tuna is a good option if you like it. I mix my tuna with mustard instead of mayo and I really like it.

emmyvera

I would say as a back up it would be okay. I've done that in the past. Emergency rush meal at work or at home.

BUT I have really been watching my sodium intake, so I don't eat them at all. I think watching your sodium is really important when you are trying to eat healthy and for weight loss. Any processed foods or frozen meals like that may seem more convenient, but they really aren't as healthy.

In the long run, I'd say it would be healthier to just make your own lunches from clean foods and less processed.

tao223

Lean Cuisines are pretty delicious. There are so many different kinds that your bound to find one that you like. Many of them are low fat and low in calories. The only downside is that they are high in salt content. However not everyone is affected by too much salt, you know your body best. I recently had a new lean cuisine market creation, You put the bag in the microwave and have the bag steamed. The portion is the whole bag which is about the same at the boxed meals and they taste better than the box ones. Give them a try and let me know how you like them! :-)

klwa

I used to eat them, too, but I have to admit, I'm not a fan any more. I try to stay totally away from processed foods, if at all possible. They tend to have way too much sodium and hidden sugars. Something has to make them taste good in order for them to have so few calories, right? What about peanut butter (the real kind, not Jif or Skippy) and apples? Easy to take to work if you have a refrigerator there, and SO good for you! Or you could make up a salad with some whole wheat crackers on the side. Either way, you'd be getting in some fruits/veggies.

MsTrudy66

I personally don't buy them. 1. They can be expensive, unless on sale or using coupons. 2. They don't teach me how to choose healthy, wholesome foods. 3. Anything in a box or bag has preservatives in it. (so I haven't checked the box, but I'm just assuming Lean Cuisine does.) I am making an effort to eat natural, wholesome foods either from the fruit/veg aisle, or frozen bags of fruits/vegs and cooking from recipes. I would just be careful about relying on a boxed meal that's already prepared, and think more about making meals from scratch, unless it is to take to work and heat up for lunch. Good luck!

ruralhipster

It gets to the point where you will pick any package and the first thing you look at on the nutrition info is the sodium, then the calories.

erickirb

No, not healthy at all. Like you said better than fast food, but not by much. Just because something is low in calories does not make it healthy. Many low cal versions of foods are less healthy than their full fat cousins as well.

lutzsher

Read the ingredients, if there are things in there that you can't pronounce, additives or fillers (many of these "prepared" type of foods have "corn" fillers present) then don't eat them.
Losing weight is not just about the scale, it is about your health as well. I have adopted a very "clean" diet and no longer consume anything prepared like these.

I cooked an extra big chicken breast with our dinner last night, half was sliced for my husband's sandwich for lunch and the other half is for my salad. Took me about 5 minutes to throw my lunch together before I left the house for work this morning. Including the dressing my HUGE salad is more filling and much less calories than a lean cuisine, plus I won't be gaining water weight from a ton of sodium.

Since I have made sure to plan our food ahead of time my results have been much better because everything is made by my hands so I know what is in it.

The one day in the last number of months that I didn't get a chance to take my lunch (I actually left it sitting on the kitchen table) I popped into subway and got a roasted chicken breast 6" on whole wheat with NO dressing or sauce, just a ton of veggies. This was still less calories than a lean cuisine and less sodium.

I am definately not a fan of anything processed!

addie807

I wouldn't bother with any kind of tv dinner. they are nasty and processed food. Even if it's "lean cuisine" . A cooked meal is the best way to go. You control what goes in it. So you know how much fat, calories, etc is going in it. And you know what exact ingredients go into it.

TayJoMama

I have to say as a working mother of two, I like the convenience of Lean Cuisine's. I eat them a couple of times a week for lunch and I'm never over my sodium intake for the day unless I pair it with soda or eat something else with a lot of sodium. I try to look for the ones that are lower in sodium and calories.

However, I also to make extra portions of dinner so that I can take that to work. I also will have tuna or make a salad to take to work as well, so I'm not relying on Lean Cuisines all the time.

poisongirl6485

I think they're great to stock up on for lunches for work to avoid going out for fast food etc. It keeps your portions controlled, calories down quite a bit compared to what you COULD be eating, and it's relatively inexpensive especially if you hit a good sale.

herwholejourney

They are fine to eat - just watch your sodium intake, or drink extra extra water for the day when you eat them. I eat them for lunch/ or breakfast pretty much every single day. Some of them have lower sodium and if you go online, and google for lower sodium - I know they make lower sodium ones.

mayana2002

I have them as plan B. I think some have a lot of calories... If you couldn't cook and there is no good place to buy a light lunch nearby your work, go for it. Will not kill you and in 1-2 days the sodium will be flushed out of your system. Drink a lot of water. I buy othe brands, Lean Cuisine tates funny for me... I don't really like them.

CorydonCutie

Tuna is a good option if you like it. I mix my tuna with mustard instead of mayo and I really like it.

Do you still put eggs and pickle in it or just the tuna and egg?

edorice

I wouldn't bother with any kind of tv dinner. they are nasty and processed food. Even if it's "lean cuisine" . A cooked meal is the best way to go. You control what goes in it. So you know how much fat, calories, etc is going in it. And you know what exact ingredients go into it.

A good cooked meal at say McDonalds?

CorydonCutie

With all this talk about sodium intake...how much is recommended? I have no idea what to even stay under.

Yearoftherabbit

I eat them once a day because I need variety and don't have time to make every meal from scratch. I always eat them with a big, healthy salad on the side.
Also, with your sandwich, do you add any veggies? If all you are eating is bread, ham, mayo and fat free cheese... that's not really balanced. I'd add fresh cucumbers, tomato, spinach, peppers and onions to it to keep it balanced.
My rule of thumb is that every meal, except for breakfast, comes with a salad with low calorie dressing.
I'm looking for better options, because before dieting, I stayed away from processed foods. Right now, they are just easy for me to help me get on track with portion control.
Also, I don't add salt to my other meals, so even if the salt content is high for the lean cuisines, the rest of my day is virtually sodium free.
Hope that helps!

KSML1

If you are working and looking for a different lunch during the week, I would say a Lean Cuisine might be what you are looking for. It is probably hard to cook a meal at work which means eating out or packing a lunch., The new market creations are not bad and are pretty low in calories. I use coupons all the time and have found one on the lean cuisine website for $1 off of 2 packages. My grocery store has them for $1.98 this week.

Soup might be another optionfor you. You can make it yourself with little or no processed ingredients and take it to reheat.

SHBoss1673

With all this talk about sodium intake...how much is recommended? I have no idea what to even stay under.

if you don't have high BP or a history of it, then about 2500 mg of sodium per day is what is recommended. You can be under, no problem, and really if you don't have a BP issue then going over by a few hundred to a thousand isn't a problem either. Just be warned the more sodium you eat, the more water you will retain, so take any weigh ins right after (for about 36 hours) you have a high sodium day with a grain of salt (pun intended).

Many people extol the virtues of keeping sodium below 1500 mg, but there's no medical evidence that it does anything for you to do this. And going to low on sodium can really mess up your electrolyte balance, especially if you work out for long periods (say over 90 minutes per day at a moderate level or higher).

prisha

Its good for one or two times a week I would say. Try a different variety of food choices. Home made food is healthy and costs less since we know what goes inside each dish. I usually have 1 whole wheat bread slice with 2 honey baked turkey slices and a fruit with a cup of milk for break fast. For lunch sometime I have home made whole wheat pasta loaded with vegetables or Egg white scramble with a roti. For dinner its usually a cup of salad and 1 piece of grilled tilapia fish or half cup of select harvest soup and 2 egg whites boiled. For snacks that I eat twice a day, I eat 12 almonds/pistachios or 1 string cheese 80 cal pack or a fruit.

It is important to have regular meals every single day with at least an hour of exercise. A balanced meal with protein, calcium, vitamins, good fats and carbs is important to stay active and energetic. Good luck with your weight loss.

edorice

People talk a lot about these types of meals, but they don't keep in mind the many thousands of milligrams of sodiium that was in the food at their favorite restaurant.

kate1398

Since I do it mostly at work, I don't put anything else except the mustard. I'm usually in a hurry so I keep it simple. I'm sure you can add eggs and pickle at home though and even throw in some black olives if you like them. Not sure how many calories it would add up to though.

megteg

I eat Lean Cuisines everyday for lunch. I can't get up early in the am so they are really fast and convenient. The main thing I've been eating them for is to get a jump-start on a low-cal diet and to really rein in my portion sizes, which were out of control. Now I actually sometimes get too full to finish them!

At this point, though, I'm going to start limiting them and try to bring fresh lunches to lower my sodium intake and learn how to prepare lower cal meals.

scagneti

Many people extol the virtues of keeping sodium below 1500 mg, but there's no medical evidence that it does anything for you to do this. And going to low on sodium can really mess up your electrolyte balance, especially if you work out for long periods (say over 90 minutes per day at a moderate level or higher).

Good point! My 77 year old mother was called in by her doctor because her sodium was too low (she wouldn't eat anything processed, or add salt, etc.) which meant that her body wasn't obsorbing nutrients because they were being rinsed out of her too quickly (kidneys would produce more urine, etc.) Low sodium can also cause lethargy and confusion (not sure if just in elderly patients or in all people). Most people don't need to worry about not having enough sodium though!

TayJoMama

With all this talk about sodium intake...how much is recommended? I have no idea what to even stay under.

MFP makes this easy! If you click on the settings button and then click on "Diary Settings". In the very first area "Nutrients Tracked" you can select Sodium as one of the things you want to keep track of. Gotta love MFP!

LadyKatie2010

like ANY thing else...you just cant eat a butt-load of 'em and then wonder what went wrong.

I like them though. I also like weight watchers' meals.

mix it up. i find thats the easiest thing to do. can't eat a ton of one thing...our bodies require more than that