Lean Cuisine??

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  • Yearoftherabbit
    Yearoftherabbit Posts: 20
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    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
    KSML1 Posts: 15 Member
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    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
    SHBoss1673 Posts: 7,161 Member
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    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
    prisha Posts: 2
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    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
    edorice Posts: 4,519 Member
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    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
    kate1398 Posts: 34
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    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
    megteg Posts: 97 Member
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    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
    scagneti Posts: 707 Member
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    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
    TayJoMama Posts: 348 Member
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    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
    LadyKatie2010 Posts: 115
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    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 :)
  • SHBoss1673
    SHBoss1673 Posts: 7,161 Member
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    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!

    That's for everyone. Electrolytes help regulate the electrical conductivity in the body, I.E. synapses in the brain. It also slows reaction time (because the body uses electrical impulses in nerves). Which means besides hydration levels, it also effects your brain and nervous system. That's why both sodium and potassium levels are crucial to keep steady.
  • jmbuth
    jmbuth Posts: 4
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    I prefer Weight Watchers Smart Ones. They seem to be healthier and taste much better than any frozen entrees I've tried before. They fill me up more too. You can get them at Target for $2 or less. Just be careful with any frozen things. Microwaving in those plastic trays releases a lot of carcinogens and toxins. If I'm having one for lunch, I'll stick it in the fridge when I get to work and then transfer it to a regular bowl or dish just before microwaving.
  • Ruffles88
    Ruffles88 Posts: 3
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    To be truthful, it all depends on preferance. If you like the convience of the dinners, (and myself, too) then stick with them. The Lean Cuisines have helped me lose weight! I really like how they have lots of varieties, but also the meal can stay with in your daily caloric intakes. If you do have one, just make sure to exercise, for that will boost the total sodium intake for the day. No one can force you to say no to them, it is all your choice!
  • rainbowdash
    rainbowdash Posts: 10 Member
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    I like lean cuisine. I would not eat them If I had more time to cook, or shop. I sometimes add frozen veggies to make them seem a little more substatial. I also eat the Jimmie deans delights sandhwiches a couple times a week. I am sure that I will need to branch out.
  • MrsKelly73
    MrsKelly73 Posts: 23
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    I love my lean cuisines!!! but I'm questioning if I should be eating so many...I eat 3 maybe 4 a week for lunch. I HATE sandwiches!! so this is my alternative. This is only day 6 for me...so I'm not sure yet how this will all pan out. I hope I'm not hurting myself my eating so many of them.
  • hardybelle83
    hardybelle83 Posts: 57
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    They are a little more expensive, but I keep some Kashi & Amy's meals on hand when I absolutely have no time to make lunch for work (or, more likely, when I've packed it but left it @ home!!). They are much lower in sodium than most of the other frozen meal options & I can pronounce all of the ingredients!! :)
  • pinkprincessness
    pinkprincessness Posts: 36 Member
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    I have to agree here. I eat them on a regular basis at work. I will switch it up with tuna with 1 tbs of light mayo on wheat bread. I drink tons of water so I think the salt flushes out. lol But I am a working mom of 2, and if Lean Cuisine is on sale....I'm buying um!!
    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! :-)
  • Izzygirl1985
    Izzygirl1985 Posts: 30
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    I am a medical student. After coming home from being in the hospital 10+ hours, then workout, unwind, study, and then WORKOUT, I literally have ZERO energy left. I can either order some nasty fattening chinese food (with massive amounts of sodium) or opt for a lean cuisine and an apple. Oh...and did I add that I also spend my weekends studying even more? So no, I don't have time to cook 3 meals and package them up. Finally, I get bored eating the same dinner every night. I am sorry, but one lean cuisine meal a day (with approx 25% of daily sodium) has been a LIFE SAVER for me. And yes, i do watch my sodium for all other meals and I drink water like mad.
  • 1113cw
    1113cw Posts: 830 Member
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    Besides the sodium and the fact that's it's a processed, packaged meal, I also wanted to point out that alot of them are carb heavy and go light on the protein. This makes a difference if you're watching your carbs as I am.

    Even so, as long as you limit them to occassional, I don't see anything wrong with having them once or twice a week.

    Just my two cent! :)

    Christine
  • jennylynn84
    jennylynn84 Posts: 659
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    Besides the sodium and the fact that's it's a processed, packaged meal, I also wanted to point out that alot of them are carb heavy and go light on the protein. This makes a difference if you're watching your carbs as I am.

    Even so, as long as you limit them to occassional, I don't see anything wrong with having them once or twice a week.

    Just my two cent! :)

    Christine

    This is true and often a bigger issue for me than the sodium.

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