Lean cuisine???

countrydarling1

I sometimes buy lean cuisines for the days that are really busy & need somethng fast! Are they really not that good for you (processed food)??? some of them r really good. they r so easy to look at the calories & go. I dont eat them all the time.

What do Yall think???

Hopeinanguish

I used to eat them myself, but the sodium is generally through the roof. What i do now (because I have a really busy schedule myself) is I cook a couple meals during the weekend that I can eat throughout the week and I get some healthy, filling snacks (nuts, etc). I also drink a protein drink if I'm in a super rush! I hope this helps!

husker_gal

they really aren't that good for you but in a pinch they will work. I try to set aside an afternoon on the weekends to try and cook at least a couple of meals that I can just throw in the freezer and pull out later in the week when I need something to just throw in the microwave and eat fast. Good Luck!

chezmama

I eat 'em every now and then. But I am not really trying to eat clean....just less. They are high in sodium, and that's not good. But I personally don't see the harm once in awhile. That's just me though.

withchaco

Yeah, sodium is a big issue with lean cuisine. But some of them have less sodium (still a lot, but tolerable amounts) than others, so you just have to choose them carefully!

taso42_DELETED

For once in a blue, when you're too busy to make a full meal, it's aight. You could do better though. Those things are full of sodium and chemicals.

bjenny12345

I eat maybe a few a week. You can definitely pick better or worse ones. Look at the label for sodium before purchasing them, they can range from out of control high, to fit it into your day levels. My favorite one btw is the Vegetable Egg Roll, it is awesome and no mystery meat!

Michelle_H

Meh - so long as you aren't on them all the time I think they're fine when you're in a hurry. If it's coming up to 5 times a week maybe, perhaps a couple for lunch and another couple or so on the other days then I think you maybe need to plan a bit more. I cook up a couple of different soups whenever I've time and portion them into those cheap containers from the supermarket. That way when you really can't be bothered you can grab one and take it to work or just reheat from frozen if it's for dinner.

samntim

I persoanlly don't track sodium, so that's neither her nor there for me. I'm most interested in calories, protein and fat.

The rest of my family are all canivores so on the days I cook them a very meat orientated meal I quite often will have a frozen meal for convenience and variety. So may 2 - 3 times per week on average.

If you were to do Jenny Craig etc, a lot of their meals are frozen...

Also makes it really easy to keep track of quantity...

Good luck

Umeboshi

I don't care much about my sodium so I eat a lot of lean cuisines. They're low calorie and delicious and since I rarely have energy to cook, they keep me from eating much worse stuff like fast food.

samntim

I don't care much about my sodium so I eat a lot of lean cuisines. They're low calorie and delicious and since I rarely have energy to cook, they keep me from eating much worse stuff like fast food.

I'm so with you there!!!

Pebble321

I don't think there is any harm in them now and again. Just log them and make sure you balance them out by getting fresh fruit and veggies in your other meals.
My main problem with them is that they have a really long ingredient list, and I'm sure that it is mostly cheap "fillers" rather than actual nutritious ingredients.

auntiebabs

Watch out for the SUGAR.... SUGAR is the DEVIL....
okay, my problem with sugar is that it increases your appetite so I've, on more than one occasion, accidentally picked up one with entirely too much sugar then I"m hungry all night long. To the point were I end up going over on my calories.

The nutritionist I went to said the BOTH SUGAR and ARTIFICIAL SWEETENERS increase your appetite and make you crave more sweets.

Oh yeah,the sodium seems kind of excessive as well.

karamille

Yup. I use them. Not everyday, but once or twice a week. My little guy needs a massive amount of calories for health reasons. If I can't modify what I am fixing for my kids to get the calories low enough for me, I grab a lean cuisine. I don't stress over sodium or sugar. BP is fine and so are my fasting sugars. My cholesterol levels are pretty spectacular too... Thanks dad for the awesome cholesterol genes!

BuddhaBabeee

Umm well I honestly only ate Lean Cuisine & Smart Ones meals for a month, non stop. For lunch and dinner. I lost 11 pounds. Well of course that was also with exercise. But they're sorta tasty and they get the job done.

Pseudocyber

A lot less salt than Dominos, Chinese delivery, Papa Johns ... mmmm.

countrydarling1

Thank you! Big help! i usually only eat about 2 a week, if that. Im pretty picky on which ones i eat bc they can be so gross. I love there fajita spring rolls for 200 cals, U get three, they r filling & a good snack. Much better then goin out to a restuarant & getting the real deal for 1500 calories!

bcattoes

They are usually low in nutrition, as most prepared frozen meals are, and you get very little food for the amount of calories. I don't know how those little things fill anyone up.

nisharae

Try Amy's brand, or Kashi, atleast those are all natural... A tad higher in cals, but better for you (less processed) and also Amy's has some low sodium ones.

Kerseygeek

The only lean cuisine I buy is the french bread pepperoni pizza but only occasionally. I usually get the smart ones teriyaki chicken and vegs. meal and I eat that probably twice a week if I don't have something else. I don't worry about my sodium too much.

Marll

They are absolute garbage. The processed nature of them, the high sugar and carbs, it's a diet deathtrap. If stuff like that actually worked to help you on your weighloss journey they'd be out of business.

Any other brand of ready to eat meal as well, regardless of how "natural" they pretend to be (Looking at Amy's and Kashi specifically!), are just as processed and chock full of crap ingredients too. Can you actually pronounce half of the stuff on the labels for most processed food? No? Then you likely shouldn't be eating it.

While many on this site will see red over this comment, I'd rather skip a meal than put that kind of junk in my mouth, at the very least go get a burger and take the bun off, probably way healthier for you than a Lean Cuisine.

coachl78

A major drawback I find is the high sodium content. I try to keep my daily sodium below 2500. Healthy Choice is one I use in a pinch as well. On those days of in taking processed food keep a close eye on the other items you eat and keep within or under the ranges you and your dietician have established.Good Luck!