Are microwaveable meals REALLY bad?

Maldivesbeachbodplease

hi all... So I used to do weight watchers and regularly ate low fat microweable meals!

Are they really bad for you? Even if they are low cal/fat?! Xxx

Pohudet

I think they are very good for controlling your calorie intake. Some of them may be high in sodium, just like canned foods. Otherwise I think they are pretty good and they even taste good. I used to eat Lean Quisine "under 300 cal" frozen dishes with chicken. The ones with basil and with peanut sauce were my favorite.

AlyRoseNYC

IMO they really TASTE bad. The pasta and veggies are usually soggy and the meats look weird and too small in portion size. If I'm going to eat pasta I want it perfectly cooked al dente

RNmomto4

I used to eat them a lot on WW as well and lost weight.

Now that I am eating clean, I never get them...I drink a lot of water and have no health concerns, so the sodium content doesnt bother me too much.

But they arent as filling as veggies, homemade soup, rice, etc.

In a rush, they work well though...

marycmeadows

the sodium is ridiculous. and when I've had them they didn't even fill me up. I'd rather eat something natural, such as fresh veggies and some chicken, than a frozen meal any day.

gtchs

I wouldn't recommend eating them for every meal but like anything else they are fine in moderation. Watch the sodium content though...they are usually loaded down with it.

brancakes

I keep them around for quick lunches. They are always a good portion for me. I love the lean cusisine pizzas

lukeout007

I don't think they are bad really unless you are eating them every single day. I eat them sometimes for lunch. The sodium is high but not bad otherwise. I like the Smart Ones Fettucine Alfredo with Broccoli.

NoAdditives

They are generally very high in sodium, preservatives, etc. and come in small, unsatisfying portions. Also, microwaving plastic makes it release chemicals than can be toxic.

BrettPGH

Well the phrase "microwaveable meals" really covers a wide range of products. Everything from Weight Watchers to a Hungry Man dinner.

Like anything else your best bet is to just read the label.

erickirb

Most are high in carbs, low in protein, high in chemical, high in sodium, and are not very filling. whether that is healthy or not is debatable and depends on the rest of your diet as well.

elfo

BAD BAD BAD-- they are loaded with JUNK and if you look at the portions - they're super tiny. Introduce more veggies into your diet- they're easy - wash, cut eat! AND you can eat and eat and eat and they are very low on cals ...

This is my diary so far (today) and it's only 1pm...

Breakfast
Kale - Raw, 3 cup, chopped 101 20g 1g 7g 0mg 86mg 0g 4g
Pero - Mini Sweet Peppers (Yellow, Red, Orange), 2 peppers (85 g) 17 3g 0g 1g 0mg 0mg 2g 1g
Strawberries - Raw, 0.5 cup, halves 24 6g 0g 1g 0mg 1mg 4g 2g
Fruit - Kiwi Fruit, 1 medium 76g 46 11g 1g 1g 0mg 2mg 7g 2g
365 Organic - Frozen Mixed Berries - Frozen Mixed Berries, 0.5 cup 40 9g 0g 0g 0mg 0mg 5g 2g
Vitamin Shoppe - Spirulina, 1 tsp. 10 1g 0g 2g 0mg 15mg 0g 0g
Nuts Online - Chlorella Powder, 5 g (0.4 oz) 21 1g 0g 3g 0mg 0mg 0g 0g
Nuts Online - Organic Wheatgrass Powder, 0.5 tsp 18 2g 0g 1g 0mg 1mg 0g 1g
Nuts Online - Echinacea powder, 5 g 25 2g 1g 1g 0mg 0mg 0g 1g
Lunch
Kale - Raw, 3 cup, chopped 101 20g 1g 7g 0mg 86mg 0g 4g
El's Homemade Salsa, 3 serving(s) 44 9g 0g 2g 0mg 155mg 4g 3g
Pero - Mini Sweet Peppers (Yellow, Red, Orange), 1.5 peppers (85 g) 12 2g 0g 0g 0mg 0mg 1g 0g
Tomatoes - Sun-dried, 0.1 cup 14 3g 0g 1g 0mg 113mg 2g 1g
Bertoli - Evoo, 0.3 tbsp 36 0g 4g 0g 0mg 0mg 0g 0g
Nellie & Joe's - Key West Lime Juice, 1 Tsp 0 0g 0g 0g 0mg 5mg 0g 0g
TOTAL: 509 89g 8g 27g 0mg 464mg 25g 21g

ALL THIS FOOD- only 509 calories and the vitamins are GREAT!
you have to wonder what you're getting for your calories in those prepackaged meals

fitniknik

If you have to, you have to. I ate a ton of them for a long time before I just could not stand the sight of them! Now I make double batches of whatever I am making for dinner and automatically portion the left overs out and freeze them for my "microwave meals"

tsh0ck

hi all... So I used to do weight watchers and regularly ate low fat microweable meals!

Are they really bad for you? Even if they are low cal/fat?! Xxx

No.

(The only unhealthy food is one eaten to excess.)

honeysprinkles

I wouldn't say that they're bad for you, but clearly they aren't the healthiest. Really, it all depends on your own goals. I mostly only pay attention to calories and then I try to not go over on sodium too much. I regularly eat lean cuisines and hot pockets. I know it's not the best food in the world, but it's low calorie and I have no health problems that I need to watch out for, so I eat them. And they're cheap and fast, another good thing to me!

opus649

Healthy Choice makes a line of "steamers" that don't have preservatives and are not loaded with sodium. They keep the liquid and solids separate so the food doesn't get soggy, and they taste pretty good, too.

http://www.healthychoice.com/healthy-quick-meals-cafe-steamers

I highly recommend them!!

AlsDonkBoxSquat

Read your labels, most are particularly high in sodium. Also, the low fat diet fad is crap, some fats are actually really good for you and having healthy fats in your diet will help keep you feeling full. Low cal is what it is, doesn't matter if it's labeled "low cal" what matters is that it fits into your daily calorie goals while helping you meet your macros.

honeysprinkles

BAD BAD BAD-- they are loaded with JUNK and if you look at the portions - they're super tiny. Introduce more veggies into your diet- they're easy - wash, cut eat! AND you can eat and eat and eat and they are very low on cals ...

This is my diary so far (today) and it's only 1pm...

Breakfast
Kale - Raw, 3 cup, chopped 101 20g 1g 7g 0mg 86mg 0g 4g
Pero - Mini Sweet Peppers (Yellow, Red, Orange), 2 peppers (85 g) 17 3g 0g 1g 0mg 0mg 2g 1g
Strawberries - Raw, 0.5 cup, halves 24 6g 0g 1g 0mg 1mg 4g 2g
Fruit - Kiwi Fruit, 1 medium 76g 46 11g 1g 1g 0mg 2mg 7g 2g
365 Organic - Frozen Mixed Berries - Frozen Mixed Berries, 0.5 cup 40 9g 0g 0g 0mg 0mg 5g 2g
Vitamin Shoppe - Spirulina, 1 tsp. 10 1g 0g 2g 0mg 15mg 0g 0g
Nuts Online - Chlorella Powder, 5 g (0.4 oz) 21 1g 0g 3g 0mg 0mg 0g 0g
Nuts Online - Organic Wheatgrass Powder, 0.5 tsp 18 2g 0g 1g 0mg 1mg 0g 1g
Nuts Online - Echinacea powder, 5 g 25 2g 1g 1g 0mg 0mg 0g 1g
Lunch
Kale - Raw, 3 cup, chopped 101 20g 1g 7g 0mg 86mg 0g 4g
El's Homemade Salsa, 3 serving(s) 44 9g 0g 2g 0mg 155mg 4g 3g
Pero - Mini Sweet Peppers (Yellow, Red, Orange), 1.5 peppers (85 g) 12 2g 0g 0g 0mg 0mg 1g 0g
Tomatoes - Sun-dried, 0.1 cup 14 3g 0g 1g 0mg 113mg 2g 1g
Bertoli - Evoo, 0.3 tbsp 36 0g 4g 0g 0mg 0mg 0g 0g
Nellie & Joe's - Key West Lime Juice, 1 Tsp 0 0g 0g 0g 0mg 5mg 0g 0g
TOTAL: 509 89g 8g 27g 0mg 464mg 25g 21g

I am of the thought process that I'd rather eat less of the food that I actually enjoy then a ton of food that I don't! More power to you if that's what you like, but doing it another way doesn't automatically equal "BAD, BAD, BAD"

pyrowill

A microwave is a form of cooking, nothing more, nothing less, no different to your oven or hob. It all depends on what is on the label to be honest;. As most people have said the main killer with them is sodium since micro meals sometimes have to keep for a while and the salt acts as a preservative.

In terms of portion sizes and calorie I actually think they are quite good. Go for the low salt ones rather than the low fat ones. Low fat doesn't necessarily mean healthy for you.

opus649

For example, they have a Grilled Chicken Marinara with Parmesan:

Calories: 280
Total Fat: 4.5 g
Sodium: 570 mg
Potassium: 840 mg
Total Carbs: 38 g
Dietary Fiber: 6 g
Protein: 20 g

caitlinmcauley

they dont fill me up, and they have ridiculous amounts of sodium, so i try not to eat them. i always keep a few of the low cal smart ones in the freezer for a pinch tho. i work a day time job and a night time job, so sometimes i dont have another option.