Do eat processed foods?

skonly
skonly Posts: 371
in Food and Nutrition
I am just wondering how many people are eating prepackaged dinners? I have seen many people post what they eat and it looks like it's mostly something low cal that only requires a microwave.

I can't eat most food like that because of gluten.

I can understand not having time to cook. But it seems to me like eating frozen meals wouldn't be very good for you every day.
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Replies

  • hooah_mj
    hooah_mj Posts: 1,004 Member
    love my deli meats...so so much sodium, tho

    quit all the other frozen lunch selections in place of an apple and protein powder instead
  • skonly
    skonly Posts: 371
    love my deli meats...so so much sodium, tho

    quit all the other frozen lunch selections in place of an apple and protein powder instead

    It's hard to avoid everything processed. I do eat some, just not the frozen dinners.

    At my house everyone knows not to touch any deli or lunchmeat! It's for the dogs. Cheaper than treats and a bargaining tool to my stuff back. lol. They only get a small bite at a time.
  • Rae6503
    Rae6503 Posts: 6,294 Member
    I do eat a lot of processed foods. Convenience foods are well, convenient.

    I don't eat "diet" frozen dinners often mainly because they don't taste that great and often aren't enough calories (protein, fat or fiber) to feel me up.
  • CoderGal
    CoderGal Posts: 6,800 Member
    Can't stand prepackaged dinners but at the same time almost everything is processed in some way, hard to stay away from. I was even making my own flour for bread for a while but it's so time consuming.
  • redhousecat
    redhousecat Posts: 584 Member
    no, I'm pretty much a clean eater. Once I ditched the processed foods, my body had a more positive reaction to my workouts. Plus, I just feel better.

    But that's just me. Everyone varies.
  • AsellusReborn
    AsellusReborn Posts: 1,112 Member
    As little as possible, but it's impossible to avoid them entirely. When I got pregnant we ditched our microwave because we decided it was leading to bad eating habits - that was over 4 years ago and while I miss microwave popcorn that's about it. The TV dinners are a lot less attractive when they take an hour in the oven - I can make fresh from scratch food in a fraction of that time.
  • Elf_Princess1210
    Elf_Princess1210 Posts: 895 Member
    I used to live off of Marie Calendar's TV dinners, but I lived by myself and really had no reason to cook. I hate cooking just for myself.
  • LorinaLynn
    LorinaLynn Posts: 13,247 Member
    I have some microwave dinners for lunch sometimes, especially in the summer when I don't want to heat up the house further cooking something for one person.

    I prefer to eat a home-cooked meal... but I don't always want to make one.
  • Crochetluvr
    Crochetluvr Posts: 3,282 Member
    Frozen dinners tend to be loaded with carbs and sodium. Deli meats have nitrates. I don't eat the former and avoid the latter. I would rather buy a rotisserie chicken, pull that apart and put it in sandwiches or just eat it off the bone.
  • cmeade20
    cmeade20 Posts: 1,238 Member
    I try to avoid it but as others have said it's not always possible. I can't remember the last time I had a frozen tv dinner though.
  • 0somuchbetter0
    0somuchbetter0 Posts: 1,335 Member
    After living in rural Africa for five years, I was like a kid in a candy store when I came back to the U.S. I went to Costco and bought a bunch of pre-packaged foods that I thought would make life oh so much easier. I found that they didn't taste very good, they're not very healthy, and cooking from scratch gives me more control over what I and my family are putting in our bodies. Stuff like "hamburger helper" is so ridiculous...I can make the same meal from scratch in the same amount of time only using fresh, healthy ingredients and my kids like it better.
  • tmauck4472
    tmauck4472 Posts: 1,785 Member
    I pretty much stay away from all processed foods, I have nothing out of a box, and I eat no lunch meat. I cook in advance and freeze so that I don't have to worry about it.
  • cheshirechic
    cheshirechic Posts: 489 Member
    I try my best not to. It also depends on your definition of processed: organic, raw-milk cheese undergoes processing, but it's not bad for you the way velveeta would be. I define processed as not being able to understand what the ingredients are, and in that case, I don't eat them (or, at least try REALLY hard to avoid them). <3
  • Phaedra2014
    Phaedra2014 Posts: 1,254 Member
    No frozen dinners Lean Cuisine type meals. They taste of nothing. I avoid buying deli meats as much as possible. We do eat some cheese and yogurt.
  • meshashesha2012
    meshashesha2012 Posts: 8,329 Member
    yep sometimes i risk a gluten rash for trader joe's 3 cheese mac n cheese. same goes for the delicious banh mi sammiches from the vietnamese spot.i personally see no point in 100% avoiding the foods i enjoy.

    if i ever get to the stage where my allergy becomes so bad that i get the rashes and throat constriction every time i eat gluten then of course i'll stop. until then i've been losing just fine adding these type things in here and there
  • ExplorinLauren
    ExplorinLauren Posts: 991 Member
    I am just wondering how many people are eating prepackaged dinners? I have seen many people post what they eat and it looks like it's mostly something low cal that only requires a microwave.

    I can't eat most food like that because of gluten.

    I can understand not having time to cook. But it seems to me like eating frozen meals wouldn't be very good for you every day.


    Lean Cuisines? Stuff like that?? I never eat that stuff... I did originally..when I 1st got here. I was just trying to lower my calories. But since coming here realized, I can't eat that crap either lol
  • SamanthaAnnM
    SamanthaAnnM Posts: 143 Member
    I don't eat the packaged dinners and I try to avoid as much processed food as possible but I'm not close to 100% clean. :(
  • Mrsbrandnewmeslimandtrim
    Mrsbrandnewmeslimandtrim Posts: 267 Member
    Bump
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
    I tend to avoid processed frozen stuff and fast food. BUT I do keep some amy's organic frozen burritos and some PJs organic frozen burritos (and a few other Amy's organics) in the freezer for days when time or motivation is lacking. Otherwise I try to eat pretty clean. I don't focus simply on calories. I try to focus on fueling my body.
  • momtokgo
    momtokgo Posts: 446 Member
    The only packaged meal that I eat is Thai Kitchen hot and sour soup, or Mushroom soup. So yummy. They are some of those "just add boiling water" instant type soups, but they are made with rice noodles and are gluten free which is why I eat them.
  • hothodgie
    hothodgie Posts: 258 Member
    I try not to now. The frozen diet dinners I used to eat for lunch every day at work for like 3 months straight. I was just trying to get my calories in control. I lost ZERO weight eating them and finally gave them up. The only thing I eat frozen now is veggies and occasionally ice cream. There will not be any frozen dinners in my freezer ever again.
  • Determinednoob
    Determinednoob Posts: 2,001 Member
    If you like samiches get a $99 food slicer and some roasts and chicken breasts and slice away.
  • skonly
    skonly Posts: 371
    yep sometimes i risk a gluten rash for trader joe's 3 cheese mac n cheese. same goes for the delicious banh mi sammiches from the vietnamese spot.i personally see no point in 100% avoiding the foods i enjoy.

    if i ever get to the stage where my allergy becomes so bad that i get the rashes and throat constriction every time i eat gluten then of course i'll stop. until then i've been losing just fine adding these type things in here and there

    I do the same thing. lol. Just make sure I don't have anywhere to go. But even a little affects me. I find taking a lot of acidoplhilus helps. I had a little two days ago and am paying for it now. I was out with people and we stopped to eat, there really were no choices and I was hungry.
  • HelloSweetie4
    HelloSweetie4 Posts: 1,214 Member
    I used to eat frozen meals for lunch at work all the time. I've been able to retrain myself and make better lunch choices now. I will only have a frozen meal if I forget to go grocery shopping and need to stop for something on my way to work.
  • skonly
    skonly Posts: 371
    By processed I did mean the tv dinner type foods.

    My son is 22 and lives with me. If we go shopping together we do down different aisles. lol. I laughed so hard the other day when he was out of his stuff. He stood in the kitchen eating a banana. Said he was so hungry he had to eat something before leaving. Poor thing, had to eat a piece of fruit. He hates bananas. Normally he would have eaten hot pockets or something like that.

    When I had to come off gluten and start reading labels I realized the ingredients in most of this stuff were alien words to me! I now consider it a treat to eat something like that.

    I do cook and freeze a lot. Last night I didn't feel like doing anything so I look some left over rice and stirred in a few different frozen veggies. Not really what I wanted but it was easy. Will probably have the same thing for lunch to use up the rice. I like the lundberg rice, it's expensive so I don't buy it often but it's really good.
  • cramernh
    cramernh Posts: 3,335 Member
    I am just wondering how many people are eating prepackaged dinners?

    I can understand not having time to cook. But it seems to me like eating frozen meals wouldn't be very good for you every day.

    Im gonna answer with a big fat NOOOOOOOOO to both.

    I have never once consumed a prepackaged meal, ever.

    There is ALWAYS time to cook. Just like there is ALWAYS time to get exercise in.

    The majority of the meals made in my home are the result of bulk cooking: homemade marinara has been measured out per 4-person meals, homemade meatballs are made from 25# of ground beef, burgers are pre-measured at 6oz per burger, and frozen individually and then put into a bag for future grabbing to thaw, homemade stocks (chicken, beef, vegetable seafood) in quart containers, all meats are broken down at home: whole roaster chickens, whole turkeys, beef, pork, whole fish. Each bag of meat is either seasoned, marinated, or left-as-is and enough per 4-person meal planning, a HUGE sale on vegetables... I always keep some in the fridge, and prep some to be frozen for later use..

    Then during the week, Ill pull out what I need two-days in advance, put it in the fridge for appropriate thawing time. No additional work, everything has been taken care of ahead of time. Just have to cook the foods at this point.
  • skonly
    skonly Posts: 371
    I am just wondering how many people are eating prepackaged dinners?

    I can understand not having time to cook. But it seems to me like eating frozen meals wouldn't be very good for you every day.

    Im gonna answer with a big fat NOOOOOOOOO to both.

    I have never once consumed a prepackaged meal, ever.

    There is ALWAYS time to cook. Just like there is ALWAYS time to get exercise in.

    The majority of the meals made in my home are the result of bulk cooking: homemade marinara has been measured out per 4-person meals, homemade meatballs are made from 25# of ground beef, burgers are pre-measured at 6oz per burger, and frozen individually and then put into a bag for future grabbing to thaw, homemade stocks (chicken, beef, vegetable seafood) in quart containers, all meats are broken down at home: whole roaster chickens, whole turkeys, beef, pork, whole fish. Each bag of meat is either seasoned, marinated, or left-as-is and enough per 4-person meal planning, a HUGE sale on vegetables... I always keep some in the fridge, and prep some to be frozen for later use..

    Then during the week, Ill pull out what I need two-days in advance, put it in the fridge for appropriate thawing time. No additional work, everything has been taken care of ahead of time. Just have to cook the foods at this point.

    homemade marinara is better than anything you can buy. i freeze a lot and use a foodsaver for some stuff. i don't have to plan meals for a family anymore, only one still lives here and he usually makes his own food. Although he does like to cook and is good, wants to be a chef. but i will cook big meals anyway and just freeze everything, that way when i want it, it's there.

    next year i'm going to start canning again i think.
  • ockara
    ockara Posts: 33 Member
    I don't buy anything pre-made, lots of cooking at my house. My crockpot is my best friend!
  • filomenae
    filomenae Posts: 110 Member
    I eat as clean as possible.. The most processed foods for me are chobani, granola, granola/energy bars, frozen vegetarian meat substitutes. I don't like processed foods with the artificial flavors, sodium, sugar, etc,. It doesn't taste good to me! I prefer nuts, vegetables, fruits, whole grains.. Mmm : ) I'd pick an apple over cake any day.
  • Erin0164
    Erin0164 Posts: 64 Member
    I only eat frozen prepared meals if they are organic. Love Amy's brand burritos - and they have MANY gluten free burritos to choose from.

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