What's your opinion on Lean Cuisines?

245

Replies

  • wftiger
    wftiger Posts: 1,283 Member
    Nope, not me. Not only the sodium, although that is outrageous in most every processed food. Also the preservatives, lack of vegetables and carb overload. I will stick to real food and bring my leftovers for lunch. I will be fuller and better off.
  • SamanthaAnnM
    SamanthaAnnM Posts: 143 Member
    They definitely aren't as healthy as they'd like to to believe, but every once in a while they work in a pinch.
  • cannotfailunlessyoustoptrying
    cannotfailunlessyoustoptrying Posts: 90
    I used to eat those a lot when I first started trying to lose weight and they never satisfied my hunger. They filled me up, but the flavors didn't satisfy me. They are a good meal if you only eat them if you are in a rush, but eating them all the time is bad for you. They have way to much sodium and preservatives. Not only that, but if you are watching your calories, it kind of sucks because even though it may help you with practicing portion control, if you cooked your own meal with fresh veggies and lean cut meats, you could eat way more for the same amount of calories.
  • LorinaLynn
    LorinaLynn Posts: 13,247 Member
    Some frozen dinners aren't bad on the sodium... just check the label before you buy it if that's your biggest concern. I find I can eat a lot more for the same amount of calories with a lot better nutrition if I make it myself. Most have very low protein.

    But I do like them for convenience now and then for lunch, but I usually add a little something extra to them, like a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese.
  • tameko2
    tameko2 Posts: 31,634 Member
    Nay, but only because they don't taste good and the portion size is ridiculous, I'd need to eat 3 of them to be satisfied.
  • derpina88
    derpina88 Posts: 36 Member
    I like to have a couple in my freezer for lazy days. But usually I prefer to eat fresh veggies and fruits. There is a lot worse you could be eating though!!

    When I was first dieting They were absolutely essential, as I didnt really know HOW to make low calorie foods. Fried Chicken? Baked Ziti? Mac and Chese? I could make all of that stuff... But nothing under 400 cals a serving!
  • Silverkittycat
    Silverkittycat Posts: 1,997 Member
    Not my cup of tea, but if they taste good to you, satiate you, and fit into your calorie and macros, then why not.

    Quite right. Would I enjoy them daily? No, but I understand that sometimes convenience wins. If your goal is weight loss it won't make a difference.

    Julia Child aptly warned in 1989: “What’s dangerous and discouraging about this era is that people really are afraid of their food … Sitting down to dinner is a trap, not something to enjoy.”

    There aren't as many sodium sensitive people as you are led to believe. :)
  • Sbehlmer
    Sbehlmer Posts: 464 Member
    They're not for me...loaded with sodium, which I try & stay away from.
  • ahlani
    ahlani Posts: 25 Member
    I started out my diets by taking them to work every day for lunch. I'd say it wasn't bad at all and I lost a few dress sizes using them for convenience sake, but I could also make the same thing at home at less cost per portioned meal.

    Eventually I wanted to reduce the total amount of pasta in my diet, and as you all know most frozen diet meals have some form of pasta, so I quit using them altogether for only that reason. Heck, most frozen dinners across the grocery freezer isle board are pasta based meals, sheesh....
  • I_love_frogs
    I_love_frogs Posts: 340 Member
    I have one I keep at work for an emergency lunch...but thats about it. I do admit to occasionally eating one of the breakfast foods they have now and again...

    My husband loves them tho, so we keep them here for him.
  • Pepper2185
    Pepper2185 Posts: 994 Member
    Lean Cuisine = garbage.
  • Pacificplayland
    Pacificplayland Posts: 34
    Nay - If it has ingredients in it, that need more than 8 syllables just to pronounce it - I don't eat it. :smile:
  • femme62209
    femme62209 Posts: 327 Member
    LOVE THEM! All of them...especially the pizzas :)
  • littlelily613
    littlelily613 Posts: 769 Member
    Nay for two reasons:

    1) Their vegetarian options are very limited.

    2) I don't like processed stuff. I like to make things fresh, control the additives, and learn portion control by measuring.
  • FelicityEliza36
    FelicityEliza36 Posts: 252 Member
    If it were not for Lean Cuisine I would probably starve. They have not killed me yet so I suppose they are safe to eat. : )

    True fan. Check out the name!!

    Since starting my journey, personally, I am trying to keep my freezer empty. Things I normally would put in there are like frozen pizzas, chicken nuggets, etc. I dont want to have to microwave anything or eat processed. Trying to do as clean as I can.

    With that said, i say nay. I also dont like the watered down taste of microwavable dinners.
  • SassyCalyGirl
    SassyCalyGirl Posts: 1,932 Member
    frozen food=yuk
  • marilynku1953
    marilynku1953 Posts: 5
    I like some of them, pizzas and sandwiches the most. I don't salt my food....ever and I don't cook with salt. And since I don't eat them every day, I don't worry about the sodium.
  • Sharon009
    Sharon009 Posts: 327 Member
    If I eat them for one meal 3 days in a row, the sodium makes me retain water which gives a false weight gain or no loss. If I eat them every once in a while because I dont have time to do anything else or dont feel like it, then they are fine.
  • Sharon009
    Sharon009 Posts: 327 Member
    I love their pizzas, it makes me feel like I'm being naughty when I'm not :wink:
  • jennaworksout
    jennaworksout Posts: 1,739 Member
    sodium too high
  • ZugTheMegasaurus
    ZugTheMegasaurus Posts: 801 Member
    I don't like them because they just don't taste good and because I can make food that tastes better for fewer calories with better nutritional value. If you're deciding between a McDonalds Quarter Pounder and a Lean Cuisine though, it's probably the better option.
  • midnight333
    midnight333 Posts: 149
    I'm all for them, I don't cook much at all. I don't have a micowave oven just a large toaster/convection oven combo. Thhey taste pretty good to me out of there and they now have the larger portions. My disease makes it hard, I can't keep track of ingredients, steps, and what I'm doing when cooking. So I switched to convenience foods mostly, I even burn them sometimes by mistake. I guess so far so good my sodium count last time 10/20/11 was 141.5 the range is 138.0 - 151.0. Just got my blood count done again so we'll see, my diary is public so you can check out my Lean Cuisine consumption.
  • NEKimbrough
    NEKimbrough Posts: 4 Member
    I love the convenience of Lean Cuisine for when I do not have time to cook. I know fresh is better but heating up a Lean Cuisine for lunch beats grabbing a burger and fries from the closest fast food restaurant:)
  • LinaBo
    LinaBo Posts: 342 Member
    They're okay in a pinch, better than some other options... but I can still make larger, tastier meals that leave me satisifed for more than an hour, all on the same calorie content. Batch cooking and freezing is the way to go.
  • nikkiw283
    nikkiw283 Posts: 90
    I am generally not a fan. The meat always tastes overly processed and they are loaded with sodium. I did discover recently that a couple of the market creation steam-in-bag versions are pretty tasty. The pot sticker ones is my fav. Other than they occasionally lunch, you won't see me eating them though.
  • callmebryntax
    callmebryntax Posts: 57
    I think it's easy for people to say "no, because i dont eat processed foods", but there are others who dont have the same desires. clean eating might be your goal, but might not be someone else's! For me, personally, I love a few select flavors of smart ones and lean cuisines. by encorporating them into my diet every other day or so, and eating them for dinner with a big glass of water and a big side of salad or grilled veggies, i've lost 9 pounds in the last few weeks. I felt full. Sure, thats more about calorie counting and portion control, but if I had to think about making ALL of my food ALL of the time, I'd be way too overwhelmed to do this.

    About the sodium... yes, it's a lot of sodium. But although salt causes water retention, I don't think it specifically has been shown to impact long term weight loss? Someone can correct me on that, I honestly don't know, but I haven't heard that.

    If your goal is to eat clean then of course, stay away from processed foods! But if your goal is weight loss, I recommend trying these out. :)
  • choppie70
    choppie70 Posts: 544 Member
    When I was on Weight Watchers that was what I ate all the time. Then I went to the Dr. and was put on blood pressure meds and told to limit my sodium! Sodium is not only bad because it can cause you to retain water, it can truly mess up your blood pressure as well.
  • callmebryntax
    callmebryntax Posts: 57
    Oh and my favorites are the butternut squash or mushroom ravioli lean cuisines. wait for them to be on sale, and look for coupons. i generally get them for less than 2 bucks a piece, but I'm a crazy coupon person. :) For SmartOnes, I like the pasta primavera, the riccotta and spinach, the alfredos... basically anything with a creamy sauce. I don't really like either of their meat dishes because I don't like the texture of the chicken.

    Edit to add to first post: I didn't mean to imply sodium is never bad, but my view is that if your blood pressure is okay and you don't have any other reasons to avoid sodium, the weight loss thing isn't a reason to avoid sodium.

    Edit again (because I don't want to keep posting new posts): I also LOVE to cook, but have little time with work and school and work :) this helps a lot, and i can ease into learning new recipes and new alternatives to all my old favorites without feeling like ZOMG STARVING WTF DO I EAT or spending hours and hours figuring stuff out the first week i start counting my calories.
  • TArnold2012
    TArnold2012 Posts: 929 Member
    I really think these are a personal choice (like most everything when it comes to losing weight). I do eat them - not everyday, but I do. I keep them in my freezer for the nights I don't feel like cooking, have to work late or am simply busy, busy, busy. I don't see them as anything bad - yes, they have preservatives in them and higher sodium, but there are worst things out there to eat in my opinion. And if they help someone master portions or help keep someone on track - they are worth it.

    ^^^^^^THIS, but I myself don't eat them b/c I don't like the taste or textures of them or most frozen foods
  • txlissa62
    txlissa62 Posts: 128
    I don't like the taste of them at all - or any other frozen meals. Even if I liked them, they have way too much sodium. I love to cook, and I can make tastier, healthier meals at home that will fill me up more.

    I control my portions using a kitchen scale.

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