Buying Lean Cuisine's

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13

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  • BritFitB
    BritFitB Posts: 106 Member
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    FYI: It is still considered a processed food, even though they are vegetables and protein. I haven't had one in over 4 years, and my weight flew off. It's not a considerable healthy choice.
  • Gwen7121
    Gwen7121 Posts: 126 Member
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    Check the ingredients on the box. A lot of them don't have any more sodium then a sandwich. 2 slices of bread have 200-300 mg of sodium before you put anything on it. So to say they are high in sodium, yea Compared to a plain salad, but a sandwich with 1 slice of cheese and a little luncheon meat, no.

    Agreed
  • jocelynna
    jocelynna Posts: 137 Member
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    I prefer Healthy Choice frozen meals. They are generally between 250-350 calories each, fill me up, and are fairly low in sodium (some of my homemade meals have more sodium than they do). To me, they are reminiscent of something I would cook at home. The only complaint that I have are that the asian inspired ones are not very filling for the calories, probably due to the pasta and sauce that accompany them. In my experience, Lean Cuisines and Smart Ones have left me hungry.

    Edited to add that they also include a dessert!
  • BritFitB
    BritFitB Posts: 106 Member
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    One word of warning, from experience....

    If you've been making your own food at home, don't let the convenience of moving to these lead to worse options.

    Lean cuisines might be just "a little" worse for you than home made, then the hot pockets might be just a little worse than the lean cuisines, then McDonalds is just a little worse than the hot pockets... you get the idea.

    Don't "a little worse" back to bad habits.

    Absolutely!
  • ILiftHeavyAcrylics
    ILiftHeavyAcrylics Posts: 27,732 Member
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    I'd just try one or two at first and see if you like them. Personally I can't stand them and usually can't eat the whole thing, so I end up needing to eat something else.
  • Lozze
    Lozze Posts: 1,917 Member
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    Fri 01/27/12 08:20 AM
    FYI: It is still considered a processed food, even though they are vegetables and protein. I haven't had one in over 4 years, and my weight flew off. It's not a considerable healthy choice.

    And I've done the 'processed packed meals' for six months and my weight has been flying off too. Both options will work for people.

    If its going to keep you on track it's a great idea. I would add a couple of extra glasses of water for sodium though.
  • Shutterpillar
    Shutterpillar Posts: 208
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    I buy them (and am trying to get away from them for no other reason than to just find fresh things to eat for lunch). I like the spinach mushroom deep dish pizza and the spinach artichoke panini. I'm also a fan of their pita bread and dip snacks, though I will usually eat them with a yogurt or veggie or something for lunch. Never had any issue with them not filling me up.
  • RunWithJess
    RunWithJess Posts: 21 Member
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    I just had the Lean Cuisine Glazed Turkey tenderloin dish tonight. I added a cup of veggies to it to make it filling for dinner.
  • shirerose
    shirerose Posts: 116 Member
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    All those dinners are bad for you. Calorie count might be low, but high in sodium and preservatives.....buy a crock pot and 2x a week make something good and wrap them up and several meals better for you...supplement with fruit. Waaay better.crockpot.com

    the lean cuisines are made with no preservatives.
    and the sodium in a lot of them isn't bad at all... 500 - 600... which i don't consider bad for one of my 3 meals a day.
    sure, some have high sodium... so don't get those... but there are plenty of options that aren't as high.
  • jeffrey2584
    jeffrey2584 Posts: 88 Member
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    Read This....


    http://www.snack-girl.com/snack/lean-cuisine-unhealthy/
  • Bysshe
    Bysshe Posts: 428 Member
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    I have looked at lean cuisine, smart ones, and healthy choice.
    I personally usually stick with healthy choice because it has less sodium than the other 2 and it seems to fill me up.
    I like the steamers meals and the complete meals with desserts. My absolute favorite is the sweet and sour chicken complete meal. Only 380 sodium. So not bad for a frozen meal.
  • slayerdan
    slayerdan Posts: 193
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    Anything can be rationalized so.enjoy. it is cheaper, healthier, and more variety cooking yourself.....and it doesn't take all day....I can grill in two hours enough to eat all week. But whatever is easy and convenient works for most people with weight issues. Success to you.
  • Lesa_Sass
    Lesa_Sass Posts: 2,213 Member
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    Has anyone considered at all that a lean cuisine could possibly have less sodium and preservatives than she was used to eating?

    Any one consider that she could be going FROM McDonalds, to hot pockets to Lean Cusines?

    Any one consider if she had the motivation to make a sandwich, take fruit, veggies and a salad she would not be asking this question?

    I read your profile dear, I say work with what you can do until you can do something else. If having a lean cuisine is a better choice than what you normaly would have, GREAT, then you can slowly work other things into your lifestyle.

    We make small changes, a little at a time to do this, trying to do it all at once will ensure failure.
    This is a life long process, there is no finish line. Do what you can do for today, then tomorrow is another day. :)
  • Crystals422
    Crystals422 Posts: 382 Member
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    Not all of them have a crazy amount of sodium. Heatlhy Choice has an all natural line, my favorite is the pumpkin squash ravioli, 310 calories 540 mg of sodium and nothing in the ingredient list I don't recogonize. A sandwich with low sodium lunch meat and cheese will have about the same amount of sodium. I don't eat them often but do have a few in the freezer incase I am running late for work and don't have time to pack something else. As long as you watch your sodium the rest of the day you should be fine.
  • bobbi_jo2
    bobbi_jo2 Posts: 118 Member
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    In my option, they are not the BEST option out there. However, they are not a bad option. Having said that, I recently stocked up my freezer with Lean Cuisine's and Healthy Choices. While I don't think they are the best thing out there, I am using them to help me learn portion control. If I make something myself, I am likely to eat a ton of it. I simply haven't learned the self control yet. So for that reason, I love these. Because I can eat the whole package, but when it's gone, it's gone. There isn't leftovers that I have to tell myself not to eat. I plan on only eating 2-3 a week, so I am not too reliant on them. And once my stomach has shrunk a little and I am more used to proper portion sizes, I will eliminate them from my diet completely.

    So if you are using them to simply get started, I think they can be great. But I wouldn't rely on them long term.
  • ilookthetype
    ilookthetype Posts: 3,021 Member
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    My food intolerances prevent me from eating any of that stuff.

    I do all my cooking on weekends and pack lunches for the week, but every thing is prepped and all I have to do is grab it and run.
  • sc1572
    sc1572 Posts: 2,309 Member
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    I have quite a few Lean Cuisines as a college student and have had success. I don't have them ALL the time, but they're easy, quick, and cheap!
  • MaximalLife
    MaximalLife Posts: 2,447 Member
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    One word of warning, from experience....

    If you've been making your own food at home, don't let the convenience of moving to these lead to worse options.

    Lean cuisines might be just "a little" worse for you than home made, then the hot pockets might be just a little worse than the lean cuisines, then McDonalds is just a little worse than the hot pockets... you get the idea.

    Don't "a little worse" back to bad habits.
    I am the converse of this notion.
    The so and so is "a little better than" McDonald's which is my example of the worse food on planet earth.
    Any time somebody has anything negative to say about anything I eat, I say, "at least it's not McDonald's".

    Some of us must crawl before we can walk.
  • JamesonsMommy
    JamesonsMommy Posts: 771 Member
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    Most of them are pretty tasty :) I agree with all the sodium comments.. Drink more water if you plan on eating them... Very conveinent and way better for you than fast food...lol
  • CallieM15
    CallieM15 Posts: 910 Member
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    I like them. Just drink a few more cups of water. I noticed a higher sodium intake when I have them.

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