Are microwaveable meals REALLY bad?

Maldivesbeachbodplease
Maldivesbeachbodplease Posts: 444
in Food and Nutrition
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
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Replies

  • Pohudet
    Pohudet Posts: 179 Member
    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
    AlyRoseNYC Posts: 1,075 Member
    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
    RNmomto4 Posts: 143
    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
    marycmeadows Posts: 1,691 Member
    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
    gtchs Posts: 116 Member
    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
    brancakes Posts: 263 Member
    I keep them around for quick lunches. They are always a good portion for me. I love the lean cusisine pizzas :)
  • lukeout007
    lukeout007 Posts: 1,237 Member
    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
    NoAdditives Posts: 4,251 Member
    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
    BrettPGH Posts: 4,716 Member
    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
    erickirb Posts: 12,294 Member
    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
    elfo Posts: 353 Member
    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
    fitniknik Posts: 713 Member
    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
    tsh0ck Posts: 1,970 Member
    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
    honeysprinkles Posts: 1,757 Member
    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
    opus649 Posts: 633 Member
    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
    AlsDonkBoxSquat Posts: 6,128 Member
    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
    honeysprinkles Posts: 1,757 Member
    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
    pyrowill Posts: 1,163 Member
    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
    opus649 Posts: 633 Member
    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
    caitlinmcauley Posts: 59
    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.
  • sabriel
    sabriel Posts: 44 Member
    I eat them a lot. I track my sodium and I'm never over. I love the vegetarian ones from asda. I find them very filling and a good portion size. (sometimes I add fresh veg)
    Losing weight too so I see no real problem.
  • elfo
    elfo Posts: 353 Member
    QUOTE- honeysprinkle
    [/quote]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"
    [/quote]


    I wasn't saying that the method was BAD I just meant the food was-- that stuff is loaded with things that are not healthy for your diet. Trust me- I know how it goes-- I started here on MFP at 220lbs. I don't eat things I don't like-- I totally love the things I eat-- I think it's about finding the HEALTHY foods you like- not just eating things b/c they're healthy-- they feed much more than just your appetite. When I was just counting cals and not looking at the "nutrition" of the food I was always hungry now I am satisfied
  • jfield6
    jfield6 Posts: 56
    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!!

    I LOVE Healthy Choice Steamers! The BBQ Steak with Red Potatoes is GREAT!
  • Faintgreeneyes
    Faintgreeneyes Posts: 729 Member
    You are going to get a lot of people probably telling you that fresh fruits and veggies, lean meats are better- which in fact, anything "fresh" is healthier because it doesn't have other things added to it.

    However, in the grand scheme of things, are they that terrible for you? No. Yes they tend to have high amounts of sodium in them, which I know people like to avoid because of the apparent "bloating" effect it has, but other than that, and not having the freshest tasting food- if you like the taste, they fill you up, and help you stay within your calorie goal and other macros- then why not.

    To each his own- it would be one thing if you were eating them for lets say breakfast lunch and dinner, and not getting any type of fresh food in ya- but for a lunch or a dinner on a night when you are in a hurry or don't want to cook- I think they are perfectly acceptable.
  • missprincessjenny
    missprincessjenny Posts: 104 Member
    I read an article on the dangers of microwave ovens. It raises blood pressure. Now the article might be biased but since I cut back on using the microwave my blood pressure has dropped significantly. I prefer not to use microwaves not to cook my food. I don't think it's the healthiest choice. But to each their own. But then I also have the luxury of not working right now and I have the time to prepare home cooked meals with fresh ingredients.
  • amanda3588
    amanda3588 Posts: 422 Member
    I use them for quick lunches at work, but definitely watch the sodium. They are great for portion control, and can be paired with a salad if you're still hungry.
  • cherrybomb_77
    cherrybomb_77 Posts: 411 Member
    I wouldn't eat them every day, but once or twice a week is probably not a big deal.
  • opus649
    opus649 Posts: 633 Member
    I read an article on the dangers of microwave ovens. It raises blood pressure. Now the article might be biased but since I cut back on using the microwave my blood pressure has dropped significantly. I prefer not to use microwaves not to cook my food. I don't think it's the healthiest choice. But to each their own. But then I also have the luxury of not working right now and I have the time to prepare home cooked meals with fresh ingredients.

    Not sure if trolling...
  • MoreBean13
    MoreBean13 Posts: 8,701 Member
    Most of them aren't the best choices you could make, but they're not the worst either. I'm going to assume you're referring to the healthy choice-type meals and not the Hungry Man ones- I would firmly say no to hungry man ;) . Not everyone can jump right to "Eating Clean" right off the bat- everyone has to make some concessions that allow their diet to be liveable, or else its certainly doomed to fail. They're good choices as an alternative to going out to eat (say as work lunches) and they're good choices if you have problems with portion control. Eventually you can move to more whole foods, if that is your goal.

    So they're high in sodium. Big deal. If you don't have a medical reason to limit sodium, such as high blood pressure, the sodium is not a big deal. Your body normalizes to whatever amount of sodium you get- it makes you bloated but it's not like you keep getting bloated infinitely! If you get way too much sodium (like drink a jar of pickle juice) you get diarrhea, and then back to normal. You cut back on the sodium, you lose water weight.
  • tistal
    tistal Posts: 869 Member
    If you have the time, just take a Sunday afternoon for a few hours and make/freeze/portion out your own! That way you can control everything that goes into them and you can have fast meals!

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