Now I understand that the U.S. is a very large country, so there are regions where they may not have access to grocery stores that sell these things.
Where I live, the only grocery store that doesn’t sell stuff like this is Aldi, and even then they’ll sometimes have off brand versions of these kind of meals.
Is America an extremely unhealthy country? Yes. But because we are so unhealthy, we tend to spend an insane amount of money on “healthy” things in the hopes of equaling our all of our unhealthy habits.
I might also be more aware of this than others because I’m a chronic dieter and basically grew up looking for things like this. These are just the tip of the “healthy processed food” iceberg lol.
by amitskisong
30 Comments
Hmmm, I don’t totally disagree. I think you can find microwaveable meals that are low calorie but the thing that keeps me from eating them is the amount of sodium. Calling something “healthy” feels subjective though, varies on what your personal priorities are.
The gains will be unreal after I begin my new frozen health food diet
“Healthy” is really relative here, though. They’re going to be a decent option for most people that don’t have the time or access to a stove/oven, yes, but I do wonder what would happen to my sodium levels in particular if they became a staple of my diet. I’ve definitely enjoyed my share of the meals in these images, so I’m not saying I’m “above” any of it, but I do think there’s reason to enjoy some of those in moderation, because while the macros check out, some of the finer details (especially the sodium) often don’t.
Nothing to comment here except sadness that I can no longer find tattood chef anywhere at all near me 😭 is it available for anyone else? I read they filed bankruptcy a while back but idk if that necessarily means they went out of business
Lean cuisine always have so much sodium yet always taste like they need more salt lol
A lot of that stuff is loaded with seed oils and dyes. Some of it, like Kevin’s, is really good for you
I have Lean Cuisine meals 2 or 3 times a week. Healthy for me because my diet is TOO low in sodium otherwise (yes, this can be problematic) so these meals help keep my sodium/potassium levels balanced. Wouldn’t eat them daily though.
They all look great unfortunately I don’t have a microwave and refuse to get one
Low calorie =/= healthy. You could live off 1500 calories of bacon a day, you’d be getting plenty of protein and it would be low in carbs/sugar but you’d also get bowel cancer. A lot of this stuff is healthwashing ultra-processed food. I’m sure it’s better than many options in American stores but we should be aiming for a diet of mostly unprocessed foods.
Umm, these are not healthy. Low calorie, yes, but healthy, no?
Pick your poison, calories or these sodium bombs.
What does “Beyoncé’s internet ” mean? Is it a podcast?
I’ve been having to watch my sodium intake which is why I notice sodium now – but the sodium on all of those things is probably through the roof 😭
Urban Pie and Kevin’s meals are the best!
I would never call Lean Cuisine health food.
While some UPFs are avoidable, when it comes to ready meals I don’t really consider them ‘healthy’. Low calorie sure, but that seems like a different issue.
These aren’t actually healthy or good for you. They’re just low calorie.
I love the EVOL butternut squash and sage ravioli. it’s the only frozen meal I eat because it actually tastes good and it’s a pasta dish for under 400 cals. I DONT think it’s ‘healthy’ though hahaha
They’re heavily processed and often have an entire days worth of sodium in one meal. For most people they’re not enough calories for a single meal either. If you ate all 3 meals microwaved, you’d be way over your sodium intake.
This is a major issue with elderly who lack mobility. They rely on microwave meals, but the sodium can kill them. We should have better options that lean cuisine and adjacent options.
I don’t think I’d eat any of those things
I’m sorry for being “that person”, but a lot of these are very beige. They’re 80% pasta-based with cheese. A couple o them seem to have some veggies in, but overall they look to be highly processed.
I love pasta and cheese as much as the next person, but I’m not sure about such highly processed frozen meals. Many of the meals shown here are very fast to make on your own actually. You can very easily whip up a tomato sauce, and it will have less sugar and salt than these, plus you can add veggies instead of it just being “plain pasta with thin tomato sauce”. Maybe I’m biased but I don’t fully trust frozen meals that claim to be healthy.
There’s one that’s 100% yellow, basically just pasta and “cheese” sauce. It claims to be high in protein, but how much of that protein is bioavailable? I am 100% biased because frozen meals where I live tend to be kind of low quality, very high in salt, very processed, and lacking the benefits of eating whole foods. It’s very possible that the frozen meals shown here are excellent!
I will say the frozen buddha bowl looks really good, and genuinely healthy! As do the Korean chicken wings or whatever they are. If it’s a few ingredients like that, and proper whole pieces of veggies and chicken, I trust it more. It’s the indiscriminate “sauce” with pasta that I distrust…
I am a fan of those “Power Bowls”. They have less salt and sugar.
Beyoncé’s internet????
I love Lean Cuisine’s! Even when not dieting.
When I was pregnant with my first child two years ago I would always get the Healthy Choice power bowls to take to work for an easy meal that still met my nutrition requirements for baby’s sake. They were around $4.50 but commonly went on sale for a dollar off, so I’d stock up then. I looked at them a week ago, and they’re between $7 and $9. All of the healthy options are similarly price hiked, yet I can still get the stouffer’s gut bombs for $2 a piece for 10-15oz. of food. Even with them ‘available’ many people are priced out of these healthy options. It’s so depressing.
I wish wehad that in our country
Lean Cuisine meals have a “serving suggestion” printed on the back, encouraging you to add a side salad. Or, just steam a bag of frozen veg alongside. Lean Cuisine isn’t suggesting you should exist on their product alone.
I like to buy those, save the ingredients list, and then batch prep copycat meals at home with less sodium and more whole grains and protein.
FWIW – I read a lot of comments on the processed food that is in these and did some digging on the Lean Cuisine.
A quick search of a lean cuisine meal shows some things.
#1) I recognize over 90% of the ingredients on the list. And I am fairly sure I can understand what the remainders are.
#2) They state there are no preservatives, or artificial coloring/flavors.
link for reference. [https://www.goodnes.com/lean-cuisine/products/baked-chicken/](https://www.goodnes.com/lean-cuisine/products/baked-chicken/)
Help me understand better, as I may be naive to this… what makes this highly processed? Serious question not sarcasm. As someone who occasionally uses these at lunch time at work… I am here to learn as well.
Macros are great for these. Don’t care about sodium so we’re stocked up on these at home.
Just because it’s low calorie doesn’t mean it healthy…