I’m just starting out on my weight loss journey. I’m a truck driver and don’t have a way to keep food other than a lunch box, which means I eat a lot of garbage. I recently picked these up because of the convenience. 1 of these around 10am and I don’t really feel hungry again until dinner time
The sodium seems really high but apart from that, how do you guys feel about this being a go to mid day meal?
by MacDaddy555
25 Comments
That’s 26% of your sodium’s DV in one serving
You say you eat one a day??? There’s 8 serving in the can
Carrageenan and other aspects of this are bad for the body, also it is gross. I grab air dried beef when I’m in a hurry or wild tuna in a jar or can. I’m also figuring out how to make my own dehydrated salmon, tuna, beef because the whole foods ones can add up. I would think getting some less processed ham would be better, even from a cheaper supermarket where you can see the ingredients.
I’d avoid doing it every day. That much sodium daily + whatever else you eat is over double the daily recommended limit and won’t be good for your health long term.
Im all about harm reduction, and if this is the most accessible meal that gets you through the day, then you shouldn’t feel bad about it.
However, it is 8 servings so thats almost 5000mg of sodium in just one meal. And theres no fiber, which is something I think a lot of people lack in their diet to begin with.
Do you ever have access to a microwave? You can get a frozen bag of steamable veggies like broccoli or even edamame and microwave them in the bag. Then have half of your ham lunch with veggies on the side.
5g of sodium??
Lot of sodium and not a lot of protein. The average human should be getting around 2300mg of sodium a day.
Also processed meats are one of the only foods that are proven to contribute to cancer. The other is alcohol by the way.
I’d go with a canned chicken/tuna if it has to be easy and able to be stored for long periods of time.
Remember to get your fiber and make sure to drink plenty of water!!!
Well, the entire package contains 800 cal. But I don’t see why you can’t eat it if you take a small portion
Carrageenan, 800 cal, and that amount of sodium? I mean, if you are replacing chips with it or a cheesy burger with twice the calories? Cool! But look for an upgrade, this is not stellar to keep eating for months.
Any smoked ready to go blocks of tofu around? 2 tins of sardines and a bag of readyshredded salads?
How much of this are you eating for your meal? If you are eating the whole thing that would be about double the sodium that you need for a day, which would be ok occasionally, but in the long term might kill you. It also doesn’t make a balanced meal because you would need some fiber and something with some nutrition.
Maybe you could look into something like spam “singles” or chomps beef sticks, or flavored pouches of tuna. Or even plain boiled eggs. Then pair that with some fruit or cherry tomatoes or a can of green beans.
It’s hard to find balance when you have other restrictions on what you can eat. So the first thing you need to do is figure out some food you like that can fit into your ability to travel.
It’s ok given the circumstances… has some protein. I’d buy canned tuna in water.
Bring a sandwich
Perfect for our pepper supply 🤷🏻♀️
i’d just make sure you drink a lot of water with this to help with that sodium intake and try adding something else to get more fiber in
>Serving Size: 2 oz.
Right. LOLLLLL
If it’s in your budget I’d say get one of those car coolers that you plug in so you can keep groceries in the car! We have one and when we road trip I like to pack things to make sandwiches & wraps, baby tomatoes to snack on, and protein shakes.
If you stop by a grocery store you can get premade salad mixes (I absolutely love the Asian chopped kit by Taylor farms even when I’m not dieting) and get the bags of pre cooked meat to top it with.
That little tin is 800 calories?? Not worth it. Sardines, tuna, hardboiled eggs with some good sauce would be way better.
If you eat this whole thing you only have 400 calories left for the entire day. Your dinner would have to be really light. Like a bowl of yogurt and some fruit kinda light.
I mean if you really like ham and having that as your main source of calories, go for it. It seems to have a decent amount of vitamins, especially for that much of it. You’ll probably feel pretty bloated and risk fucking up your blood pressure with the sodium if you eat it for too long, but honestly being overweight might be worse for overall health.
How do you feel about sardines?
That’s 800 cal per can, Good amount of protein but the fat and calories are still really high. If it works then it works but see if you can swap it for another canned thing that would be a good transition. I love smoked oysters and canned tuna and sardines, smoked mussels, smoked clams. They all have a mild flavor. You could do two cans of tuna and see how that feels.
I’d go for kipper snacks, pouches of tuna or salmon, or even those tuna salad lunch kits that come with crackers. There is a low fat version of those. And maybe keep some easy to eat fruits handy for fiber. It must be tough to find stuff to eat that doesn’t need heating or kept cool that’s healthy!
Other canned options besides tuna or sardines:
Canned fruit or even something like ranch style beans a possibility?
Or if you can find canned dolmas (grape leaves stuffed with rice) those make imo one of the better meals when your option is going straight from a can. (I doordash some long days in the summer so I’ve been there, but there’s a lot of other shelf stable items. Clif bars are pretty nice and only 250 calories each.)
The ham seems fine as a sometimes thing, but 800 calories and that amount of sodium before you add crackers or anything else seems like a lot.
Honestly though, the bigger issue is that 1200 seems pretty extreme and potentially dangerous or at least not sustainable for an adult man. Did a doctor recommend this? I would guess (a very broad guess not knowing your height or weight) that you could aim for 1800 and still see results.
it should be illegal to label a can like that as “8 servings” to get around the legal amount of sodium they can give people. This is high blood pressure generator
This amount of sodium every day is going to land you in a Chubbyemu video. ‘A man ate 5g sodium every day. This is what happened to his kidneys.’ Not to mention that even if 5 of that 7g of fat (per serving) isn’t saturated, 56g of fat is bad to eat daily, nevermind in one serving. Chances are, you can get pre-baked, marinated tofu at a store near you. Kroger stores sell two kinds, so I recommend going there. One block of marinated tofu from there is 18g fat (2.5 saturated), 14 g carbohydrates (5g fiber, 9g sugar), 34 g protein, and 780mg sodium. Still pretty high in sodium, but nowhere NEAR what you’re eating now. Also, maybe low-sugar canned beans? They’re full of fiber, nutrients, and protein.
Sick, mostly.
Unpopular opinion, but I think this (and SPAM) can be a decent addition to meals as long as you’re not eating it on the regular in large amounts. It’s not overwhelmingly healthy, but it’s not terrible depending on how you incorporate it into your meals. It can be a reliable, quick source of protein
Yes, sodium should always be a consideration during food choices, but imo RDA 26% isn’t bad at all in the context of your total daily intake. You still have 74% RDA even if you eat a full serving, 48% if you eat two. The sodium concern can also be mitigated if you use it almost like a condiment, particularly as a salt replacement. I think high sodium content in foods is unfairly demonized— people confound high sodium foods in the context of a larger diet with high sodium foods consumed in excess. The former provides a sodium intake that our body requires, while the latter can lead to, worsen, and/or perpetuate things like cardiovascular conditions. But keep in mind that it’s still a processed meat, so regular consumption should be avoided given that it’s a known carcinogen. This last point concerns me more than the sodium content, tbh.
I always have a can of SPAM in my pantry as a backup protein, or if I’m just feeling it. Maybe it’s also a cultural thing. I’m Asian and SPAM is eaten a lot in casual fare, especially in places like Hong Kong. I always pan-fry my SPAM without oil, since I find that the fat content is high enough to not stick. Some tasty ways I’ve eaten it include:
* Crumbled and heated in a pan until crispy, then sprinkled over a salad or homemade pizza
* Fried rice
* Vegetable wraps
* Bánh mi
* Bibimbap
* Ramen topper (thinly sliced, pan-fried) with vegetables and an egg. I also enjoy shirataki knots in my ramen and hot pots
* Onigiri, diced together with umeboshi
* Korean Japchae, which is a glass noodle stir fry consisting of a protein and a variety of julienned vegetables, such as carrots, onions, bell peppers, bean sprouts, spring onions, mushrooms, ginger, and sesame seeds
* Egg scrambles and omelettes
* Rice bowl. Super versatile comfort food that I grew up eating a lot. It’s just throwing a bunch of ingredients onto a bowl of steamed white rice. As a kid, I especially enjoyed pan-fried SPAM cubes with an egg (runny yolk), sesame oil, soy sauce, fish sauce, kimchi (or lime juice), and scallions
* Musubi (pan-fried SPAM with rice, wrapped in nori like nigiri sushi). I like to caramelize mine in the pan first with some sweet soy sauce or mirin
And so many more! I’ll point out however, that I’m a compromise-eater when it comes to my meals so some of these aren’t considered “low calorie meals”, per se. I eat two meals a day (brunch and dinner), and am willing to eat a higher calorie meal that’s tasty af, and scale back the other significantly. It’s just personal preference; I find it so much easier to adhere to my calorie limit if I don’t feel deprived.
This post is making me so goddamn hungry ugggggggh.
Update: ok guys, I realized I’ve been an idiot and misreading the serving size. I quickly read it as 2 servings, not 2oz in a 16oz can 🤦♂️ that ain’t gonna work