For a Healthy Lunch, Check Your Freezer
By admin
Frozen food gets a bad rap, but new research suggests that it might be unwarranted: Eating a frozen meal instead of buying your lunch can help improve several aspects of your health, according to new research presented at a conference hosted by the American Heart Association last week.
For the study, researchers recruited 35 overweight people between the ages of 25 and 60 who typically ate a hot lunch from a restaurant or their office cafeteria. The participants were then asked to replace that lunch with a single-serve Healthy Choice brand frozen meal for 30 days. With the exception of their new lunch routine, participants were told to maintain their normal dietary and fitness habits. At the end of the experiment, researchers discovered that the subjects didn’t tend to compensate for the calories they saved at lunch by eating more at other times. In fact, participants lost an average of three pounds. They also saw their total cholesterol drop about 13 points, saw their LDL (bad) cholesterol drop about 7 points, and saw their blood pressure drop about 5 points. As an added perk, participants reported saving an average of $ 4 a day by eating a single-serve frozen meal instead of buying their lunch.
Full disclosure: The study was conducted by the Rippe Lifestyle Institute (a research, communication, and health company) and ConAgra Foods, which makes Healthy Choice, Marie Callender’s, and Budget brand frozen meals. That said, the study is still a good reminder that you don’t have to write off frozen dinners altogether—just check the nutrition facts before you buy them.
“Many people have misconceptions about these foods,” says study author Kristin Reimers, RD, PhD, manager of nutrition at ConAgra Foods. ”Believe it or not, 90 percent of the frozen meals ConAgra Foods makes are less than 450 calories—it doesn’t even have to be a Healthy Choice.”
Many options (not just those made by ConAgra Foods) also contain fewer than 767 mg of sodium, which is the max amount you should have per meal if you want to stick to the USDA guidelines of consuming fewer than 2,300 mg a day. Thinking of taking a trip down the frozen food aisle? Jill Waldbieser, Women’s Health’s food and nutrition editor, points you in the direction of some healthy (and tasty) swaps for your biggest lunchtime vices:
Your old lunch: Steamed chicken and veggies
Your new lunch: Kashi Steam MealsChicken and Chipotle BBQ
Contains: White meat chicken, Kashi Seven Whole Grains and Sesame Pilaf, mangoes, roasted green beans, red onion, red and green peppers, and a sweet chipotle BBQ sauce
310 calories, 620 mg per serving (2 servings per bag)
Suggested retail price: $ 6.95
Your old lunch: Cafeteria comfort food
Your new lunch: Healthy Choice Slow Roasted Turkey Bake
Contains: Turkey medallions, roasted potatoes, butternut squash, green beans, crispy onions, and gravy
Your old lunch: A burrito
Your new lunch: PJ’s Organics Southwestern-Style Chicken Burrito
Contains: White meat chicken, beans, cheese, corn, and rice
380 calories, 690 mg sodium
Suggested retail price: $ 3.50 to $ 4.00
Your old lunch: Indian takeout
Your new lunch: Amy’s Light & Lean Mattar Paneer
Contains: Organic peas, Indian cheese, basmati rice, lentils, beans, and a spiced sauce
260 calories, 570 mg sodium
Suggested retail price: $ 5.29
More From Women’s Health:
10 Healthy Lunch Ideas
Fresh or Frozen Foods?
125 Best Packaged Foods
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