Frozen dinners have been a fast and easy meal option for many years, but now the choices in frozen food are nearly limitless. Whether it is for a hot lunch at work or an easy weeknight dinner, frozen dinners fit the bill. The freezer aisle at most grocery stores features everything from pizzas to hearty pasta dinners. Customers will find healthy options, comfort food classics, organic choices and just about anything else a diner could dream of.
Lean Cuisine
Lean Cuisine was launched in 1981 as a division of Stouffer's, one of the founders of the frozen dinner. Lean Cuisine offers healthier and lighter meals than its parent company, which features more traditional and comfort foods. The Lean Cuisine line offers eight recipe collections for individuals or in family-sized portions. The various collections feature higher fiber, restaurant-inspired meals, larger dinner portions, breakfast sandwiches, home-style favorites, simple and casual choices and an innovative new steaming method.
Lean Cuisine Nutrition
The average Lean Cuisine meal is less than 400 calories and contains 2 to 6 g of fiber, less than 10 g of fat and between 400 and 800 mg of sodium. The higher-fiber choices in the Spa Cuisine have 6 or more grams of fiber. The breakfast sandwiches are a healthy breakfast option with less than 300 calories, between 6 and 8 g of fat, 5 g of fiber, and 500 mg of sodium. The larger portions for the dinner choices are still less than 400 calories each, contain 4 to 6 g of fiber and are somewhat higher in sodium while still fitting into the recommended daily allowance.
Healthy Choice
Healthy Choice, another maker of nutritious frozen dinners, features choices low in fat and saturated fat, cholesterol and sodium. Healthy Choice offers a wide variety of products including frozen meals, shelf-stable meals, sauces, soups and desserts. The frozen dinners include complete meals, microwavable steamer meals, Asian-style dinners, all natural and select entrees and pizza.
Healthy Choice Nutrition
Healthy Choice frozen dinners are all under 400 calories, and many are under 300 calories. The entrees range in fat content from 1 to 10 g; the average is close to 5 g. Healthy Choice dinners contain about 500 to 600 mg of sodium, which is within an acceptable range for a single meal. The dinners all have over 4 g of fiber, with many containing closer to 7 or 8 g.
Comparisons
The nutritional contents of Lean Cuisine and Healthy Choice frozen meals are comparable. Both brands offer a wide variety of styles, flavors and ingredients, designed to please any palate while meeting good nutrition standards. These healthy frozen meal options are low in calories, fat and saturated fat. They offer more fiber per meal than other frozen meals while maintaining a low to moderate amount of sodium. Both brands would be an acceptable choice for any consumer seeking a healthy frozen meal.
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