Many Americans turn to frozen dinners in the never-ending quest to lose weight. The modern frozen dinner is a significant improvement from its ancestor, the TV dinner, in terms of nutrition, variety and availability. Consider the options, benefits and drawbacks before embarking on a frozen dinner diet plan.
Commercial Diet Plans
Several commercial companies offer frozen dinners as well as breakfast and lunch meals. Depending on the company, these meals are picked up on-site around the country or ordered online and delivered in biweekly or monthly shipments. Customers are advised to supplement these meals with fresh dairy products, produce and other items.
Do-It-Yourself Diet Plan
You can create a frozen dinner diet plan yourself by deciding which meals you want to replace with a frozen dinner. Typically, dieters replace the lunch and dinner meals with frozen dinners and eat a healthy homemade breakfast, such as oatmeal or an egg white omelet. Choose a variety of dinners to get balanced nutrition, rather than eating the same meals repeatedly. ABCNews.com suggests you add foods such as grapes and broccoli or a tossed salad and strawberries to add calories and nutritional value to a frozen dinner meal.
Frozen Dinner Benefits
Portion control is a major benefit of frozen dinners, which can increase your odds of sticking to your weight loss regimen. Many of them are reasonably low in fat and calories. Frozen dinners are simple to prepare, compared to many meals prepared at home, and relatively low in cost compared to restaurant food.
Frozen Dinner Drawbacks
Many frozen dinners are high in sodium and low in fruits, vegetables, fiber and dairy products. The lack of variety may leave you bored within a few weeks. Many, if not most, frozen dinners contain chicken and beef, and if you fail to choose many different entrees, such as fish and bean dishes, you may lose out on important nutrients. If eaten on a regular basis, frozen dinners must be supplemented with fresh produce and dairy products.
Expert Insight
Frozen dinners have a place in every diet, as they are useful when you are tired, rushed or out of fresh meal ingredients. They can be part of a healthy long-term weight-loss program provided they are supplemented with fresh produce and dairy items. Individuals who may particularly benefit are those who need help with portion control or simply enjoy eating frozen dinners, increasing the odds they will stick to their weight-loss regimen. To lose excess weight, get regular exercise in addition to lowering your caloric intake.
Member Comments