TV dinners have been around since 1945 and seemingly provide the answer to a busy family's schedule: fast, convenient and easy. However, quietly lurking in under the attractive, and carefully marketed, packaging are the components that may increase your risk of diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease and high cholesterol. The flag-raising culprits: calories, sodium, fat, sugar and lack of fiber. When buying TV dinners, compare nutrition labels to make the healthiest choice.
Calories
Traditional TV dinners are generally high in calories and less filling because the portions are small. Nutritionist Alice Green, in the March 2011 issue of "Clean Eating" magazine, advises you avoid packaged diet foods which offer too few calories to curb hunger and help with weight loss. A traditional TV dinner, such as a frozen beef pot pie, weighs 268 g, or 9 oz. and has 590 calories, compared to 100 g of steamed broccoli and 168 g of broiled beef tenderloin made at home, which has 379 calories. One serving of Stouffer's lasagna with meat sauce is 7.6 oz. and has 290 calories -- fewer calories, but smaller portion. Diet TV dinners, like Lean Cuisine's Chicken in Peanut Sauce, is a better choice, 9 oz. and 238 calories, but as Green says, small portions may leave you feeling hungry, causing you to eat more later and consume too many calories. When you regularly consume too many calories, it increases the risk of obesity, diabetes and heart disease.
Sodium
Sodium is used in processed foods to inhibit bacteria, enhance flavor, disguise metallic taste of additives, retain moisture and preserve shelf life. A beef pot pie contains 978 mg of sodium compared to 165 mg in the broccoli and beef dinner. Stouffer's lasagna contains 730 mg; Lean Cuisine's Chicken in Peanut Sauce is better with 550 mg of sodium. The 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, recommends 2,300 mg of sodium per day, or 1,500 mg per day for anyone over the age of 51, African-Americans or if you have kidney disease, diabetes or high blood pressure. Regularly eating too much sodium increases your risk of high blood pressure, which can lead to heart disease, diabetes and stroke. When you occasionally have a TV dinner, check labels for lower sodium varieties.
Fat
To reduce the size of the product and increase the taste, manufacturers add fat. Unfortunately, TV dinners are generally high in the "bad," saturated, fats. The Dietary Guidelines recommends consuming no more than 10 percent of your calories from saturated fat, 300 mg or less of dietary cholesterol, eliminate trans fats, and keep total fats under 30 percent of total daily calories. One serving of Stouffer's lasagna with meat sauce contains 12 g of fat, 5 g of which are saturated, 35 mg cholesterol and 110 calories from fat. The pot pie contains more than 30 g of fat. These bad fats increase low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, the kind of fats that sticks to artery walls, increasing your risk of heart disease and stroke. Lean Cuisine has the lowest fat at 6 g, and 5 g come from unsaturated, or healthy, fats.
Sugar
TV dinners and some products lower in fat, contain added sugar for taste, texture, preservation and browning properties. The USDA says that 16 percent of daily calories come from added sugar in American diets. High-fructose corn syrup, or corn sugar, is a favorite sugar ingredient for processed foods. HFCS may pose a risk for obesity, tooth decay, malnutrition and high cholesterol. Limit HFCS to less than 100 calories daily. Whether natural or added, too much sugar increases calories, risk of dental problems and obesity. The added sugar in the beef pot pie includes: sucrose, dextrose, fructose and maltose totaling nearly 8 g of sugar. The broccoli and beef dinner contain less than 1 g of sugar. Both Lean Cuisine and Stouffer's meals contain 5 g of sugar each.
Fiber
Most TV dinners are lacking in fiber, making them an unhealthy choice. Fiber is necessary for a healthy digestive system, provides a feeling of fullness and helps reduce the risk of colon cancer. Sources of fiber include vegetables, whole grains, fruit, legumes and nuts. The beef pot pie contains only 2 g of fiber compared to the 100 g of broccoli that contains 3 g. Increase broccoli to 200 g and you have doubled your fiber intake and increased calories by only 33. Stouffer's lasagna contains only 2 g of fiber. Lean Cuisine's Chicken in Peanut Sauce ranks high in fiber at 5 g due to the whole-grain pasta. This would be a good choice when eaten occasionally.
Processed Foods May Lower IQ
A February 2011 press release by HealthDay, reports excessive amounts of processed foods, such as TV dinners, may lower your child's IQ, especially the first three years, due to a lack of quality nutrients. Vitamins and minerals in healthy diets, however boost IQ, and help with brain growth and development.
References
- Library of Congress: Who Invented the TV Dinner?
- USDA: Nutrient Data Laboratory
- USDA: Dietary Guidelines for Americans
- MayoClinic.com; High-Fructose Corn Syrup; Jennifer K. Nelson; October 2010
- HealthDay News; Processed, Fatty Foods May Dumb Down Your Kids: Study; February 2011
- Lean Cuisine: Chicken in Peanut Sauce
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