Frozen meals, including those marketed as “diet” or “healthy,” can be convenient options for busy lifestyles, but not all of them are as nutritious as they seem. Many are still loaded with sodium, preservatives, and artificial additives to enhance flavor and extend shelf life. While some of these meals offer balanced nutrition, others contain hidden sugars, unhealthy fats, chemicals, and excessive sodium that can negatively impact overall health.
We spoke with several health experts to discover two frozen dinners that may seem healthy but are actually loaded with sodium, preservatives, and chemicals. Their advice? Avoid low-fat frozen dinners and frozen plant-based/vegan meals. Keep reading for their expert insights!
1. Low-fat frozen dinners
You’ll notice that many low-fat meals are marketed as weight loss friendly, but the ingredient list is jam-packed with names you won’t even be able to pronounce. While low in calories, these meals are often stripped of important nutrients such as protein, fiber, healthy fats, and complex carbs. Most of these ingredients contain processed carbs and other additives that may not even fill you up.
Jesse Feder, RDN, CPT, elaborates and says that "low-fat frozen dinners are marketed as healthy dinners; however, they still contribute high amounts of sodium and preservatives and are usually not satiating enough to only have one. This can lead to overeating, increases in weight, and inflammation throughout the body."
2. Frozen Plant-Based/Vegan Dinners
You might assume that following a vegan or vegetarian diet automatically leads to healthier habits and better results like weight loss, but that’s not always the case—especially when it comes to frozen foods.
Trista Best, MPH, RD, LD, registered dietitian at Balance One Supplements, recommends preparing plant-based meals yourself rather than reaching for frozen, ready-to-heat meals. "The sodium, fat, and calorie content in most of these meals makes them among the worst vegan foods to purchase," she explains, "They offer little in the way of essential nutrients like vitamins and minerals and are significantly dense in calories and fat."
The same goes for plant-based pastas or whole grain wraps. Making your own is the way to go, as she adds, "This can be a more beneficial approach than relying on these that are dangerously high in sodium and will leave you feeling hungry shortly after due to their refined carbohydrate content."
The issue regarding processed health foods is that although they're free from animal products, they are still packed with chemicals, preservatives, and additives. "When following these diet patterns, it is tempting to turn to processed convenience foods that are free of animal products. Unfortunately, they are still high in fat and sugar, which simultaneously increases the product's calories."
Frozen meals in general are high in sodium, but the numbers might shock you when you find out how much they actually contain. "According to the American Heart Association, the recommended daily limit is 2300mg sodium per day, though ideally, they recommend no more than 1500mg per day," dietitian Meredith Mishan, founder of Mishan Nutrition, notes. However, she warns that "frozen dinners can easily contribute over half of the 2000mg recommended daily sodium limit, in just one meal!"
If parting ways with these meals is difficult for you, it's a good idea to always read the food labels and choose options with minimal processed ingredients.
