7 Unhealthiest Frozen Meals You Can Still Buy at the Grocery Store
Grocery shoppers are more aware than ever these days of what exactly they're looking for (and trying to avoid!) when it comes to quality food and ingredients. Gone are the days when all our information came from just one or two places—these days, anyone can get information online about the healthiest foods you can eat, and just as importantly, what to avoid. When we discuss unhealthy frozen meals for the purposes of this article, we are focusing on ultra-processed food products that are packed with additives. Here are the 7 unhealthiest frozen meals you can still buy at the grocery store.
Banquet Salisbury Steaks
The Banquet Salisbury Steaks are made of mechanically-separated chicken and other ground meat, and a host of other additives. "This is a real struggle meal. The meat wads texture was so fake and weird. Corn was corn. Mashed potato and gravy was less than ok, and was all mixed in with the meat wad," one critical Redditor said.
Kid Cuisine All Star Nuggets
The Kid Cuisine All Star Nuggets is another one to avoid. Marketed towards children, this meal is high in sodium, unhealthy fats, and added sugars, which can contribute to poor dietary habits from a young age. It has to be said many Redditors say the taste is "nostalgic" which just shows how bad some of the food we grew up with was!
Marie Callender's Sweet & Sour Chicken
The Marie Callender's Sweet & Sour Chicken is rated a 9 by the EWG, with 10 being the lowest rating you can get. Packed with sugar and sodium, this overprocessed grocery item is not healthy. The ingredients list says the meal contains "premium white meat" chicken fritters, but it's mixed with a laundry list of additives.
Hungry-Man Selects Boneless Fried Chicken
Hungry-Man Selects Boneless Fried Chicken is another unhealthy frozen meal—just one serving contains half the day's recommended daily value of sodium and 25 g of sugar. To give credit where it's due, I will say the 26 g of protein is a step in the right direction.
Jimmy Dean Pancakes & Sausage on a Stick
I'm not sure who wanted a breakfast food consisting of a pancake and sausage on a stick, but the Jimmy Dean Pancakes & Sausage on a Stick is not a healthy choice. Added sugar, added colors, and soy protein concentrate make this food one to avoid, unless it's a very occasional treat.
Stouffer's Macaroni & Cheese
Stouffer's Macaroni & Cheese doesn't just contain the basic ingredients needed to make a mac and cheese—one single serving contains half the daily value of sodium needed for the day, at 480 calories per serving. This is significant for a 340g meal.
Pillsbury Toaster Strudel
The Pillsbury Toaster Strudels are marketed as a "treat", so at least the company isn't saying this is a healthy breakfast—because it certainly is not. These pastries are packed with additives including colors, soybean oil, and high fructose corn syrup. Each pastry has almost 10 g of sugar, 54 g of carbohydrates, and just one gram of fiber.
