The Worst: Banquet Boneless Pork Rib (Shaped Patty Meal)
What's a "Shaped Patty Meal," you dare to ask? You probably don't want to find out, says Cipullo. This dish may be high in protein, but it contains controversial ingredients such as MSG, BHT (Butylated Hydroxytoulene, which is used to slow the rancidity of oil and fats in foods), and partially hydrogenated soybean oil.
A better beef choice? Organic Bistro's Beef Tips with Mushroom Sauce, which is free of questionable fillers and made with organic rice and vegetables.
Photo 5/11
The Worst: Boston Market Chicken Pot Pie
Pot pie may be the ultimate in comfort food, but the 780 calories and 48 g of fat in this frozen meal should make you anything but comfortable. Instead, reach for Applegate Farm's Chicken Pot Pie. It's made with extra veggies and has less than half the fat of Boston Market's pie.
Photo 6/11
The Worst: Totino's Party Pizza, Hamburger
It's no surprise that a pizza with hamburger meat on it might not be the smartest option in the freezer aisle. But this one's even unhealthier than it seems, with a whopping 5 g of trans fat.
In case you need a little refresher, trans fat not only raises levels of LDL (or "bad" cholesterol), but it also actually lowers levels of HDL ("good" cholesterol).
We thought the healthiest alternative would come from Amy's, which often makes the best versions of our favorite unhealthy foods, but their pizza didn't fare much better than Totino's.
The smartest option? Healthy Choice's Pepperoni French Bread Pizza, which has just a quarter of the fat of both Totino's and Amy's and no trans fat at all.
Photo 7/11
The Worst: Banquet Mexican Style Enchilada Combo Meal
This meal has a surprising amount of hydrolyzed soy protein (a hidden source of MSG), which means while you think you're eating beef, much of it is really meat-flavored soy.
Instead, try O Organics Organic Black Bean Enchiladas, which has no saturated fat or cholesterol, more than twice the protein than you'll find in Banquet's frozen meal, and is USDA certified organic to boot. True, it's not beef, but hey, you really weren't getting that with the Banquet meal anyway.
Photo 8/11
The Worst: Hungry-Man Bourbon Steak Strips
Not even the hungriest man (or woman) should touch this meal: With 9 g of saturated fat and an obscene amount of sodium (1,720 mg, which is 72 percent of the recommended daily intake!), it's a fat and salt bomb that'll do a number on your insides.
"Stick to frozen food options that have 600 mg of sodium or less per serving," says Cipullo. "Otherwise you're bound to go over the recommended daily value that's between 1,500 and 2,300 mg." The healthier option: Blake's Organic Macaroni and Beef, which has 404 mg of sodium and an all-organic ingredient list.
Take a stroll down the frozen food aisle at your local grocery store and you'll be surrounded by boxes with dishes that look deceptively appetizing (hello Photoshop) -- and have tempting labels like "low fat," "light," and "high protein." But are any of these "healthy" frozen dinners actually good for you?
As a smart shopper, you've hopefully learned to take all product packaging with a sizeable grain of salt, but frozen meals in particular can trip you up with misleading labels and hidden health horrors. "Most frozen meals are high in sugar and sodium, contain tons of preservatives, and don't have much to offer in terms of fruits, vegetables, or fiber," says Laura Cipullo, a registered dietician and certified diabetes instructor in New York City.
While that news is a bit depressing for all of us too time-crunched to do more than pop a frozen dinner in the microwave, there is some hope. For every chemical-laden, fat-filled meal out there, there is a comparable option with better ingredients, less fat, and even a few veggies thrown in for good measure. Check out this list of the 10 worst frozen food offenders, along with healthier frozen dinners that still taste delicious.
