Hi, all. I'm getting older, and my doctor says I need foods with less
cholestoral, lower fat, low salt, etc. What a pain. Hope someone can
help me out here.

I am accustomed to eating foods that I like, and making them quick and
dirty. (I do NOT have time to cook.) I eat a lot of frozen dinners,
frozen ravioli, stuff like that. Swanson TV dinner type foods. The
doctor says those dinners contain tons of crap, which is not good for
me.

I went to my nearest "healthy foods" type of supermarket, here in the
DC metro area. The TV dinners I found there fall into one of two
categories:
1. Vegetable matter, masquerading (poorly) as meat. That is, lots of
Tofu type products, dressed up as meatloaf and such.
2. Frozen dinners based on exotic cuisines, such as Thai. I don't
eat Thai. I eat American, Italian, and Chinese. And American. Or
did I say that already?

My tastes are very plain American. I like chicken, beef, turkey,
mashed potatoes, rice, familiar garden vegetables, lasagna, plain Jane
American foods (and a few ethnic foods, like a lot of Italian dishes,
that have become Americanized over time). I want to find low-fat,
low-salt TV dinners that still have real meat and real potatoes.

So, I asked the guys at the healthy foods supermarket if they could
find some low-salt, low-fat, low-cholestoral TV dinners that have the
same types of food as Swanson TV dinners, and they keep saying they'll
do something about it -- and they don't.

So, I thought I'd help them out. Therefore, and to get to the point:
Can anyone recommend some brand of TV dinners that tastes and looks
like Swanson, except it's not poison for a guy in his early 40s with
high blood pressure and high cholesterol?

Thanks, sincerely, in advance, for all ON TOPIC, ON POINT replies that
don't try to tell me to change my shabby American eating habits, and
don't try to tell me to start cooking.

Steve O.


Steven AATT Domain DDOOTT com
To send an e-mail, substitute @ for AATT, a . for DDOOTT, and OpComm for Domain

Standard Antiflame Disclaimer: Please don't flame me. I may actually *be* an idiot, but even idiots have feelings.

I pledge allegiance to the Constitution of the United States of America, and to the republic which it established, one nation from many peoples, aspiring to liberty and justice for all.
Feel free to use the above variant pledge in your own postings.

On Mon, 05 Jul 2004 04:12:08 GMT, Steven O. > wrote:

>I am accustomed to eating foods that I like, and making them quick and
>dirty. (I do NOT have time to cook.)

You want to live another ten years?

You have to make the time to learn to cook. It's simple, quicker than
take-out or TV dinners, and will add fifteen years to your life.

I can cook an omelette in less time than it takes you to decide what to
get out of the freezer.

I can cook a steak dinner, with steamed or braised veges, quicker than
you can de-frost a TV dinner. So can you.

You do NOT have time to continue in ignorance. The only way to control
what goes into your stomach is to do it yourself.


Cheers, Alan, T2 d&e, Australia.
Remove weight and carbs to email.
--
Everything in Moderation - Except Laughter.

On Mon, 05 Jul 2004 04:12:08 GMT, Steven O. > wrote:

>I am accustomed to eating foods that I like, and making them quick and
>dirty. (I do NOT have time to cook.)

You want to live another ten years?

You have to make the time to learn to cook. It's simple, quicker than
take-out or TV dinners, and will add fifteen years to your life.

I can cook an omelette in less time than it takes you to decide what to
get out of the freezer.

I can cook a steak dinner, with steamed or braised veges, quicker than
you can de-frost a TV dinner. So can you.

You do NOT have time to continue in ignorance. The only way to control
what goes into your stomach is to do it yourself.


Cheers, Alan, T2 d&e, Australia.
Remove weight and carbs to email.
--
Everything in Moderation - Except Laughter.

On Mon, 05 Jul 2004 15:20:46 +1000, Alan
> wrote:

>On Mon, 05 Jul 2004 04:12:08 GMT, Steven O. > wrote:
>
>>I am accustomed to eating foods that I like, and making them quick and
>>dirty. (I do NOT have time to cook.)
>
>You have to make the time to learn to cook. It's simple, quicker than
>take-out or TV dinners, and will add fifteen years to your life.

Why can't you just answer the man's question instead of trying to force
your lifestyle on him? Contrary to what you're claiming, cooking does take
time, effort, energy, and planning. When you're not used to it, learning
how to do it takes more time, as well, as the cooking itself taking longer.

>I can cook a steak dinner, with steamed or braised veges, quicker than
>you can de-frost a TV dinner. So can you.

This isn't totally true. A frozen dinner takes around eight minutes,
freezer to microwave to plate (depending on your microwave, and including
decision making time). Unless you're talking about a thin steak, it will
take longer than that to cook. Another point, a decent steak, one that you
can cook in ten to fifteen minutes and still have it come out edible, is
much more expensive than a frozen meal. On top of that is the time and
electricity/fuel it takes to cook the steak and the side dish.

Besides, who are you to judge what is right for this person, and to claim
you know what's better for him? Isn't this the sort of thing we struggle
with all the time from people who aren't diabetic telling us what's right
for us and what isn't?

--
Siobhan Perricone
"This isn't right. This isn't even wrong."
- Wolfgang Pauli, on a paper submitted by a physicist colleague

On Mon, 05 Jul 2004 15:20:46 +1000, Alan
> wrote:

>On Mon, 05 Jul 2004 04:12:08 GMT, Steven O. > wrote:
>
>>I am accustomed to eating foods that I like, and making them quick and
>>dirty. (I do NOT have time to cook.)
>
>You have to make the time to learn to cook. It's simple, quicker than
>take-out or TV dinners, and will add fifteen years to your life.

Why can't you just answer the man's question instead of trying to force
your lifestyle on him? Contrary to what you're claiming, cooking does take
time, effort, energy, and planning. When you're not used to it, learning
how to do it takes more time, as well, as the cooking itself taking longer.

>I can cook a steak dinner, with steamed or braised veges, quicker than
>you can de-frost a TV dinner. So can you.

This isn't totally true. A frozen dinner takes around eight minutes,
freezer to microwave to plate (depending on your microwave, and including
decision making time). Unless you're talking about a thin steak, it will
take longer than that to cook. Another point, a decent steak, one that you
can cook in ten to fifteen minutes and still have it come out edible, is
much more expensive than a frozen meal. On top of that is the time and
electricity/fuel it takes to cook the steak and the side dish.

Besides, who are you to judge what is right for this person, and to claim
you know what's better for him? Isn't this the sort of thing we struggle
with all the time from people who aren't diabetic telling us what's right
for us and what isn't?

--
Siobhan Perricone
"This isn't right. This isn't even wrong."
- Wolfgang Pauli, on a paper submitted by a physicist colleague

On Mon, 05 Jul 2004 04:12:08 GMT, Steven O. > wrote:

>My tastes are very plain American. I like chicken, beef, turkey,
>mashed potatoes, rice, familiar garden vegetables, lasagna, plain Jane
>American foods (and a few ethnic foods, like a lot of Italian dishes,
>that have become Americanized over time). I want to find low-fat,
>low-salt TV dinners that still have real meat and real potatoes.
>
>So, I asked the guys at the healthy foods supermarket if they could
>find some low-salt, low-fat, low-cholestoral TV dinners that have the
>same types of food as Swanson TV dinners, and they keep saying they'll
>do something about it -- and they don't.

You don't mention if you're diabetic or not. There's a decent low-carb line
of frozen dinners that have just come out. I haven't checked the fat and
cholesterol amounts on them, because as as diabetic, I'm more concerned
about the carb counts.

Tabatchnick makes a line of soups that are good. I don't know how low in
sodium they are, but they are low in fat and relatively low in carbs (I
really like the chicken noodle and matzo ball soup. Which surprisingly low
in carbs considering that it has noodles and matzo balls in it). They're
filling, too.

Look at Healthy Choice. They have some standard fare types of things that
aren't completely exotic (but you have to really look at them to see what
they have, and maybe look in a couple of stores because some stores carry
different items).

However, you should realize that you are asking for an awful lot. Low fat,
low cholesterol, low salt, standard meat and potatoes fare all in one
frozen dinner.

Another choice you might pursue, depending on how urban it is where you
live, is getting in contact with a company/chef that prepares foods ahead,
to order, and freezes them. They often deliver a week of meals at a time,
and they're usually made locally. Then you could request specifically what
you want. This is usually a less expensive alternative to hiring a private
cook/chef, but it's probably more expensive than if you either learned to
cook yourself or you just ate mass produced frozen dinners. However, it is
prepared to your specifications, so you'd be getting exactly what you
wanted for the price you'd be paying. So it has it's pros and cons.

--
Siobhan Perricone
"This isn't right. This isn't even wrong."
- Wolfgang Pauli, on a paper submitted by a physicist colleague

On Mon, 05 Jul 2004 04:12:08 GMT, Steven O. > wrote:

>My tastes are very plain American. I like chicken, beef, turkey,
>mashed potatoes, rice, familiar garden vegetables, lasagna, plain Jane
>American foods (and a few ethnic foods, like a lot of Italian dishes,
>that have become Americanized over time). I want to find low-fat,
>low-salt TV dinners that still have real meat and real potatoes.
>
>So, I asked the guys at the healthy foods supermarket if they could
>find some low-salt, low-fat, low-cholestoral TV dinners that have the
>same types of food as Swanson TV dinners, and they keep saying they'll
>do something about it -- and they don't.

You don't mention if you're diabetic or not. There's a decent low-carb line
of frozen dinners that have just come out. I haven't checked the fat and
cholesterol amounts on them, because as as diabetic, I'm more concerned
about the carb counts.

Tabatchnick makes a line of soups that are good. I don't know how low in
sodium they are, but they are low in fat and relatively low in carbs (I
really like the chicken noodle and matzo ball soup. Which surprisingly low
in carbs considering that it has noodles and matzo balls in it). They're
filling, too.

Look at Healthy Choice. They have some standard fare types of things that
aren't completely exotic (but you have to really look at them to see what
they have, and maybe look in a couple of stores because some stores carry
different items).

However, you should realize that you are asking for an awful lot. Low fat,
low cholesterol, low salt, standard meat and potatoes fare all in one
frozen dinner.

Another choice you might pursue, depending on how urban it is where you
live, is getting in contact with a company/chef that prepares foods ahead,
to order, and freezes them. They often deliver a week of meals at a time,
and they're usually made locally. Then you could request specifically what
you want. This is usually a less expensive alternative to hiring a private
cook/chef, but it's probably more expensive than if you either learned to
cook yourself or you just ate mass produced frozen dinners. However, it is
prepared to your specifications, so you'd be getting exactly what you
wanted for the price you'd be paying. So it has it's pros and cons.

--
Siobhan Perricone
"This isn't right. This isn't even wrong."
- Wolfgang Pauli, on a paper submitted by a physicist colleague

On Mon, 05 Jul 2004 01:46:32 -0400, Siobhan Perricone
> wrote:

>On Mon, 05 Jul 2004 15:20:46 +1000, Alan
> wrote:
>
>>On Mon, 05 Jul 2004 04:12:08 GMT, Steven O. > wrote:
>>
>>>I am accustomed to eating foods that I like, and making them quick and
>>>dirty. (I do NOT have time to cook.)
>>
>>You have to make the time to learn to cook. It's simple, quicker than
>>take-out or TV dinners, and will add fifteen years to your life.
>
>Why can't you just answer the man's question instead of trying to force
>your lifestyle on him? Contrary to what you're claiming, cooking does take
>time, effort, energy, and planning. When you're not used to it, learning
>how to do it takes more time, as well, as the cooking itself taking longer.
>
Hi Siobhan

I can't "just answer the man's question" because I'm 12,000 miles away
and don't buy at his supermarkets. But I reacted to his comment that he
didn't have time to cook. You and he can both disagree with me, OK, but
to me that's just an excuse. Simple as that. Cooking is much simpler
than many seem to believe - it's not some mystic science. From fridge to
plate an omelette takes five minutes including the time it takes to make
some coffee and pick some herbs in the garden - or the window-box.

>>I can cook a steak dinner, with steamed or braised veges, quicker than
>>you can de-frost a TV dinner. So can you.
>
>This isn't totally true. A frozen dinner takes around eight minutes,
>freezer to microwave to plate (depending on your microwave, and including
>decision making time). Unless you're talking about a thin steak

Actually, not thin but small - as it should be if he's cooking for a
healthy heart. Eight minutes from fridge to plate, done medium. However,
I accept that preparation time etc may take a little longer with veges,
but that is a matter of planning and timing.

> it will
>take longer than that to cook. Another point, a decent steak, one that you
>can cook in ten to fifteen minutes and still have it come out edible, is
>much more expensive than a frozen meal. On top of that is the time and
>electricity/fuel it takes to cook the steak and the side dish.

You are serious? What size steak are you cooking? Obviously fresh food
must be much more expensive in the States than I saw last year. And TV
dinners much cheaper.
>
>Besides, who are you to judge what is right for this person, and to claim
>you know what's better for him?

I don't judge anyone. I offered some advice he may not accept - as you
didn't. But I offered it honestly based on my own experience, including
a short time travelling your country. If you don't cook it yourself, you
are trusting the manufacturer's honesty in the ingredients list on the
pack. Sadly, my experience from my glucometer is that manufactured foods
often raise my BGs way above expectations based on their ingredients
list.

>Isn't this the sort of thing we struggle
>with all the time from people who aren't diabetic telling us what's right
>for us and what isn't?

No - I offered advice based on experience; he can ignore it, read it, or
debate it. But when questions are asked on usenet, you don't get to
choose what answers will be offered to you. Only which ones you will
read or act on.

And to the OP - I'm sorry, but I can't suggest which pre-prepared foods
to buy; I don't buy them here so I certainly can't suggest what to buy
in DC. But if you want some simple and basic recipes that you can cook
yourself when you have some free time, and put in the freezer for
zapping later, google up my name here on alt.food.diabetic. If you can't
find them, I'll re-post them.

There aren't a lot, but from memory there's napoli and bolgnaise sauce
for pasta, lo-carb pizza, beef burgundy, chili crab and some breakfast
ideas. You'll also find plenty of much better recipes posted by others.

Bon appetit.


Cheers, Alan, T2 d&e, Australia.
Remove weight and carbs to email.
--
Everything in Moderation - Except Laughter.

On Mon, 05 Jul 2004 01:46:32 -0400, Siobhan Perricone
> wrote:

>On Mon, 05 Jul 2004 15:20:46 +1000, Alan
> wrote:
>
>>On Mon, 05 Jul 2004 04:12:08 GMT, Steven O. > wrote:
>>
>>>I am accustomed to eating foods that I like, and making them quick and
>>>dirty. (I do NOT have time to cook.)
>>
>>You have to make the time to learn to cook. It's simple, quicker than
>>take-out or TV dinners, and will add fifteen years to your life.
>
>Why can't you just answer the man's question instead of trying to force
>your lifestyle on him? Contrary to what you're claiming, cooking does take
>time, effort, energy, and planning. When you're not used to it, learning
>how to do it takes more time, as well, as the cooking itself taking longer.
>
Hi Siobhan

I can't "just answer the man's question" because I'm 12,000 miles away
and don't buy at his supermarkets. But I reacted to his comment that he
didn't have time to cook. You and he can both disagree with me, OK, but
to me that's just an excuse. Simple as that. Cooking is much simpler
than many seem to believe - it's not some mystic science. From fridge to
plate an omelette takes five minutes including the time it takes to make
some coffee and pick some herbs in the garden - or the window-box.

>>I can cook a steak dinner, with steamed or braised veges, quicker than
>>you can de-frost a TV dinner. So can you.
>
>This isn't totally true. A frozen dinner takes around eight minutes,
>freezer to microwave to plate (depending on your microwave, and including
>decision making time). Unless you're talking about a thin steak

Actually, not thin but small - as it should be if he's cooking for a
healthy heart. Eight minutes from fridge to plate, done medium. However,
I accept that preparation time etc may take a little longer with veges,
but that is a matter of planning and timing.

> it will
>take longer than that to cook. Another point, a decent steak, one that you
>can cook in ten to fifteen minutes and still have it come out edible, is
>much more expensive than a frozen meal. On top of that is the time and
>electricity/fuel it takes to cook the steak and the side dish.

You are serious? What size steak are you cooking? Obviously fresh food
must be much more expensive in the States than I saw last year. And TV
dinners much cheaper.
>
>Besides, who are you to judge what is right for this person, and to claim
>you know what's better for him?

I don't judge anyone. I offered some advice he may not accept - as you
didn't. But I offered it honestly based on my own experience, including
a short time travelling your country. If you don't cook it yourself, you
are trusting the manufacturer's honesty in the ingredients list on the
pack. Sadly, my experience from my glucometer is that manufactured foods
often raise my BGs way above expectations based on their ingredients
list.

>Isn't this the sort of thing we struggle
>with all the time from people who aren't diabetic telling us what's right
>for us and what isn't?

No - I offered advice based on experience; he can ignore it, read it, or
debate it. But when questions are asked on usenet, you don't get to
choose what answers will be offered to you. Only which ones you will
read or act on.

And to the OP - I'm sorry, but I can't suggest which pre-prepared foods
to buy; I don't buy them here so I certainly can't suggest what to buy
in DC. But if you want some simple and basic recipes that you can cook
yourself when you have some free time, and put in the freezer for
zapping later, google up my name here on alt.food.diabetic. If you can't
find them, I'll re-post them.

There aren't a lot, but from memory there's napoli and bolgnaise sauce
for pasta, lo-carb pizza, beef burgundy, chili crab and some breakfast
ideas. You'll also find plenty of much better recipes posted by others.

Bon appetit.


Cheers, Alan, T2 d&e, Australia.
Remove weight and carbs to email.
--
Everything in Moderation - Except Laughter.

I have not bought TV dinners in a while, the best advice I can give
you is, out of the choices your supermarket has read the ingredients.
I used to use "healthy choice" or low fat types. if you are diabetic
try to find one that fits into your diet. I would see a dietitian if you
have
not already.

"Steven O." > wrote in message
...
> Hi, all. I'm getting older, and my doctor says I need foods with less
> cholestoral, lower fat, low salt, etc. What a pain. Hope someone can
> help me out here.
>
> I am accustomed to eating foods that I like, and making them quick and
> dirty. (I do NOT have time to cook.) I eat a lot of frozen dinners,
> frozen ravioli, stuff like that. Swanson TV dinner type foods. The
> doctor says those dinners contain tons of crap, which is not good for
> me.
>
> I went to my nearest "healthy foods" type of supermarket, here in the
> DC metro area. The TV dinners I found there fall into one of two
> categories:
> 1. Vegetable matter, masquerading (poorly) as meat. That is, lots of
> Tofu type products, dressed up as meatloaf and such.
> 2. Frozen dinners based on exotic cuisines, such as Thai. I don't
> eat Thai. I eat American, Italian, and Chinese. And American. Or
> did I say that already?
>
> My tastes are very plain American. I like chicken, beef, turkey,
> mashed potatoes, rice, familiar garden vegetables, lasagna, plain Jane
> American foods (and a few ethnic foods, like a lot of Italian dishes,
> that have become Americanized over time). I want to find low-fat,
> low-salt TV dinners that still have real meat and real potatoes.
>
> So, I asked the guys at the healthy foods supermarket if they could
> find some low-salt, low-fat, low-cholestoral TV dinners that have the
> same types of food as Swanson TV dinners, and they keep saying they'll
> do something about it -- and they don't.
>
> So, I thought I'd help them out. Therefore, and to get to the point:
> Can anyone recommend some brand of TV dinners that tastes and looks
> like Swanson, except it's not poison for a guy in his early 40s with
> high blood pressure and high cholesterol?
>
> Thanks, sincerely, in advance, for all ON TOPIC, ON POINT replies that
> don't try to tell me to change my shabby American eating habits, and
> don't try to tell me to start cooking.
>
> Steve O.
>
>
> Steven AATT Domain DDOOTT com
> To send an e-mail, substitute @ for AATT, a . for DDOOTT, and OpComm for
Domain
>
> Standard Antiflame Disclaimer: Please don't flame me. I may actually
*be* an idiot, but even idiots have feelings.
>
> I pledge allegiance to the Constitution of the United States of America,
and to the republic which it established, one nation from many peoples,
aspiring to liberty and justice for all.
> Feel free to use the above variant pledge in your own postings.

I have not bought TV dinners in a while, the best advice I can give
you is, out of the choices your supermarket has read the ingredients.
I used to use "healthy choice" or low fat types. if you are diabetic
try to find one that fits into your diet. I would see a dietitian if you
have
not already.

"Steven O." > wrote in message
...
> Hi, all. I'm getting older, and my doctor says I need foods with less
> cholestoral, lower fat, low salt, etc. What a pain. Hope someone can
> help me out here.
>
> I am accustomed to eating foods that I like, and making them quick and
> dirty. (I do NOT have time to cook.) I eat a lot of frozen dinners,
> frozen ravioli, stuff like that. Swanson TV dinner type foods. The
> doctor says those dinners contain tons of crap, which is not good for
> me.
>
> I went to my nearest "healthy foods" type of supermarket, here in the
> DC metro area. The TV dinners I found there fall into one of two
> categories:
> 1. Vegetable matter, masquerading (poorly) as meat. That is, lots of
> Tofu type products, dressed up as meatloaf and such.
> 2. Frozen dinners based on exotic cuisines, such as Thai. I don't
> eat Thai. I eat American, Italian, and Chinese. And American. Or
> did I say that already?
>
> My tastes are very plain American. I like chicken, beef, turkey,
> mashed potatoes, rice, familiar garden vegetables, lasagna, plain Jane
> American foods (and a few ethnic foods, like a lot of Italian dishes,
> that have become Americanized over time). I want to find low-fat,
> low-salt TV dinners that still have real meat and real potatoes.
>
> So, I asked the guys at the healthy foods supermarket if they could
> find some low-salt, low-fat, low-cholestoral TV dinners that have the
> same types of food as Swanson TV dinners, and they keep saying they'll
> do something about it -- and they don't.
>
> So, I thought I'd help them out. Therefore, and to get to the point:
> Can anyone recommend some brand of TV dinners that tastes and looks
> like Swanson, except it's not poison for a guy in his early 40s with
> high blood pressure and high cholesterol?
>
> Thanks, sincerely, in advance, for all ON TOPIC, ON POINT replies that
> don't try to tell me to change my shabby American eating habits, and
> don't try to tell me to start cooking.
>
> Steve O.
>
>
> Steven AATT Domain DDOOTT com
> To send an e-mail, substitute @ for AATT, a . for DDOOTT, and OpComm for
Domain
>
> Standard Antiflame Disclaimer: Please don't flame me. I may actually
*be* an idiot, but even idiots have feelings.
>
> I pledge allegiance to the Constitution of the United States of America,
and to the republic which it established, one nation from many peoples,
aspiring to liberty and justice for all.
> Feel free to use the above variant pledge in your own postings.