With the rise of convenient, microwave-ready meals, Healthy Choice Steamers have become popular for those looking for a quick meal. Marketed as a healthier alternative to traditional frozen meals, they promise protein and fibre—all packed in a steamable tray for an easy meal on the go. But are they truly as healthy as they seem?
In this review, I’ll break down the nutritional profile of Healthy Choice Steamers, looking at key ingredients, macronutrient balance, and sodium levels to determine if these meals live up to their “healthy” claims. As a dietitian, I’ll also compare them to other frozen meal options, exploring whether they fit into a well-rounded, sustainable diet. So, if you’ve been curious about Healthy Choice Steamers and want a clearer picture of how they stack up nutritionally, read on to find out if these meals are a smart, healthy choice for you!
About Healthy Choice Steamers
Healthy Choice Steamers are frozen dinners promoted as healthy meals that can help control cravings by keeping you satisfied. They recently adopted the “on track” symbol highlighting the product’s protein and fibre content and markets this meal as “GLP-1 friendly”.
Healthy Choice Ingredients
The ingredients below are for the Grilled Chicken Marinara with Parmesan flavour. Always check the label for up-to-date ingredient and allergen information before consuming.
Pasta: enriched wheat flour (white flour), durum wheat semolina (flour commonly used in pasta making), niacin, ferrous sulfate, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid (fortified nutrients), soybean oil (an oil rich in omega-6 present in small amounts in the pasta).
Chicken:
- Chicken breast
- Olive oil: an oil rich in oleic acid (omega-9)
- Contains 2% or less of:
- Isolated soy protein product: isolated soy protein, modified potato starch, corn starch, carrageenan, soy lecithin
- Dextrose: a type of sugar
- Potassium Chloride: an added source of potassium that can give foods a salty flavour while maintaining a lower sodium content.
- Salt: added source of sodium
- Sodium phosphates: an emulsifier, thickening, and stabilizing agent.
- Flavoring: the specific type of flavouring, and whether it is natural or artificial, is not detailed
Broccoli
Tomato puree
Contains 2% or less:
- Tomato paste
- Parmesan cheese (part skim milk, cheese culture, salt, enzymes)
- Onions
- Sugar: table sugar
- Flavorings: the specific type of flavouring, and whether it is natural or artificial, is not detailed.
- Salt: added source of sodium
- Modified corn starch: corn starch that has been treated to change its properties, such as with enzymes, acid, or other chemicals
- Olive oil: an oil rich in oleic acid (omega-9)
Priority allergens
Contains milk, soy, and wheat.
Healthy Choice Nutrition Facts
| Chicken Alfredo | Chicken Fajita | Creamy Chicken & Mushroom | Mexican-Style Street Corn | Barbecue Seasoned Steak with Red Potatoes | Beef Teriyaki | Grilled Chicken Pesto with Vegetables | Chicken Fettuccini Alfredo with Broccoli | Chicken Linguini with Red Pepper Alfredo | Chicken Margherita with Balsamic | Crustless Chicken Pot Pie | Four Cheese Ravioli & Chicken Marinara | General Tso’s Spicy Chicken | Crilled Chicken Marinara with Parmesan | Honey Glazed Turkey & Potatoes | Spaghetti & Meatballs | Sweet & Sour Chicken | Sweet Sesame Chicken | Pineapple Chicken | Turkey Sausage Lasagna Bowl | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Calories | 340 | 200 | 240 | 240 | 300 | 270 | 290 | 280 | 250 | 270 | 300 | 250 | 290 | 280 | 240 | 280 | 390 | 300 | 290 | 290 |
| Fat (g) | 8 | 4.5 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 7 | 8 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 4.5 | 3.5 | 5 | 1.5 | 7 | 9 | 6 | 4.5 | 6 |
| Saturated fat (g) | 2.5 | 1 | 1.5 | 2 | 1.5 | 1.5 | 2 | 2.5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1.5 | 0.5 | 2.5 | 2 | 1.5 | 1 | 2 |
| Polyunsaturated fat (g) | 2.5 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1.5 | 2.5 | 1.5 | 1.5 | 2 | 1 | 0.5 | 1 | 0.5 | 1.5 | 4.5 | 2 | 1 | 2 |
| Monounsaturated fat (g) | 2.5 | 2.5 | 2 | 2 | 1.5 | 1.5 | 3 | 2.5 | 2 | 3.5 | 2 | 1.5 | 1.5 | 2 | 0.5 | 3 | 2.5 | 3 | 2 | 2 |
| Cholesterol (mg) | 40 | 40 | 35 | 40 | 35 | 30 | 35 | 45 | 40 | 25 | 85 | 45 | 25 | 35 | 20 | 25 | 25 | 35 | 35 | 25 |
| Sodium (mg) | 440 | 490 | 600 | 520 | 450 | 450 | 590 | 580 | 520 | 360 | 600 | 510 | 580 | 550 | 400 | 410 | 550 | 460 | 470 | 410 |
| Carbohydrate (g) | 42 | 23 | 32 | 30 | 49 | 43 | 36 | 31 | 27 | 36 | 40 | 33 | 47 | 36 | 42 | 35 | 63 | 43 | 45 | 43 |
| Fiber (g) | 3 | 2 | 3 | 8 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 |
| Sugar (g) | <1 | 4 | 1 | 6 | 16 | 13 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 7 | 6 | 8 | 11 | 6 | 18 | 5 | 22 | 13 | 15 | 7 |
| Added sugar (g) | <1 | 1 | <1 | 1 | 16 | 11 | 2 | <1 | 1 | 5 | <1 | 4 | 11 | 3 | 13 | 2 | 21 | 11 | 8 | 4 |
| Protein (g) | 24 | 15 | 15 | 18 | 16 | 14 | 20 | 21 | 21 | 17 | 21 | 17 | 16 | 21 | 14 | 19 | 12 | 16 | 16 | 15 |
| Vitamin D (mcg) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Calcium (mg) | 100 | 0 | 30 | 80 | 90 | 30 | 90 | 100 | 100 | 0 | 40 | 180 | 30 | 80 | 80 | 40 | 0 | 0 | 30 | 100 |
| Iron (mg) | 1.7 | 1.1 | 0.4 | 2 | 3.7 | 1.2 | 2 | 1.6 | 1.5 | 1.9 | 1.5 | 1.6 | 0.7 | 2.2 | 1.2 | 2.2 | 1.3 | 0.8 | 1 | 2 |
| Potassium (mg) | 670 | 490 | 550 | 760 | 1220 | 520 | 570 | 760 | 630 | 470 | 700 | 990 | 550 | 700 | 1160 | 940 | 300 | 490 | 600 | 700 |
The nutrition facts below are from the Grilled Chicken Marinara with Parmesan flavour (the range from all flavours is in parentheses). See the chart above for the nutrition facts from all flavours.
Calories: 280 (240-390)
Fat: 5 g (1.5-8 g) from olive oil, and soybean oil to a lesser extent.
Saturated fat: 1.5 g (1-2.5 g), trace amounts found in ingredients.
Polyunsaturated fat: 1 g (0.5-4.5 g) from olive oil.
Monounsaturated fat: 2 g (0.5-3.5 g) from olive oil.
Cholesterol: 35 mg (20-85 mg) from chicken.
Sodium: 550 mg (410-600 mg) from salt.
Carbohydrate: 36 g (23-63 mg) from white pasta.
Fibre: 4 g (2-8 g) from white pasta and broccoli,
Sugar: 6 g (1-22 g) from sugar and trace amounts found in ingredients.
Added sugar: 3 g (1-21 g) from table sugar.
Protein: 21 g (12-24 g) from chicken and pasta.
Other micronutrients: 0 mcg vitamin D, 80 mg calcium (0-180 mg), 2.2 mg iron (0.4-3.7 mg), 700 mg potassium (300-1220 mg).
Are Healthy Choice Steamers Healthy?
Healthy Choice Steamers, Grilled Chicken Marinara flavour received a nutrition score of 55 out of 100. On the plus side, this flavour is a good source of protein, with 21 g. It is also low in sodium for an entrée with only 550 mg and contains a source of unsaturated fats from olive oil. However, for an entrée, this flavour is low in fibre. This is because its main source of carbohydrates is refined flour, and it contains a smaller portion of broccoli than is ideal for a full meal. The chicken is also cooked using ultra-processed ingredients that wouldn’t necessarily be used in home cooking.
Calorie content: the low-calorie content of some of the Healthy Choice flavours concerns me. For example, the Chicken Fajita flavour is only 200 calories, which is appropriate as a snack for most adults, but nowhere near the amount of calories needed for an entrée with the potential to sustain fullness. Low-calorie may mean these dishes are not satisfying, which could lead to increased hunger and cravings, despite the company claiming to do the opposite.
Carbohydrate content: all flavours contain a moderate amount of carbohydrates, except the fajita flavour, which is lower in carbs, and the Sweet & Sour Chicken flavour, which is much higher in carbs, largely due to the added sugar in the sauce.
Fibre content: the fibre content is too low for a full meal in all flavours, except the Mexican Style Street Corn flavour. The low fibre content is due to refined carbohydrates used as the main carb ingredient and a small portion of vegetables in the meals.
Protein content: there are several flavours whose protein content is far too low for an entrée: Chicken Fajita, Creamy Chicken and Mushroom, Beef Teriyaki, Honey Glazed Turkey and Potatoes, Sweet & Sour Chicken, and Turkey Sausage Lasagna Bowl. These flavours contain 12-15g of protein per meal, which is insufficient for the average adult.
Sodium content: the sodium content of these meals is low to moderate, which is great considering they are packaged frozen dinners, which often contain twice the sodium of Healthy Choice Steamers.
Bottomline:
Healthy Choice Steamers are certainly not the worst choice in the frozen dinner category, but they are lower in fibre and overall calories compared to what most adults need to consume at a meal to feel satiated. Some flavours are also too low in protein for a meal. They also contain ultra-processed ingredients that aren’t typically used in a home-cooked meal.
Compared to other frozen dinner brands, Healthy Choice Steamers can be a better-for-you option, as they are lower in sodium and offer a more balanced (though not ideal) macronutrient profile. Be sure to select a higher-protein option, such as Grilled Chicken Pesto with Vegetables or Grilled Chicken Marinara, and ideally serve with an additional side of veggies to increase the fibre content.
Related Posts:
- Veggie Straws Dietitian Review
- IQ Bar Dietitian Review
- Is Annie’s Mac and Cheese Healthy? Dietitian Review
Sources:
List of Permitted Emulsifying, Gelling, Stabilizing, Thickening Agents, Health Canada, 2023
Code of Federal Regulations Title 21, Volume 3, Sec. 172.892 Food starch-modified. U. S Food & Drug Administration, August 2024.
