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Welcome! My name is Marie, and I’m a nutritionist with LEAN CUISINE^® and Nestlé. Have a question about food or nutrition? Send it to me, and I’ll email you an answer — and maybe post it here. Check out some of the previous questions and categories covered.

To see the answers to the questions listed below, you may click on either the "+" icon to the left of the question or on the question itself.

Q. Can I use your products to control my cholesterol? A. LEAN CUISINE® items are low in fat and cholesterol as described by government guidelines. Foods which are low in fat and cholesterol are recommended for anyone who is interested in reducing their cholesterol level. But there are so many other factors that contribute to cholesterol levels; including family history, overall diets, medications etc. Q. Do your products contain transfatty acids? A. All of our LEAN CUISINE products declare 0 trans fat per serving on the Nutrition Facts Panel. You'll also see a "0 g trans fat" statement on the front of the package, just above our " No Preservatives" flag. TFA's occur naturally in some ingredients, such as beef and dairy products, which we do use in LEAN CUISINE recipes. However LEAN CUISINE carefully balances these ingredients with vegetables and grains while using healthier fats such as canola or soy oil. We're succeeded in reducing or eliminating trans fat in our LEAN CUISINE products without increasing saturated fat. On a few packages, you may notice partially hydrogenated vegetable oil in the ingredient list but see 0 grams of trans fat on the Nutrition Facts panel. How is this possible? Food manufacturers are required to list amounts of trans fat at less than 0.5 gram (1/2gram) as 0 on the Nutrition panel. Q. Why don’t the fats add up to the total fat amount on the nutrition facts label? A. The total fat listed on the package accounts for all the fat in the product. Fat is broken down into three classifications, and these are listed on the label under the total fat content as Saturated, Polyunsaturated, and Monounsaturated fats. You may have noticed that these three types of fat do not add up to the total fat content. Other fat-like substances such as glycerol and free-fatty acids exist and are measured and accounted for in the total fat listing, but cannot be categorized as a saturated, polyunsaturated, or monounsaturated fat. The format we use is mandated by the federal government pursuant to the terms of the Nutrition Labeling Education Act (NLEA). Q. When I get my Cholesterol checked I get 4 numbers. What do they mean, and what can I do to affect each individual number? A. Most likely, you received a blood cholesterol level, high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and triglycerides (TG). Your cholesterol level is affected by two sources, one being the amount your liver produces and the second source is from the foods you consume. Cholesterol is found only in the fats of animal products such as milk, meat etc. The effect of dietary cholesterol on your blood cholesterol levels is also affected by other components of your diet such as saturated fat intake. High-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol is considered the “good cholesterol” which is associated with a reduced risk of heart disease. You can increase this by exercise. Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol is considered the “bad cholesterol” and increased levels increases your risk of heart disease. Both HDL and LDL are not found in foods but your LDL can be affected by the amount of fat and cholesterol in your diet. Triglycerides are fatty acids, which are the form of fat storage in the body. To reduce this amount in your blood- reduce intake of refined carbohydrates such as sweets as well as reducing alcohol intake. Overall, decrease the amount of fat in your diet by focusing on eating low-fat plant foods like grains, beans, vegetables and fruits. Use nonfat dairy products and small servings of lean meats. This may help you in maintaining healthy blood fat levels. Q. Which LEAN CUISINE® entrees would you recommend with the lowest fat ? A. LEAN CUISINE® Chicken a L'Orange, Roasted Turkey Breast, Dinnertime Selections® Oriental Glazed Chicken, Chicken Teriyaki Bowl Sweet and Sour Chicken, Skillet SensationsTM Roasted Turkey are just a few items with lower fat content. Please find the entire nutritional profile for all LEAN CUISINE® items on LeanCuisine.com.