Best Packaged Foods: 5 Dietitian

Try these dietitian-approved convenience foods that save time on meal prep.

Health-conscious athletes tend to think of the terms “packaged” and “processed” as foods high in sugar, salt, and fat, and not meant to be a fixture of your diet. But not all processed, packaged foods are created equal.

While fresh, whole foods should top your grocery list, there are plenty of processed convenience foods in the supermarket that are healthy, and offer runners an opportunity to get the daily nutrition needed for optimal health and performance—while making meal prep easy.

Processed and packaged foods are often vilified because we’re told to eat more foods that are closer to their natural state. But what lots of people fail to remember is that the vast majority of what we eat is processed in some way. According to the NOVA classification—a common way to categorize processing in nutrition science—foods that have been frozen, dried, canned, chopped or blended (and otherwise still very healthy!) would get the label of “processed,” yet many of them are just plain convenient. At the end of a crazy day, not everyone feels like making a meal from scratch.

Luckily, more healthful, timesaving packaged food options are available today than just a few years ago. To get in and out of the kitchen fast, here are the healthy packaged foods you should stock up on and why dietitians give them a stamp of approval.

Prepackaged salads can be a boon to busy runners as it eliminates the work of chopping and dicing vegetables. They’re mindless in the very best way. “As simple and seamless as we can make it for people, the easier it is to be consistent with incorporating more fresh vegetables into our lifestyles,” says Molly Kimball, RD, CSSD, director of Lifestyle Nutrition at Ochsner Health in New Orleans. And eating more veggies is never a bad thing.

A review of 95 different studies involving two million people that was published in the European Journal of Epidemiology showed an association between two and a half servings of vegetables and fruits per day and a 16 percent reduced risk of heart disease, an 18 percent lower risk of stroke, a 4 percent reduced risk of cancer, and a 15 percent lower risk of premature death.

No longer are salad kits just a bag of sad-looking yellowed iceberg lettuce, with gloppy ranch dressing, either. These days you can choose ones that include a mix of flavors and textures such as spinach, shredded broccoli stems, radicchio, seeds, feta, and dried fruit, all of which ups the nutritional value.

“I look for kits with ample—and dark—leafy greens, plus any and all extra veggies added,” Kimball tells Runner’s World. She cautions that salad dressings in prepared salad kits are hit or miss, nutritionally speaking, so check the label closely. “If you see it’s high in added sugars, consider using less of it, or replace it altogether with a bottled dressing that you know is lower in sugars with the quality ingredients you want.”

Fuel up: Where bagged salads can fall short is that they typically aren’t substantial enough to be considered a main dish. “To complete the meal, add protein such as chicken, salmon, beef, egg, or garbanzo beans,” advises Julie Dikos, RD, CSSD, a runner and owner of Nutrition Success. “To this, add carbohydrates such as sweet potato, fresh fruit, quinoa, rice, or beans, and a healthy fat source including avocado, olives, pumpkin seeds, almonds, or walnuts.” For example, you could toss together a packaged salad kit with sliced rotisserie chicken or canned bean medley and some cooked quinoa for a healthy meal in a flash.

A perfect protein-packed meal option for casual cooks. According to nutritional analysis from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, shrimp is very protein dense with low amounts of fat—a 3-ounce serving supplies 20 grams of protein and less than a gram of fat. That makes this previously cooked shrimp especially good at helping with muscle building and recovery.

“Shrimp also serves as a source of vitamin B12, vitamin E, choline, and minerals like selenium, zinc, copper, iodine, phosphorus,” Dikos says. “These nutrients support muscle development and recovery, improve hormone health, reduce oxidative stress, increase mitochondria functioning, and much more.”

The crustacean is one of the better food sources of iodine, an important mineral that is required for proper thyroid functioning, as well as choline, a nutrient necessary for better brain health.

The best way to thaw a bag of frozen shrimp is to place the bag in the refrigerator for 12 hours before using. But if you have not thought ahead, place the shrimp in a large bowl of very cold water. Set a timer for 15 minutes and stir the bowl every 5 minutes to break up clumps that freeze together. The shrimp should be defrosted in about 15 to 20 minutes.

Fuel up: Because they are already cooked, the thawed shrimp can go directly on pasta, salads, tacos, sandwiches, and cooked grains without heating for a no-fuss protein boost. Dikos says they are also good with mashed potatoes.

No need to save waffles for the weekend. Boxed ready-to-toast frozen waffles can be your way to enjoying this breakfast comfort food any day of the week. No need to stir up any batter and dust off the waffle maker “They are a great way for runners to get some much needed prerun carbs,” says Kimball.

Plus, now, there are more nutritious options in the frozen food aisle. Kimball says your best bet is to opt for ones made with whole-grain flour. “You want to see whole wheat or another whole-grain flour as the first ingredient listed,” she says. That way, they can be a valuable source of whole grains in your diet.

A 2023 study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that eating more whole grains instead of refined grains can help prevent premature death from different forms of heart disease. Whole grains will have more fiber and a larger range of nutrients that helps bolster heart health. You can also try brands made with healthy boosters like chia seeds, flaxseed, and real berries. “There are even higher protein waffles now on the market,” Kimball says.

Fuel up: “I love [waffles] topped with peanut butter or almond butter instead of syrup,” Kimball says. As for Dikos, she suggests toasting a couple waffles and then adding Greek yogurt, sliced banana, and sprinkle of walnuts or pumpkin seeds for a more balanced meal.

For a grab-and-go breakfast sandwich, smear 2 tablespoons cream cheese and 1 tablespoon peanut or almond butter on a prepared frozen waffle. Top with sliced strawberries and then another prepared waffle.

Also, use a waffle as a base for a fried egg, or even make a dinner waffle pizza with tomato sauce, sliced cooked chicken and shredded mozzarella (stick the stacked toasted waffle under the oven broiler to melt the cheese).

Canned beans are one of the most affordable, good-for-you packaged foods. And it’s even better when they come in ready-to-eat mixes including chickpeas, red kidney beans, romano beans, and black-eye peas.

“A bean medley is an easy way to add a lot of fiber to your diet,” says Dikos. “In this way, beans support gut-producing bacteria that make the short-chain fatty acid, butyrate, a substance that improves the gut lining, reduces inflammation, boosts the immune system, and protects against cardiovascular disease.”

Indeed, an investigation published in the journal mSystems found that it takes about two weeks of following a high-fiber diet to start experiencing positive changes in your gut’s microbiome.

The nutritional heft of canned beans also includes plant-based protein, as well as a range of must-have nutrients such as folate, potassium, and magnesium—the latter of which Dikos says is an important energy-generating nutrient. When you include a variety of beans in your diet you can take advantage of some of their nutritional differences, too, such as varying types of antioxidants.

One study also discovered that eating different types of beans daily can help improve cholesterol numbers. So, yes, you should be eating more beans, even if they come in a can. But few Americans eat enough, which makes convenient options like this helpful to sneaking in more.

Fuel up: “If a bean burrito, bean soup, or bean chili is your thing, then go for it,” Dikos says. “However, even adding a handful of a bean medley to a salad, pasta, or rice dish is a good idea to improve the nutritional value of a meal.”

Among dietitians, hummus is a favorite convenient packaged food because it’s full of ingredients you can feel good about when you want a dip. The main ingredient of hummus is chickpeas, which delivers a good mix of protein and fiber, a duo lacking in most packaged snack foods. “But just don’t think you’ll get big amounts of protein from hummus as you’d need to eat a lot of it to give you a substantial serving of protein,” Dikos says.

The other nutritional star of hummus is tahini which delivers beneficial unsaturated fat, as well as some calcium and phosphorus to support bone health. This all adds up to hummus holding a top spot in terms of nutrient-rich options in the packaged dip aisle.

Also, one study in the Journal of Nutrition found that using hummus as a snack can improve diet quality, sensations of hunger, and blood-sugar control compared to snacking on a granola bar.

“Plus, using hummus can be a great way to encourage you to eat more nutrition-packed veggies if you use them as dippers,” says Dikos. She encourages people to look for brands made with olive oil instead of lesser quality oils, like soybean.

Fuel up: Hummus should not be pigeonholed solely as a dip. You can use store-bought hummus as a sandwich spread, as a swap for mayo when making tuna or egg salad, or as the foundation of a creamy dressing—whisk together hummus, olive oil, fresh lemon juice, chopped garlic, salt, and pepper.

You can serve a Mediterranean-inspired layered dip for a dinner by spreading hummus on a platter and topping with lentils or canned bean medley, chopped veggies like cucumber and cherry tomatoes, sliced olives, crumbled feta, and a lemony vinaigrette.

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