Frequently Asked Questions
Food & Menus
Lose weight but not taste with Jenny Craig's delicious and satisfying menu options.
- What can you tell me about your food and menus?
- Do I have to buy your food?
- Are any vitamins or supplements required?
- What kinds of Jenny's Cuisine food items do you offer?
- Can I choose my own foods?
- Can I eat out at restaurants while I'm on Jenny Craig?
- Will I have to give up alcohol?
- Should I avoid carbohydrates?
- But won't I lose more weight faster with a low-carb diet?
- What kind of carbohydrates does the Jenny Craig Program include?
- Can I eat pasta on the Jenny Craig Program?
- Can I have caffeinated beverages on the Program?
- What if I don't care for one of the fruits or vegetables listed on the menu?
- Do you have Kosher menus?
- Do you have meatless menus?
- Are your menus available online?
- How can I locate a Registered Dietitian?
- Can I cook for others on Jenny Craig?
Q: What can you tell me about your food and menus?
A: Jenny Craig menus model the three key factors for healthy eating: balance, variety and moderation. The delicious Jenny's Cuisine™ entrées and snacks featured on the menus have been conveniently packaged into single portions just right for your weight loss needs. All Jenny Craig menus are:
- Based on the 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, offering 100% balance, variety and moderation
- Low in fat and cholesterol, and high in fiber
- Chosen to meet your weight loss goals, with calorie levels ranging from 1,200 to 2,300 calories per day
Your Jenny Craig menu gives you a safe way to practice your new healthy eating style. It shows you how to lose weight without giving up the foods you love – by modeling moderate amounts. We have cookies, cake, meatloaf, macaroni and cheese, even cheesecake! You can enjoy delicious flavor and stay on track to achieve your weight loss goals!
Delicious gourmet quality Jenny Craig meals and snacks are your first introduction to your new healthier lifestyle. We have planned menus for those who like structure, or you have the freedom to create your own menu by choosing from over 80 individual entrées and snacks. You'll be enjoying three Jenny's Cuisine™ meals and one Jenny's Cuisine™ snack every day, with plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables and other additional grocery foods. Your Jenny Craig foods will be teaching you about portion control and balance, and will also help you to establish sensible eating habits.
Once you've reached your goal weight, your personal Consultant will have helped you strengthen your food preparation skills through healthy cooking techniques and recipes. You will find yourself applying these new skills to planning your own healthy meals for "days on your own" – and establishing healthy new habits for life!
Q: Do I have to buy your food?
A: By following the Jenny Craig menus, you'll be practicing habits like portion control that are essential for healthy weight loss and successful weight management. As you learn strategies to manage social and emotional eating, you'll begin planning your own menus. The ultimate goal of the Program is to transition you from Jenny Craig menus to planning your own menus, so that you can learn to shop, cook and socialize with foods.
Q: Are any vitamins or supplements required?
A: Experts say it's very difficult to get all the vitamins, minerals and other nutrients you need on a reduced calorie menu. To help ensure that you receive the balanced nutrition you need during weight loss, your Jenny Craig Consultant will work with you to create a personalized menu that may include Jenny Craig supplements in the form of capsules, bars, or shakes.
Q: What kinds of Jenny's Cuisine™ food items do you offer?
A: We offer a wide variety of delicious and nutritious breakfast, lunch, dinner and snack items. Because they're so easy to prepare in either a microwave or traditional oven, Jenny's Cuisine™ can fit into even the busiest lifestyles. All of our Jenny Craig foods are pre-packaged and pre-portioned, and are available in frozen or shelf-stable formats. Selections range from French Toast with Berries and Silver Dollar Pancakes with Veggie Sausage (breakfast) and Pan Pizza (lunch), to Chicken Fettuccine and Beef Sirloin Bowl (dinner) and Double Chocolate Cake and Cheese Curls (snacks).
Q: Can I choose my own foods?
A: We currently offer structured Planned menus for clients who enjoy having preplanned weekly menus. Our Personalized menu option allows clients to handpick the items they want to eat … so that they can literally design their own weekly menus based on their favorite foods. You can also switch menus from one week to the next, depending on what works best for you. And you can use our convenient online Menu Planner to plan out your weekly meals.
Q: Can I eat out at restaurants while I'm on Jenny Craig?
A: Yes, our menus give you the flexibility of being able to eat at a restaurant and the confidence to make healthy choices. Our Weight Loss Manual actually has entire sections devoted to dining-out strategies, and there are Meal On My Own options available on your menu. You also have the option of eating your Jenny Craig entrée and enjoying your added food servings at the restaurant. Jenny Craig also offers a Dining Out Guide and your Consultant will be glad to help you plan sensible eating strategies for these occasions! Just ask your Consultant for details, so you can decide the best solution for you.
Q: Should I avoid carbohydrates?
A: No. While advertising and the media have focused a lot of attention on low-carb diets and products, when it comes to successful, long-term weight loss, calories are the key, not carbs. By focusing on calories, you don't need to avoid entire food groups, buy special low-carb products or give up the foods you love.
Q: But won't I lose more weight faster with a low-carb diet?
A: Recent research has disproved the claim that weight loss is faster and greater on a low-carb diet. One clinical trial showed that while subjects lost weight faster initially on a low-carb diet, the amount of weight loss after one year was similar to the group that followed the traditional low-fat approach to weight loss. Restrictive diets, such as low-carb diets, can be difficult to follow for very long, in fact half the Americans who have tried low-carb diets have given them up. For more information read our article about low-carb diets.
Q: Can I eat pasta on the Jenny Craig Program?
A: The Jenny Craig Program teaches you to balance your food choices and use moderation. That way, you can continue to enjoy your own personal eating style. You can customize your menus to include pasta, cake and other carbs, or a higher protein option that includes nuts, low fat dairy and lean protein. Jenny Craig helps you meet your needs and lose weight the way you want to.
Q: Can I have caffeinated beverages on the Program?
A: Yes. If you are a heavy coffee, soda or tea drinker, you may want to consider cutting back – especially if it interferes with your milk or water intake. If you choose to decrease your caffeine intake, do so gradually – cutting your intake in half each week, to avoid caffeine-withdrawal related symptoms.
Q: Are your menus available online?
A: Yes! We have our Planned menus available, as well as blank templates for our Personalized option… and clients will be able to create and print their menus out before their weekly meeting with their Consultant. This gives them more time to make the choices they like… and frees up more time during their consultation to get weight loss strategies, information and motivation from their Consultant!
Q: Can I cook for others on Jenny Craig?
A: If you regularly cook for yourself or others, you'll find our 30 Meals in 30 Minutes Cookbook or the Volumetrics® Cookbook for Jenny Craig great resources for preparing quick and healthy meals. Our delicious recipes are also available for free to anyone who registers on jennycraig.com.
