What I Think of Jenny Craig: the Food, my Favorites, and the Menu

This post was sponsored by Jenny Craig as part of an Influencer Activation for Influence Central, and all opinions expressed are my own.

Before attending a most attractive and delicious tasting event with Jenny Craig last week, I probably knew as much about Jenny Craig as the average person -- that it was probably a successful dieting program that involved food, celebrities, and weight loss goals. Think Kirstie Alley, right? After this fabulous afternoon of learning about the program, trying some hands-on recipes, and tasting a most visually beautiful array of the new Fall menu items, I am honestly very pro-Jenny Craig and would definitely recommend it as a program with values I absolutely agree with.

In my own recent efforts to make some healthy lifestyle changes and lose some baby weight, I dabbled with a few different programs which were effective but left me hungry and pretty angry throughout their entirety. I quickly decided that maintaining that lifestyle was unrealistic and set out to create my own standards on what was healthy and livable for lasting success. After learning more about Jenny Craig in a presentation at the Institute of Culinary Education in NYC this weekend and the more I listened to the spokeswomen, the more I realized that my current standards and opinions about food and diets are right in line with their mantras. I absolutely agree that the key to success in weight loss and healthy eating is to stick to a variety of healthy foods and consider portion control, without eliminating any food groups.

Jenny Craig is a weight management program that combines nutrition and physical activity with one-on-one personal support from consultants. The fact that it has been around (and thriving!) for over 30 years should tell you something about how effective the program is. It is not a fad or a difficult-to-follow regimen of rules and restrictions, but rather a new way of still enjoying all the foods you love while incorporating quality whole ingredients to help you achieve lasting success, all while being paired with a dedicated personal consultant who will guide you every step of the way on your weight-loss journey.

I love that the foods on the Jenny Craig menu are right in line with and designed to meet the USDA Dietary Guidelines and that members are encouraged to add in their own fruits, vegetables and dairy for balance and variety. We were shown a few techniques of how to add color, texture, and nutrition to our meals and then we set to work on some provided recipes.

Ours was a Zucchini and Tomato Salad with Herbed Dressing and the recipe was right in line with the freedom in Jenny Craig's program to spice things up with fresh herbs, exotic spices, seasonal vegetables, and all sorts of other flavorful ingredients to achieve variety to your meals and snacks. There are so many inventive ways to make something new and refreshing again!

We then got to admire and "ooh" and "ahh" over the incredible display of Jenny Craig foods! There were some new items and some classic favorites, and everything was absolutely alluring and delicious.

The smorgasbord of incredibly delicious foods at the end was proof that you can absolutely have a diet completely rich in flavor, color, texture, and taste, where nothing is sacrificed, and still be absolutely satisfied and satiated. These entrées, desserts, and snacks are developed by dietitians, nutritionists, and food technologists, but consultants communicate (at centers, over the phone, or via video chat) with members on how to combine these with Fresh & Free Additions, such as non-starchy vegetables or whole fruits with peels, so that members feel fuller longer.

Does this look like diet food to you?! Do any of these new Fall menu items (Butternut Squash Ravioli, Garden Vegetable Frittata, Chicken Street Tacos, Fiesta Chicken & Rice, Szechuan Shrimp, Lemon Cake, Chocolate Lava Cake) sound like diet food? Isn't it amazing that by adhering to these nearly 100 different menu items 6 times a day (3 entrees and 3 snacks), millions of Jenny Craig members have lost weight and learned for themselves how to keep it off?!

Now of course, my plate is heaping full, as I paid no attention to portion sizes and just had to try absolutely everything, but still, everything here is attractive and colorful and mouth-watering and completely Jenny Craig. Before we dug in, the spokeswoman had us take a step back and ground ourselves, with an awareness and an appreciation for this food were about to enjoy. Before that first bite, we internally got to appreciate where the food had come from, and think about how we were blessed to be able to enjoy it. I enjoyed the focus on appreciating and relishing the experience of eating and thought it was a lovely activity to continue applying to future meals.

Now feast your eyes on these desserts! One of the thoughts that stood out to me was that diets are all about restrictions, but that with Jenny Craig, there are no restrictions or eliminations. Everything is still on the table, but with parameters and limitations. I believe that no diet that cuts out entire food groups is going to be successful in the long run. Chocolates and dessert are still on the table and a part of the Jenny Craig cuisine.