Healthier Fast Food

With busy schedules and fast food all around us, it’s hard to fight the urge to stop for a quick bite before our next task. Although fast food is not the healthiest choice, you can still make healthy choices while eating out. It’s okay to indulge in the occasional french fry craving as long as it doesn’t become a habit. The reason behind this logic is, usually fast food is low in nutrition and high in trans fats, saturated fats, sodium, and calories. All you need is to arm yourself with the right information, to pick the healthiest food choice.

Let’s take a moment to compare recommendations from the American Heart Association and what you get in a serving of fast food. One serving of potato snackers from White Castel contains 10 grams of unhealthy trans-fat which is 4x’s more than the daily. The recommendation is only consume less than 2 grams of trans-fat per day. A single Double Whopper with cheese, medium fries, and an apple pie from Burger King contains more saturated fat than you should consume in 2 days! Don’t be discouraged just yet, these tips can help steer you down the right path to keep your fats and calorie consumption down when eating fast foods.

Tips for low fat and low calorie meals

1. Make careful menu selections- Read the descriptions on the menu. If the dish indicates it is deep-fried, pan-fried, basted, batter-dipped, breaded, creamy, crispy, scalloped, Alfredo, or in cream sauce this meal will be high in calories, fats, or sodium.
2. Drink water with your meal- 32-oz of soda contains 425 calories! Try instead adding a little lemon to your water.
3. “Undress” your food- Ask for your sandwich without the mayonnaise or get the ketchup, mustard, and mayo in the packets so you control how much is on your sandwich. Ask for the sauces on the side and spoon small amounts onto your food.
4. Special order your meal- If your food is going to be fried or cooked in oil/butter, ask for it broiled or steamed.
5. Eat mindfully- Consciously chew each bite. Feel the different textures and enjoy each flavor in each bite. This helps your body to recognize when you’re getting full, relaxes you and the end result is you feel more satisfied.

What to AVOID

1. Super sized portions- These can easily run up to 1,000 calories so choose meals with the least amount of calories and do not super-size anything. Usually a single fast food serving provides enough for two meals so divide it in half before you start eating and take the other portion home.
2. Salt- Fast food is very high in sodium which increases your risk factor for high blood pressure.
3. Bacon- Even though you may want to add bacon to your hamburger for a little special taste, bacon has very few nutrients but high in fat and calories.
4. Buffets- Most people overeat at buffets so they can feel like they got their money’s worth. Let your stomach catch up and wait at least 20 minutes before getting seconds to make sure you’re still hungry.

The Big Burger Chains

Less Healthy choices 1.    Double-patty hamburger with cheese, mayo, special sauce, and bacon 2.    Fried chicken sandwich 3.    Fried fish sandwich 4.    Salad with toppings such as bacon, cheese, and ranch dressing 5.    Breakfast burrito with steak 6.    French fries 7.    Milkshake 8.    Chicken “nuggets” or tenders 9.    Adding cheese, extra mayo, and special sauces

Healthier choices 1.    Regular, single-patty hamburger without mayo or cheese 2.    Grilled chicken sandwich 3.    Veggie burger 4.    Garden salad with grilled chicken and low-fat dressing 5.    Egg on a muffin 6.    Baked potato or a side salad 7.    Yogurt parfait 8.    Grilled chicken strips 9.    Limiting cheese, mayo, and special sauces

The Big Fried Chicken Chains

Less healthy choices 1.    Fried chicken, original or extra-crispy. 2.    Teriyaki wings or popcorn chicken 3.    Caesar salad 4.    Chicken and biscuit “bowl” 5.    Adding extra gravy and sauces

Healthier choices 1.    Skinless chicken breast without breading 2.    Honey BBQ chicken sandwich 3.    Garden salad 4.    Mashed potatoes 5.    Limiting gravy and sauces

  

The Big Taco Chains

Less healthy choices 1.    Crispy shell chicken taco 2.    Refried beans 3.    Steak chalupa 4.    Crunch wraps or gordita-type burritos 5.    Nachos with refried beans 6.    Adding sour cream or cheese

Healthier choices 1.    Grilled chicken soft taco 2.    Black beans 3.    Shrimp ensalada 4.    Grilled “fresco” style steak burrito 5.    Veggie and bean burrito 6.    Limiting sour cream or cheese

Subs, Sandwich and Deli Choices

Less healthy choices 1.    Foot-long sub 2.    High-fat meat such as ham, tuna salad, bacon, meatballs, or steak 3.    The “normal” amount of higher-fat (cheddar, American) cheese 4.    Adding mayo and special sauces 5.    Keeping the sub “as is” with all toppings 6.    Choosing white bread or “wraps” which are often higher in fat than normal bread	Healthier choices 1.    Six-inch sub 2.    Lean meat (roast beef, chicken breast, lean ham) or veggies 3.    One or two slices of lower-fat cheese (Swiss or mozzarella) 4.    Adding low-fat dressing or mustard instead of mayo 5.    Adding extra veggie toppings 6.    Choosing whole-grain bread or taking the top slice off your sub and eating it open-faced

Asian Food Choices

Less healthy choices 1.    Fried egg rolls, spare ribs, tempura 2.    Battered or deep-fried dishes (sweet and sour pork, General Tso’s chicken) 3.    Deep-fried tofu 4.    Coconut milk, sweet and sour sauce, regular soy sauce 5.    Fried rice 6.    Salads with fried or crispy noodles

Healthier choices 1.    Egg drop, miso, wonton, or hot & sour soup 2.    Stir-fried, steamed, roasted or broiled entrees (shrimp chow mein, chop suey) 3.    Steamed or baked tofu 4.    Sauces such as ponzu, rice-wine vinegar, wasabi, ginger, and low-sodium soy sauce 5.    Steamed brown rice 6.    Edamame, cucumber salad, stir-fried veggies

Italian and Pizza Restaurant Choices

Less healthy choices 1.    Thick-crust or butter-crust pizza with extra cheese and meat toppings 2.    Garlic bread 3.    Antipasto with meat 4.    Pasta with cream or butter-based sauce 5.    Entrée with side of pasta 6.    Fried (“frito”) dishes

Healthier choices 1.    Thin-crust pizza with half the cheese and extra veggies 2.    Plain rolls or bread sticks 3.    Antipasto with vegetables 4.    Pasta with tomato sauce and veggies 5.    Entrée with side of veggies 6.    Grilled (“griglia”) dishes

http://www.helpguide.org/life/fast_food_nutrition.htm

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