How to Make Healthy Choices at Fast Food Joints
How can you blend convenience with healthiness?
It can be difficult to find healthy options at fast food restaurants, but it is becoming easier. With so much emphasis on health, obesity, and portion sizes in the news these days, fast food restaurants are quickly jumping (at least partially) on the healthy bandwagon by advertising options on their menues that are low-fat and healthier.
Although it is best to eat well-balanced nutritious meals, sometimes you need something as convenient as a fast food restaurant. Or, you might simply want to fulfill a craving. However you end up deciding on fast food, remember to make the healthiest choices you can.
Tips to Remember
- Order Salads (but go easy on the dressing--it might do you in)
- Order Grilled Sandwiches (skip the fried and breaded ones)
- Watch Out for Condiments and Extras (ketchup, "special sauce," sour cream, cheese, "super-size")
- Drink Ice Water, Juice, or Milk (skip the soda)
- Choose Chicken (beef has more fat)
- Have Fruit or Side Salads (instead of fries - but watch out for calorie laden dressings)
- Downsize with the Kiddie Meal or junior size (sometimes it is the perfect portion)
- Share (split the order of fries with a friend)
- Ask for Different Sauces (mustard instead of mayo, salsa instead of three different cheeses)
- Skip the Cheese (simply adding cheese to a burger can add over 100 calories to your meal)
Find Healthier Foods on a Budget!
Under $5:
Subway: Various 6" sub sandwiches (under 6 grams of fat)
Under $4:
Many fast food chains offer yummy salads
Under $2:
McDonalds: Grilled Chicken Sandwich (10 grams of fat, 230 calories)
Wendy's: Jr. Hamburger (9 grams of fat, 270 calories)
Some places, like Jack in the Box, offer sides of fruit for around 99¢.
Skip Dessert--sure, it might be on the dollar menu, but the costs and calories quickly add up.
Look for new menu items - many fast food joints are trying to provide healthier options.
For example, Taco Bell now has "diet" items on its menu. But don't just believe what these places say - most will provide nutritional information if you ask (and many places already post it on the menu) - so check out the facts for yourself.
Choose the Healthier Option:
Restaurant
| What You're Eating
| A Better Choice
| What You Save
|
|---|---|---|---|
Arby's
| Beef'n Cheddar = 440 calories & 21 grams fat
| Junio Roast Beef = 270 calories & 9 grams fat
| 170 calories & 12 grams fat
|
Burger King
| Orginial Whopper = 700 calories & 39 grams fat
| Hamburger = 310 calories & 12 grams fat
| 390 calories & 27 grams fat
|
Hardee's
| Double Thickburger = 1240 calories & 90 grams fat
| Thickburger = 850 calories & 57 grams fat
| 390 calories & 33 grams fat
|
McDonald's
| Big Mac = 560 calories & 30 grams fat
| Hamburger = 260 calories & 9 grams fat
| 300 calories & 21 grams fat
|
Wendy's
| Big Bacon Classic = 580 calories & 29 grams fat
| Jr. Hamburger = 280 calories & 9 grams fat
| 300 calories & 20 grams fat
|
Sonic
| SuperSonic Cheeseburger = 839 calories & 55 grams fat
| Jr. Burger = 353 calories & 21 grams fat
| 486 calories & 34 grams fat
|
Five Guys Burgers & Fries
| Bacon Cheeseburger = 920 calories & 62 grams fat
| Little Hamburger = 480 calories & 26 grams fat
| 440 calories & 36 grams fat
|
In-N-Out Burger
| Double-Double = 670 calories & 41 grams fat
| Hamburger = 390 calories & 19 grams fat
| 280 calories & 22 grams fat
|
You can fit fast food into your healthy diet - just remember to eat it in moderation and to choose the healthiest menu items you can.
Find Out More About Fast Food
While you can find healthier options at fast food restaurants, it is important to remember that you should only eat fast food in moderation. If you choose fast food for lunch, opt for an even healthier dinner.
Just remember to skip the tortilla chips, or order a baked potato instead of a burger, the next time you hit the fast food joint.
Your heart, hips, and wallet will thank you.
Learn about fast food around the world by clicking here.
