How to Make Healthy Choices at Fast Food Joints
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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, 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)
- Downsize with the Kiddie Meal (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)
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.
Compare the Facts Before You Decide--Most Have Info on Websites
Find Out More About Fast Food
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Fast Food Fix: 75+ Amazing Recipe Makeovers of Your Fast Food Restaurant Favorites
Price: $6.95
List Price: $14.95 |
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Fast Food Restaurant Sample Business Plan 2004/2005 Edition
Price: $24.95
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The NutriBase Complete Fast Food Restaurant Nutrition Counter (NutriBase)
Price: $5.00
List Price: $5.95 |
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.
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Comments
I LOVE SUBWAY, and I love this article! Sometimes if I'm really itchin for some junk food I'll get a JUNIOR bacon cheeseburger or a Kids Meal to satisfy my craving. Um, like the one I have right now
I don't eat much fast food--basically french fries once in a long while. But my husband likes it, so if he really needs to fulfill a craving, he tries to compensate by having healthier foods for his other meals. He has also stopped ordering the "super size" and Large sized fries and soda.
Great article! I have the book "Fast Food Fix" by Devin Alexander, and I can't reccomend it highly enough. She "makes over" dozens of popular fast food sandwiches, fries, and treats to make them healthier. I've tried several of her recipes and the healthier versions are almost indistinguishable from the real versions (and actually, hers taste better, which probably doesn't come as a suprise!)
Hi Carol--I will have to check that book out. I used to make a veggie sloppy joe recipe that my younger cousins loved, but haven't made anything like that in a long time. Healthier fries that taste yummy sound great.
Thanks for the useful information. I'm really trying to eat more healthily. But with teenagers and college kids in the house, it's very difficult. The next time they want to go to a burger joint, I can make more healthy choices, thanks to you.
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cgull8m says:
13 months ago
Great Hub Stacie, I try to eat as much healthy food as possible. I exercise regularly so I have to keep an eye. I like to eat breakfast and dinner at home, only lunch I eat outside. The above suggestions are very healthy, sometime we go overboard just because it is on sale :)