America is called a “fast food nation” and for good reason. Everyday, one out of four Americans is eating fast food. In case you are eating out, a fast food restaurant is typically the cheapest option. But it is not usually the healthiest one. Eating even one fast food meal can pack your body with enough calories, sodium and fat for an entire day. This quick-and-cheap temptation can be hard to resist.
As an informed customer, you can make healthier choices as well as still enjoy the convenience of fast food restaurants.
Learn to make healthier choices at the fast food restaurants
Healthier Fast Food
Making healthier choices at fast food restaurants is easier in case you prepare ahead by checking guides which show you the nutritional content of meal choices at your favourite restaurants. Free downloadable guides can help you to evaluate your options. In case you have a special dietary concern, like diabetes, heart problem or weight loss, the websites of various national non-profits provide useful advice. You can patronize restaurants that focus on natural, high quality food.
In case you don’t prepare ahead of time, common sense guidelines will help to make your meal healthier. A seemingly healthy salad can be a diet minefield when it is smothered in high-fat dressing and fried toppings. Thus, choose a salad with fresh veggies, grilled toppings and a lighter dressing. Portion control is important, as many fast food restaurants are serving food which is enough for several meals as a single serving.
Tips to eat healthy at fast food restaurants
- Make careful menu selections by paying attention to the descriptions on the menu. Dishes labelled as deep-fried, pan-fried, basted, batter-dipped, or breaded, creamy, crispy, or scalloped, Alfredo, besides au gratin or in cream sauce are high in calories, unhealthy fats or sodium. Order more of vegetables. Choose only leaner meats.
- Drink water with your meal, not soda which is a huge source of hidden calories. Try adding a little lemon to your water or order unsweetened iced tea.
- “Undress” your food by choosing items, without calorie- and fat-packed salad dressings, spreads, cheese, and sour cream. So ask for a grilled chicken sandwich without the mayonnaise. Or ask for a packet of ketchup or mustard and add it yourself.
- Don’t be afraid to special order, as many menu items would actually be healthy if it was not for the way in which they were prepared. Ask for your vegetables and main dishes to be served without any sauces. Ask for olive oil as well as vinegar for your salads. Order the dressing “on the side” and spoon only a small amount on at a time. In case your food is fried or cooked in oil or butter, ask to have it broiled or steamed.
- Watch portion size as an average fast food meal can run as high as 1000 calories or more. Choose a much smaller portion size. Always order a side salad and not fries. Never try to supersize anything. At any typical restaurant, a single serving will provide enough for two meals. Take half home. Else, divide the portion with a dining partner. Sharing might make dessert more of an option.
- Watch your salt as fast food restaurant food tends to be very high in sodium, which is a major contributor to high blood pressure. Never add any more salt.
- Avoid buffets, including the seemingly healthy ones like salad bars. You’ll likely overeat in order to get your money’s worth. In case you do choose buffet dining, opt for fresh fruits, salads with olive oil as well as vinegar besides the low-fat dressings, broiled entrees and steamed vegetables. Resist that temptation to go for a second helping. Make sure that you’re actually still hungry before going back for more.
- Eat mindfully by paying attention to what you eat and savour each bite. Chew your food very thoroughly. Never eat while you are on the run. Stop eating before you are completely full. It always takes time for our bodies to register that we have had food. Mindful eating relaxes you, and helps you digest better, making you feel more satisfied.
- Remember the big picture by thinking of eating out in the context of your whole diet. In case it is a special occasion, or you want to order your favourite meal at a nice restaurant, make sure that your earlier meals that day are extra healthy. Moderation is always the key. Planning ahead can help you relax as well as enjoy your dining out experience while you will also maintain good nutrition as well as diet control.
Healthy fast food at the burger chains
Burger Chains
Figure out the healthier options at your favorite fast food burger chain, which can be tricky. A typical meal at a burger joint includes a “sandwich”, some fries besides a drink, which can quickly come in at more than 1700 calories for the Burger King’s Triple Whopper with a large fries and a 16 oz. soda. A better option for you would be a regular single patty burger, with small fries, as well as water, which is about 500 calories. Alternatively you may even enjoy a veggie burger smothered in grilled onion and mushrooms. Or in case you want a large beef burger, then avoid the fries as well as soda and have a side salad and water instead.
Healthy fast food at the fried chicken chains
Chicken Chains
Though certain chains are advertising “no trans fats” in their food, the fact is that fried chicken can be quite fattening. According to the nutrition info provided by the restaurant, just a single Extra Crispy Chicken breast at KFC has 440 calories, 27 grams of fat, as well as 970 mg of sodium. A healthier choice is the drumstick, which has 160 calories, 10 grams of fat, besides 370 mg of sodium. Alternatively, in case you like breast meat, take off the skin. Then it will become a healthy choice at 140 calories, 2 grams of fat, as well as 520 mg of sodium.
Healthy fast food at the Mexican chains
Mexican Chains
Fast food chains which specialize in tacos or burritos can be caloric minefields. Else they can even be a good option for finding healthy fast food. Rice, beans, salsa as well as a few slices of fresh avocado can make a very healthy meal. But adding cheese, sour cream as well as tortilla chips can turn even a good meal unhealthy. Also remember portion control as these types of restaurants can have enormous menu items. So you may eat half and take the rest for another meal.
Several chains, such as Taco Bell and Baja Fresh, have “healthy” menu options which feature less fat as well as fresher ingredients.
Healthy fast food in the Sub sandwich chains
Sandwich Chains
Americans love sandwiches of all types: hot, cold, wrapped, as well as foot long. These are usually eaten with a salad instead of fries. The ads tend to promote the health benefits of sandwich shops. But studies have found that many people tend to eat more calories per meal at any sub shop than at McDonalds. This may be because people are having the healthy stuff with chips, sodas, or extra condiments.
You can make healthier choices at a deli or a sub shop by using some common sense.
Asian food is considered Healthy
Asian Food
Asian culture tends to eat very healthfully. There is an emphasis on veggies. Meat is used as a condiment only, and not as the focus of the meal. But the Americanized versions of these ethnic foods tends to be much higher in fat and calories, hence caution is needed. But in case in all Asian restaurants, you use the chopsticks, then you’ll eat more slowly. This is because you can’t grasp as much food with them at one time as you can by using your normal fork and knife.
Italian fast food can be healthy
Italian Fast Food
The anti-carbohydrate revolution has made Italian food a bad choice, but Italian is actually one of the easiest cuisines which can be healthy. Stay away from fried, oily or buttery, as well as thick crust menu items. This way you can keep your diet goals intact.
Watch out for the following terms, which have high fat and calories: alfredo, carbonara, saltimbocca, besides parmigiana, lasagna, manicotti, as well as stuffed. All these have heavy amounts of cream and cheese. Generally Italian places use lots of veggies in their kitchen so it’s easy to ask for extra veggies added to your meal.
The natural, high-quality fast food chains
Some fast food restaurants are working hard in order to make their food both healthier and tastier. One example is Chipotle, whose motto is “Food with Integrity”. Their objective is to serve food that is better tasting, and comes from better sources. Besides, it should be better for the environment, better for the animals, better for the farmers, and this produces food which is better for us to eat. Unfortunately their portion sizes are still quite huge, hence be sure to pay attention to calories as well as fat content. The goals as stated are:
Natural, high-quality, healthier, as well as fresher food
Naturally raised meat: All the pork and chicken besides more than half of the beef which is being served at Chipotle is raised naturally. What this means is that the animals were not given any antibiotics, or growth hormones. Besides, their feed is all vegetarian with no animal by-products, and they have got more space in order to move around. The animals receive care, and not chemicals. Not only is the meat raised this way healthier, but it also tastes better! Most animals which are raised for meat spend their lives in Concentrated Animal Feed Operations (CAFOs) where they are crowded very closely together. This requires animals to be given antibiotics in order to keep infection from spreading.
- Dairy products with no rBGH: The cheese as well as sour cream contains no recombinant bovine growth hormone (rBGH), which is a synthetic hormone that is injected into the cow in order to artificially increase milk production. This ends up in the milk products that we eat when used.
- Using organic produce: Organic foods are grown without using synthetic artificial fertilizers, herbicides or pesticides. This not only protects the soil and water quality but also provides us with food that taste better, has more nutrients, and is free of potentially harmful chemicals.
- Produce from local farms: Support organic as well as sustainable farming methods and purchase produce from local sources. This keeps the food as fresh as possible as it does not have to travel thousands of miles from the farm to the restaurant.
- Zero trans-fats: There is no trans-fats in the frying oils. Trans-fats increase blood cholesterol leading to a higher risk of heart disease. Recently several major U.S. cities, as well as in the state of California, have banned the use of trans-fats in restaurants.
The Chipotle website chronicles its progress in achieving these goals, which is limited by availability. With higher demand for higher quality, healthier food, it is becoming worthwhile for farmers to meet these standards and hence, availability is increasing.
Higher food quality does not indicate that all the menu items are healthy
Many of the menu items at Chipotle as well as other similar restaurants are stuffed with too many calories, as well as too much fat. Choose wisely or split an order with a friend.
Other good examples are Au Bon Pain as well as Panera, which both use only all natural chicken in all their sandwiches, salads and wraps. No preservatives are being used here. So now there is better taste, lower sodium as well as less fat than the chicken which they had offered previously. All products at Au Bon Pain and Panera offer zero grams artificial trans-fat. Both chains also offer various vegetarian options each day.
Burgerville and Burgermeister are regional chains on the west coast which serve burgers made from naturally raised meat that comes from local sources.