I'm honestly not a huge lover of french fries and burgers, but I will admit that every now and again I have the craving for fast food. My favorites for the unhealthy cravings are Wendy’s and Arby’s. Mmmm. But are we aware of what we're really eating when we decide on fast food? Let’s look at some healthy options and advice, just in case you get the occasional craving like me.
What to AVOID:
SUPERSIZED PORTIONS – Don’t supersize anything! At a typical restaurant, a single serving provides enough for two meals. Take half home or split it with someone else.
SALT – This is tough for me, because I LOVE salt! But the high sodium items that fast food restaurants are known for are a major contributor to high blood pressure.
BACON – Few nutrients, high in fat and calories. Are you wanting to add more flavor? Instead of adding bacon try extra pickles, onions, tomatoes, or mustard. Flavor without the fat!
Some extra TIPS:
DRINK WATER with your meal. Soda is a HUGE source of hidden calories.
Be aware of calorie and fat packed “extras”: salad dressings, spreads, cheese, sour cream, etc. You can even ask for no mayo or ketchup, then get the packets and put it on yourself so you can control how much goes on your food. And instead of the fat packed salad dressings, try oil and vinager!
EAT SLOWLY. If you haven’t already heard, it takes time for our bodies to register what we have eaten. Eating slowly relaxes you and prevents you from overeating.
Here are just a few meal options to keep in mind next time you end up at a fast food joint when grabbing a quick meal:
Salads:
Don’t be fooled by thinking salads are always healthy. Obviously most salads tend to contain mostly whole unprocessed food - and those who eat salads do have a higher nutrient intake. But fast food restaurants (and others, as well) tend to have a lot of calorie-dense salads. Stay away from the following, to name a few: Wendy’s Mandarin Chicken Salad (520 calories), Arby’s Sante Fe salad (844 calories), Dairy Queen’s Grilled Chicken Ceaser Salad (800 calories), Café Rio Pork Salad (700 calories).Sandwiches:
Ask to hold the mayo and cheese on any sandwich or hamburger. It cuts out unnecessary calories and fat! Try some of these:Wendy’s Jr. Hamburger: 230 calories (without cheese)
Wendy’s Grilled Chicken Go Wrap: 250 calories
Arby’s Market Fresh Turkey & Cheese: 235 calories (Same with the Ham&Cheese. Avoid the Roast Turkey Ranch & Bacon Fresh Market Sandwich at 834 calories!)
Arby’s Junior Roast Beef Sandwich: 273 calories
Chick-fil-A Chargrilled Chicken Sandwich: 280 calories
Chick-fil-A: Spicy Chicken Cool Wrap: 390 Calories
NUGGETS:
Avoid the wings altogether…they are all over 500 calories!
Wendy’s 4 piece chicken nuggets: 190 calories
Wendy’s small Chili (my personal fav!): 190 calories (Large chili 280 calories. Avoid the crackers and cheese, these add just about 100 calories.)
Wendy’s baked potato: 380 calories (WITH sour cream and chives)
Burger King frozen yogurt vanilla: 120 calories (130 for chocolate)
Chick-fil-A Hearty Breast of Chicken Soup: 100 Calories
{And on a side note, just remember...SUBWAY rocks. I know it’s not the French fries and hamburger fast food we sometimes crave, but it’s delicious…and it’s fast! And you can find the amount of calories on every sandwich at the restaurant. Genius.}
