Healthy choices on fast-food menus may be overshadowed by fatty, salty or sugary items, or foods that have too much of several detrimental nutrients. While your body needs these essentials in limited quantities, too much of them can cause health and weight problems. An average healthy diet shouldn't exceed 65g of total fat, 60g of sugar, 2,400mg of sodium and 2,000 calories daily, according to the FDA. To maintain your weight, avoid high-calorie fast foods and their "risky" nutrient content.
Fried Entrees
Some of these fatty foods contain more than 1/3 your total fat and calorie allowances for the whole day, and all of them deliver more than half of the recommended daily values, or DVs, for sodium. Note the fat-to-calorie correlation among one beef chimichanga, 20g of fat and 425 calories; 6 oz. fried shrimp, 25g of fat and 454 calories; one fried chicken fillet sandwich, 29g of fat and 515 calories; and one fish sandwich, 29g of fat and 523 calories, according to the USDA. Eating these foods can raise your risk for obesity, high blood pressure and atherosclerosis.
Double-meat Sandwiches
Protein and fat in animal-based foods add high calorie burdens to your daily allowance. Avoid fast-food entrees that incorporate more than one serving of meat, or eggs in breakfast sandwiches, because they tend to have the most calories. A large double-patty hamburger contributes 540 calories and a sausage and egg biscuit has 562 calories, with more than 30 percent DV of fat per serving. Compared to these, a cold-cuts submarine sandwich may seem moderate, at 456 calories. The sub sandwich has less than 30 percent DV of fat but half of your recommended sodium intake for the day.
Super-sized Orders
Increasing your food portions only heightens the nutritional imbalance that fast foods contribute to your diet. The American Heart Association suggests avoiding super-sizing, which can raise your intake of fat, sodium, sugar and calories. Consider the difference between a small and large taco: 21g versus 32g of fat; 802mg or 1,233mg sodium; and 371 compared to 571 calories. Small and large orders of french fries have similar ranges: from 15g to 29g of fat; from 165mg to 328mg of sodium; and from 271 to 539 calories.
Sweets
Avoid ordering sweetened drinks and desserts, which may have lots of fat as well as sugar. A fried fruit pie, for instance, has 21g of fat and 27g of sugar. A 12-oz. milk shake has as much as 22g of fat and 62g of sugar. These items total 404 calories and higher. The American Heart Association recommends sugar-free diet soda in place of regular carbonated drinks as well. A medium 24-oz. cola has 33g of sugar and 274 calories.
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