When you think of healthy food, fast food is usually the last thing that comes to mind. While fast food is not as healthy as fresh food, it can be an inexpensive, quick treat. You don't have to sacrifice your commitment to health when eating fast food. Although many items on a fast-food restaurant's menu contain enough calories and fat for an entire day, there are many ways to make healthier choices when dining on fast food.
Identification
Fast food is cheap, tasty, filling and convenient. It is also often loaded with calories, fat and sodium. A diet rich in calories, fat and sodium can lead to obesity, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, heart disease and diabetes. When you have a craving for fast food, there are ways to keep your meal as healthy as possible.
Research Menu Items
Most fast-food chains make their menus, as well as nutritional information, available to the public on their websites. Before visiting your favorite chain, visit its website to read the nutritional information for your favorite menu item. The amount of calories, fat, sodium, sugar, protein, as well as any vitamins or minerals, should be displayed next to each item. If the amount of calories in your favorite hamburger or fried chicken dinner shocks you, try to find a comparable menu item that is healthier.
In addition to finding information on a restaurant's website, you can often find informational brochures available at the restaurant itself. If you can't find this information at the restaurant, ask a cashier or manager.
Making Healthier Choices
According to HelpGuide.org, avoid foods that are fried, crispy, breaded or drenched in cream sauce, as they will be higher in calories, fat and sodium. Choose lean meats and vegetable dishes. Drink water or unsweetened tea with your meal, rather than soda.
When ordering salad, be aware that salad dressing can add an astronomical amount of calories and fat to your meal. Go without dressing, squeeze a lemon on your salad, or choose a low-calorie, low-fat dressing. Add it yourself, using small spoonfuls. Avoid adding bacon bits, dried noodles or croutons to your salad.
Choose smaller portions. Order the smallest burger on the menu. Try sharing an order of french fries or bringing home half the meal.
Baked potatoes, plain chili and wraps are also healthy choices. Be sure to avoid adding extras, such as sour cream, to your baked potato or bowl of chili.
What to Avoid
When ordering a meal at a fast-food restaurant, avoid choosing the larger-size "value meals," which consist of larger portions of food for a reduced price. Since a regular-size fast-food meal is often large enough for two people, a "super-size" meal may have enough calories for three or four people!
Since fast-food meals are often high in sodium, don't add salt to your food. In addition, avoid adding bacon to hamburgers, sandwiches or salad. It may sound tasty, but bacon is high in fat and low in nutrients. To add additional flavor, try substituting for the bacon with lettuce, tomatoes, onions or pickles.
Be careful with salad dressing. Although salads can be a healthy choice, the salad dressing available at fast-food restaurants can be high in fat and calories. Order the dressing on the side, or ask for a low-calorie version.
Avoid buffets. Although they appear to be a good value, you may end up overeating to get your money's worth. In addition, buffets are usually packed with unhealthy choices. If you do opt for a buffet, stick with fruit, salad with low-calorie dressing and grilled vegetables.
When ordering hamburgers, avoid adding cheese. According to MyOptumHealth.com,a slice of cheese adds 100 calories and between 8 g to 10 g of fat to your meal.
Considerations
Although you can make healthy choices when eating fast food, don't overdo it. Try to include as many whole, unprocessed foods in your diet as possible. In addition, exercise regularly. By making balanced lifestyle choices, you can eat fast food in moderation without sacrificing your waistline or your health.
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