The truth is that it’s
extremely difficult to follow a healthy diet when you’re eating regularly at
fast food restaurants. Fast food restaurants typically use the cheapest ingredients
possible in order to keep costs down. That means that foods that otherwise
could be considered healthy may not be when ordered from a fast food chain. For
example, cheese can be a good source of protein and calcium, but the cheese
topping your burger or covering your pizza is most likely heavily processed,
made from non-dairy ingredients. The same goes for meat, chicken, and eggs.
Fast food is also typically high in trans fat, unhealthy saturated fat, hidden
sugar, sodium, and calories. At the same time, it tends to be low in nutrients
and almost totally lacking in fruits, vegetables, and fiber.
That doesn’t mean you have to
avoid fast food entirely. It’s OK to indulge a craving every once in a while,
but to stay healthy you can’t make it a regular habit; consuming fast food
regularly will almost certainly have a negative affect your health. The key is
moderation—both in how often you frequent fast food chains and what you order
once you’re there. There are always choices you can make that are healthier
than others. The following tips and menu recommendations can help you stay on
track. Just remember that even the healthiest fast food options often have
nutritional drawbacks so try to keep fast food to the occasional treat.
- Aim to keep your entire meal to 500 calories or less. The
average adult eats 836 calories per fast food meal—and underestimates what
they ate by 175 calories. So don’t guess! Most chains post nutritional
info both on their websites and at the franchise location. Take advantage
of this information.
- Opt for foods that are lower in fat and higher in protein and
fiber. Look
for items with more good stuff, like fiber, whole grains, and high-quality
protein. Also aim for options that are relatively low in saturated
fats—while not all saturated fats are bad for you, most of those found in
fast food restaurants are.
- Steer clear of trans fats. Small amounts of naturally-occurring
trans fats can be found in meat and dairy products but it’s the artificial
trans fats used to keep food fresh that are dangerous to your health.
Avoid anything containing “partially hydrogenated” oil—even if it claims
to be trans fat-free—or any foods that have been deep fried. While no
amount of artificial trans fat is considered safe, the USDA recommends at
least limiting trans fat to no more than 2 grams per day.
- Keep an eye on sodium intake. The American
Heart Association recommends that adults stay under 1500 mg of sodium per
day, and never take in more than 2,300 mg a day. That can be tough to do
when eating fasting food—a burger and fries can easily exceed your daily
limit.
- Bring your own add-on items if you really want a health
boost. Even
when you order wisely, it can be pretty tough to get enough fiber and
other important vitamins and nutrients from a fast food menu. If you plan
ahead, you can bring healthy sides and toppings like dried fruit, nuts and
seeds, carrot sticks, apple or pear slices, and cottage cheese or yogurt.
One of the biggest problems
with fast food is the amount of added sugar—and it’s not just in sodas or
desserts. Even the average burger contains 5 to 10 grams or more of added
sugar, about the same as a couple of cookies. Salad dressings, ketchup, dips,
and BBQ sauces are also packed with added sugar. Your body gets all it needs
from sugar naturally occurring in food so all this added sugar just means a lot
of empty calories that can add inches to your waistline and contribute to
diabetes, depression, and even an increase in suicidal behaviors.
When you opt to eat at a fast
food chain, try to plan ahead if possible and eat low sugar in the meals
leading up to and following your fast food meal. You can minimize some of the
damage by requesting salad dressing on the side, limiting ketchup, eating subs,
burgers or sandwiches open-faced, and skipping dips or sides that are packed
with sugar. So if you are looking for quick and fast food available centers
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