Dinner Diva
Fast Food with Quality and Speed
By Leanne Ely, C.N.C
Most of the time we can avoid eating out if we choose to (and remember to stash food in our cars and purse!). There is however always going to be an occasion where you find yourself in a fast food restaurant. Yes, you know how I feel about fast food, but I’m here to tell you that healthy fast food options exist!
Naturally salads are a great option! But be careful, it’s usually the dressings that undo your good intentions. They can hold just as much fat as the fried foods you’re avoiding! In choosing dressings be sure to read the back of dressing packet to see exactly what you’re getting. If there is no nutrition info on the packet, ask about calorie count, grams of fat, and how many servings per packet. A lot of dressing packets are at least two servings and many people will end up using a whole packet without knowing they’ve doubled their calories!
Always seek out foods with the words “grilled” instead of “fried.” Many popular food chains such as Burger King, Chick-Fil-A, McDonald’s and Wendy’s offer grilled chicken sandwiches which has a significant upgrade in nutritional quality than just getting a cheeseburger. Some places, like Chick-Fil-A even offer white and wheat buns so now you can control even little things like that.
Fresh fruit has become extremely popular in fast food chains. It’s a great substitute for fries and satisfies the sweet tooth at the same time.
Remember this–if you stay informed (check out the nutritional information on the company’s website or ask at the restaurant for their printed nutritional information) and stay on your toes you can successfully navigate through the temptations of the fast food world and come out with something just as tasty and much better for you on the other side!