Healthy Food Choices at Fast Food Restaurants

Fast food 

When it comes to discussions about healthy foods, fast food are right away out of the question because most of us think that they right away fall under the category of unhealthy. But the truth is there are also healthy food choices that we can pick up from fast food chains. Just because you need to eat on the run does not mean you right away compromise your health. It is true though that there are fast food that are high in fat content, calories and other unhealthy ingredients but you will be surprised as to how many fast food choices there are out there that happen to be good for our health.

What is Fast Food?

From the name itself, fast food are foods that are prepared and served fast. Although there are foods that can be prepared in just a short time, the term fast food has been given to foods that are from restaurants that serve foods that are already cooked or heated and are ready to be served or for take-out.

Over the years, these fast food chains have received criticism regarding many issues and one of which is its negative impact on health. There have been issues stating how fast food has actually degraded the eating patterns and altered traditional foods for the kind of food they offer. But nonetheless, fast food outlets are still growing elsewhere in the world up to this day despite the fact that it has faced so much criticism and has been pinpointed as one of the reason why obesity is fast rising in many places in the world.

Fast food trick

Pros of Fast Food

We have to admit that no matter how many times we have read and heard about how bad fast food is to our health especially if eaten regularly, we still end up eating it. This is because fast food is, in one way or another, able to keep up with the modern world we have. For starters it saves a huge amount of time because the food served are already ready to eat. There will always be times when we are in a hurry and need to eat up fast and this is where fast food saves the day even if we know how much fresh food would be tastier and healthier. For those who have families and has a hectic schedule, aside from time, having fast food actually saves a person the effort needed to head to the grocery, get back home, prepare the meal, cook it and finally serve it. Finally, the edge between fast food and other foods is its cost as we all know how fast food can be way cheaper at times.

The good thing about fast food restaurants today is how some of them give an extra effort to offering healthy fast food options such as bread products like wheat bread, lean meat and salads. It is also up to us to choose the healthy choices.

Cons of Fast Food

Clearly, the one thing that makes fast food disadvantageous is how it can jeopardize our health. Of course, home-cooked meals are always healthier than fast food because the ingredients used are fresh, more options for veggies and lean meat and controlled amounts of sodium and calories too. It has been pointed out in most studies and surveys that fast foods are one of the biggest factors as to why obesity is fast rising in Western countries. The sedentary lifestyle also adds up to this rising health problem.

Because fast food are high in sodium, fats and calories, people who often feed on this kind of foods (especially deep fried food) are most likely at risk for developing heart problems and other related health diseases. Aside from obesity, there is also that possibility of having high blood pressure among others. Another study also said that fast food restaurants can affect a family’s relationship because some kids often resort to eating on their own or go get take outs when parents are either busy or too late to get home and cook food.

Healthy Fast Food Choices

Now that we know what the good and bad sides of fast food are, it is now time to find out what healthy options we have when we have to eat on a hurry. Fast food should not be thought of as bad all the time because no matter how much we try to escape we will end up eating at a fast food joint during times when we don’t have all the time we need.

Best fast food 

The following foods listed below are just some of the healthy food choices we can pick from at fast food joints. In order to make things easier, the foods are grouped according to what fast food chain you may get them from.

McDonald’s

• Chicken McNuggets with Sweet and Sour Sauce

For starters, the sauce of the nuggets is quite low in calories and sodium but because you only get 4 pieces in a single serve, you can have with a salad or your side dish (Fruit and Walnut Salad with yogurt dressing) to get you full.

• Hamburger

McDonald’s regular hamburger is less than 2 ounces so eating one couldn’t be that bad. But if you want to get more sustenance your best option is to get a vegetable salad. Instead of having a soda, get some water.

• McChicken

The fried chicken that McDonald’s has are quite small in size and this means having small servings of mayo for the dip but if you want, you can have ketchup instead.

KFC

• Mashed Potato with Gravy

There are other branches of KFC that make their mashed potatoes with butter and milk while others don’t but nonetheless, it is always a healthier choice compared to fried potatoes. The gravy that goes with it only contains half a gram of fat and little calories.

• Original Recipe Drumstick

Not many people like the original recipe drumstick because it’s not that crispy but remember crispier fried chicken only means more saturated and trans fat content. When eating this go for healthy sides like cole slaw.

• Cole Slaw

The main ingredient of cole slaw is cabbage and we know that cabbage is one healthy vegetable that is packed with fiber and vitamin C. Another ingredient is carrots which also contains lots of vitamins and minerals such as vitamins A, K and potassium.

Taco Bell’s

• Fresco Style Grilled Steak Soft Taco

This dish contains red meat which means it has lesser fat content but offers vitamin B12, iron and zinc.

• Fresco Style Tostada

Salsa, beans, red sauce and salsa placed on top of a flat corn shell—who would think that this is fast food ?

• Gordita Nacho Cheese (Chicken)

Although this meal is loaded with lots of cheese in it, you will be surprised because it is still under 300 calories.

Wendy’s

• Junior Hamburger

This burger is similar to McDonald’s regular hamburger. Instead of choosing fries you can opt for a strawberry flavored yogurt that is low in fat with granola toppings.

• Large Chili

Loaded beans ric with iron, folate and fiber, eating this chili will really keep you full. Skip soda and go for a cup of mandarin orange.

• Ultimate Chicken Grill

Compared to the other burgers in Wendy’s the grilled chicken sandwich contains only half the fat that other have because it used  honey mustard sauce instead of mayo plus it is grilled and not fried.

American fast food

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