Is it possible to eat healthy in a fast food restaurant? Big-name chains like McDonald’s, Wendy’s, Burger King, and Taco Bell want you to think so. All of these restaurants offer some type of “healthy” alternative on the menu to appeal to those who are watching their weight or simply want better options. But how healthy are these options? It depends on what you order of course.
In addition to some options that can be quite healthy, like salads, other options that may seem sensible may not be as good as they seem. Also avoid ordering anything in a large size, as this quickly adds extra calories and fat. Many foods also include extra sugars that quickly add calories.
mcdonald’s
Salads and salad dressings at McDonalds are fairly low in calories and fat. A salad with dressing can have up to 500 calories or more, but this is much lower than other options. However, salads do not necessarily mean that the nutritional value is high. Many salads are made with iceberg lettuce, which is mostly water. However, if you are trying to control your weight and have no other options, a salad may be a good option. It likely won’t make you feel full, so snacking ahead of time might be a good option to avoid other temptations while you’re there.
Other options that seem like healthy alternatives can be misleading. If a food is fried or grilled it will also have a great effect. But simply choosing between beef and chicken, for example, may not be enough. The Premium Crispy Chicken Club Sandwich has 680 calories to the Big Mac’s 560. The key is to look for alternatives to the grill and avoid tempting sides like fries or dessert.
Wendy’s
If you’re opting for a salad, choose wisely. Just because a menu item includes the word “salad” doesn’t mean it’s healthy. Wendy’s Taco Salad, for example, comes in at nearly 400 calories if you just look at the basic ingredients of the salad; add in the extras that come with it, and the total is almost 700 calories. This is about a third of a day’s totals on a 2,000 calorie per day diet. Even a seemingly healthy baked potato with broccoli and cheese comes in at 340 calories.
If you’re hungry, it can be very difficult to avoid the temptations of a fast food restaurant. This can be dangerous because of the feeling of added fat and calories. If you give in to temptation at Wendy’s and order “large” fries, you’ll consume an additional 590 calories and 28 grams of fat.
What about alternatives like low fat strawberry flavored yogurt? The yogurt itself has 200 calories, and the accompanying granola topping has an additional 110 calories. By comparison, an average cup of low-fat yogurt from the grocery store will have around 100 calories.
king of burgers
Burger King offers a variety of dining options through its website for those who are on the lookout for carbs, fat, or calories. Many salads listed have between 10 and 13 grams of fat, or 90 to 117 calories from fat. Salads fall in the 400 total calorie range. The dressings will add another 70 to 270 calories, for a total of up to almost 700 calories. Again, this is almost a third of a day’s total caloric intake. The original Whopper sandwich with everything has about the same number of calories. Depending on the salad and dressing chosen, the salad option may have more total fat than the Whopper. In other words, eating a “healthy” salad instead of a sandwich may not give you the benefits you’re looking for.
Taco Bell
Taco Bell offers “fresh style” options that have less than ten grams of fat per serving. This results in cheeses and sauces being removed from the item. This style can reduce overall fat and calorie intake. Many Fresco Style menu items are under 400 calories. The key to ordering through this method is knowing which items are available at Fresco Style and which are not. Most articles offer this option, but many don’t. Ask before ordering.
One last word of caution when it comes to fast food: Even when the options are low-fat and low-calorie, many are high in sodium and low in fiber. The total nutritional value is an issue. Cooking methods, such as frying or leaving food under hot lamps for long periods of time, can drastically reduce a food’s nutritional value. So what is the bottom line? While the occasional visit to a fast food restaurant can be pleasurable and won’t create too many negative side effects, the idea that ‘healthy’ alternatives at fast food chains are in fact ‘healthy’ is questionable.