Healthy Fast Food

Is there such a thing as healthy fast food? The choices now available at many fast food restaurants enable just about anyone to make healthier choices, even when they are on the go.

Grilled chicken sandwiches, whole wheat bread, yogurt, and side salads are just a few of the healthy choices offered by fast food restaurants. They know customers want fresh food choices along with the traditional hamburger and French fries.

Healthy Fast Food Choices:

• Almost every fast food restaurant offers either a side salad or an entrée salad. This is the one item that you can super size and know that you are getting fiber, antioxidants, and vitamins that are important for good health. If you get grilled chicken on top, you’ll also get your protein serving. Many restaurants offer low-fat dressing choices like low-fat balsamic vinaigrette.

• In the case of burgers, smaller is better. If you visit Burger King, choose a whopper junior instead of the Whopper. Or, order a roast beef sandwich on whole wheat bread with extra lettuce and tomato when you visit Arby’s.
  
  
• Whenever possible, ask for the condiments on the side. That way, you can add the mayonnaise or sauce sparingly and you’ll save some calories at the same time.
  
  
• When choosing a beverage, think bottled water or skim milk. Milk is jam-packed with Vitamin D, riboflavin and calcium. Green tea is an execelent choice if you can find it without the added sugar. Sodas actually leach calcium from our bones and are high in refined sugars, so skip them!
  
  
• If you choose a fast food restaurant that makes your sandwich to order, you can control the amount of meat and toppings you get. Load it up with vegetables and choose mustard instead mayonnaise and oil.
  
  
• Healthy fast food can also include baked potatoes. Load it with vegetables such as broccoli and a small serving of butter instead of heavy sour cream. Want something a bit heartier? Add chili on top along with the broccoli.
  
  
• Fresh soft tortillas are a healthy fast food choice when compared to the fried tortilla version. Ask for extra salsa in place of the sauce that is usually put over the meat and vegetables. Not only will it still be tasty, it will cut out a lot of unnecessary calories.
  
  
• Chinese restaurants offer fried dumplings, but ask instead for steamed dumplings and brown rice instead of white rice. Brown rice is a high-fiber whole grain and is a better choice than noodles made from refined white flour. Low-sodium soy sauce tastes just as good over your Chinese entrée as the original version and everyone can do without the extra sodium.
  
  
• Pizza is an excellent choice if you make the crust thin, go light on the cheese and load it up with vegetables and grilled chicken.
  

Children can make healthy fast food choices too! McDonald’s and Wendy’s now offer baked Lay’s potato chips, yogurt with granola, mandarin oranges, side salads, apple slices and chili.

Encourage your children to drink bottled water or milk along with you. If they make healthy choices now, they will avoid the obesity epidemic and are more likely to continue to make healthy food choices as adults.

To find more about healthy food just visit http://www.healthyfood.co.nz/

Most fast food restaurants have a nutritional breakdown of their menu items available in a brochure or pamphlet. Ask for one and keep it handy for quick reference when you are pressed for time and want to make healthy fast food choices.