 Weight Loss & Fast Food
Most of us cannot escape it - at some point we eat fast
food. Maybe it’s the children, or you’re just too
tired and hungry to choose something else, or maybe you just got
hungry for a burger, and well, a fast food franchise is on nearly
every corner! No wonder billions are served. A typical fast food
meal - burger, fries, a coke or a chocolate shake is not just
American fare anymore. You can get a franchise meal in just about
every corner of the world and unfortunately, it’s probably
contributing to the rise in obesity worldwide.
You
know that the typical fast food meal doesn’t fit well into
a healthy eating plan, regardless of caloric content. There is
simply too much fat, sodium, sugar, and not enough fiber,
vegetables, and fruit! However, the fast food menus have expanded
their choices in recent years, and really, there are quite a few
menu items that you can choose and still stay within your eating
guidelines. While I do not recommend eating at these places every
day, you can still enjoy a fast food meal often, as long as you
make some careful choices.
It
can be a little confusing, so don’t go by the rules of
choosing vegetables, salads, fish, or chicken. The fish is almost
always deep-fried, making it a poor choice, and some chicken
meals are deep-fried as well. Surprisingly, some vegetable
entrees, like vegetable pitas, no-meat burritos, and some salads
are higher in fat than a hamburger. Lastly, some of the menu
items are low in fat because they are simply small in serving
size, making the calories relatively low as well. This is fine,
but it means that you may want to order side dishes as well, so
you need to make sure the side dishes are healthy low-fat choices
as well. If there are no healthy side dishes, be prepared to
bring your own - a piece of fruit, some salad with low fat
dressing, some raw vegetables to complete the meal.
I’ve made a list of some of the most popular fast
food restaurants, with the best choices I could find. Not every
chain carries the same menu items, so you may not find all of
these locally. Basically, I look for entrees that contain close
to 10 grams of fat or less, and are relatively low in saturated
fat. Unfortunately, most of the meals in fast food restaurants
are hideously high in sodium, and you can’t remove it. The
best you can do with this dilemma is to avoid salt the rest of
the day as much as possible. I hope this helps you to eat
healthfully and happily in your favorite fast food
place.
WENDY’s - lots of
lower fat choices due to salad bar options and a fairly extensive
menu
Avoid
the broccoli/cheese baked potato unless you asked for less cheese
sauce than they put on. Also, the garden pita sandwiches sound
like a healthy choice, but they are actually quite high in fat,
17-20 grams per serving, so avoid these as well.
Junior Hamburger - 270 Calories, 10 grams fat, 610 mg
sodium
Chili
- 310 Calories, 10 grams fat, 1190 mg sodium
Grilled Chicken Salad w/o dressing - 200 Calories, 8
grams fat, 650 mg sodium
Caesar Side Salad - 110 Calories, 5 grams fat, 650 mg
sodium
Deluxe Garden Salad - 110 Calories, 6 grams fat, 350 mg
sodium
Grilled Chicken Sandwich - 310 Calories, 8 grams fat, 790
mg sodium
Italian dressing, reduce fat - 1 ounce - 40 Calories, 3
grams fat, 340 mg sodium
Ranch
dressing, reduced fat - 1 ounce - 60 Calories, 5 grams fat, 240
mg sodium
French dressing, fat-free - 1 ounce - 35 Calories, 0
grams fat
TACO BELL - Again, lots of decent choices because there are many
chicken choices, and the entrees contain beans as well as meat.
Avoid the Taco Salad - 850 Calories, 52 grams fat!!! Another
fact, the 7-Layer Burrito is meatless, but contains quite a bit
of fat, 22 grams!
Bean
Burrito - 370 Calories, 12 grams fat, 1080 mg sodium
Grilled Chicken Burrito - 390 Calories, 13 grams fat,
1380 mg sodium
Grilled Chicken Taco - 200 Calories, 7 grams fat, 520 mg
sodium
Soft
Taco - 210 Calories, 10 grams fat, 570 mg sodium
Taco
- 170 Calories, 10 grams fat, 340 mg sodium - these are
small!
Tostada - 250 Calories, 12 grams fat, 640 mg
sodium
Chicken Gordita Supreme - 300 Calories, 13 grams fat, 530
mg sodium
BURGER KING - I couldn’t find anything low enough in fat to
mention in this popular establishment. If you must go here, avoid
the fish sandwich, with 43 grams of fat because it is deep-fried
- not a good way to eat fish. The chicken sandwich also has 43
grams of fat, not good. Get the smallest hamburger available,
that’s about it.
CARL’S JR. - A broader menu with salads provides
some low fat, healthier choices.
Junior Hamburger - 330 Calories, 13 grams fat
Charbroiled Chicken Salad-To-Go - 200 Calories, 7 grams
fat, 440 mg sodium
Garden Salad-To-Go - 50 Calories, 2.5 grams fat, 60 mg
sodium, use low-fat dressing
Baked
Potato w/o margarine - 300 Calories, 0 grams fat, but 70 grams
carbohydrate, which is 4 ½ Grains/Bread, over the limit
for the day for some people on reduced calorie plans! Eat half of
it!
Charbroiled BBQ Chicken Sandwich - 280 Calories, 3 grams
fat, 830 mg sodium
SUBWAY - Famous for its Jared Diet and the low fat
sandwiches, this place does have many sandwich choices under 10
grams of fat. (Every day could get a little tedious though!) The
nutritional information is based on sandwiches without
mayonnaise, so if you add this, you’re adding
fat.
Ham
on deli roll - 224 Calories, 3 grams fat, 827 mg
sodium
Roast
Beef on deli roll - 236 Calories, 4 grams fat, 678 mg
sodium
Chicken Breast, hot - 342 Calories, 6 grams fat, 966 mg
sodium
Sub
Club, cold - 304 Calories, 5 grams fat, 1239 mg sodium
Seafood & Crab, cold - 338 Calories, 9 grams fat,
1034 mg sodium
Tuna
w/light mayonnaise on deli roll - 267 Calories, 8 grams fat, 627
mg sodium
Veggie Delight - 232 Calories, 3 grams fat, 582 mg
sodium
Turkey Breast on deli roll - 227 Calories, 4 grams fat,
678 mg sodium
PS -
they have fat-free potato chip, too.
JACK
IN THE BOX
Garden Chicken Salad - 200 Calories, 9 grams fat, 420 mg
sodium
Chicken Fajita Pita - 280 Calories, 9 grams fat, 840 mg
sodium
Taco
- 170 Calories, 10 grams fat, 460 mg sodium
MCDONALD’S - It’s everywhere, but it does not
have the most low fat, healthy choices on their menu because they
continue to have a somewhat limited menu. Still, there are some
things you can order.
Hamburger - 270 Calories, 9 grams fat, 600 mg
sodium
Grilled Chicken Sandwich w/o mayonnaise - 300 Calories, 5
grams fat, 930 mg sodium
Grilled Chicken Salad Deluxe w/o dressing - 120 Calories,
1.5 grams fat - use low fat dressing
KENTUCKY FRIED CHICKEN - Stick with the sandwiches instead of their
fried chicken to avoid their high fat menu items. They do have
some side dishes you can choose.
Honey
BBQ Chicken Sandwich with sauce - 310 Calories, 6 grams fat, 560
mg sodium
Tender Roast Chicken Sandwich w/o sauce - 270 Calories, 5
grams fat, 690 mg sodium
w/sauce - 350 Calories, 15 grams fat, 880 mg
sodium
Corn
on the Cob - 160 Calories, 0 fat - this would be 2 Grains/Breads
servings
Baked
Beans - 190 Calories, 3 grams fat
Macaroni & Cheese - 180 Calories, 8 grams fat, 760 mg
sodium - not bad for a main dish, a little high for a side
dish!
Tender Roast Breast w/skin - 251 Calories, 11 grams fat -
remove the skin and save some fat
More
Fast Food
Here
are some more choices at a variety of chain restaurants,
including pizzerias. Once again, not all salads are safe bets,
and in all cases, portion sizes are often very large. In some
cases, there are a number of side dishes that, by themselves, are
good choices, but when you add them up into a meal, the calorie
and fat content gets out of hand.
As is
typical in nearly all restaurant food, the sodium (from salt)
content is often extremely high, don’t add salt to your
meal, and in many cases, you should avoid salt for the whole day
to make up for the meal! Both Mexican food and Pizza are
typically considered “off limits” for people who are
dieting in a traditional way. It’s short term thinking to
avoid these foods if you like them. Instead, learn how you can
fit these high calorie meals into your plan by choosing wisely.
There are some good examples of both types of food below - you
can generalize this information to other restaurants, but
remember, these are the best choices I could find so much of the
other menu items will be much higher in fat and
calories.
ARBY’S - Their specialty is thin-sliced roast beef
sandwiches, but they have expanded their menu to include turkey,
chicken, and some salads. Here are some low fat choices for an
entrée. If you can avoid the fried potato cakes and French
fries, you will do much better.
Arby’s Garden Salad - 110 Calories, 3 grams
fat
Light
Grilled Chicken (from salad bar) - 280 Calories, 5 grams fat, 920
mg sodium
Light
Grilled Chicken Salad - 190 Calories, 4 grams fat, 530 mg
sodium
Light
Roast Chicken Salad - 200 Calories, 5 grams fat, 800 mg
sodium
Light
Roast Turkey Deluxe - 230 Calories, 5 grams fat, 870 mg
sodium
Side
Salad - 90 Calories, 3 grams fat, 130 mg sodium
BLIMPIE’S - A sub sandwich place.
There were quite a few choices of sandwiches that contained 12-13
grams of fat, certainly better than most large hamburgers or
other meat-based meals, but still a little high unless you watch
the fat in the rest of your meal. Also, the sodium content is
very high in processed meats and sandwich spreads, about half the
sodium for the whole day, so watch the salt!
Blimpie’s Best - 410 Calories, 13 grams fat, 1480
mg sodium
Club
Sandwich - 450 Calories, 13 grams fat, 1350 mg sodium
Grilled Chicken - 400 Calories, 9 grams fat, 950 mg
sodium
Gilled Chicken Salad - 463 Calories, 12 grams fat, 1190
mg sodium
Roast
Beef Sandwich - 340 Calories, 5 grams fat, 890 mg
sodium
Turkey Sandwich - 320 Calories, 5 grams fat, 890 mg
sodium
IN-N-OUT BURGER - Fast hamburgers, very
limited menu! So, the only choice here is a plain hamburger, skim
milk (if they have it). This is a good place to bring some fruit
or raw vegetables to supplement your meal!
Hamburger - 310 Calories, 10 grams fat, 720 mg
sodium
RUBIO’S - This started as a local quick
food-by-the-beach place in San Diego, and has expanded to areas
all over California. Hopefully, they will expand even more, they
have a nice menu that offers both higher fat items (fried fish
tacos) and “HealthMex” menu items that are lower in
fat. They also have their menu printed with the nutritional
information, a big help! Here, there are lots of good choices.
I’m adding some information about carbohydrate, because
with burritos and other Mexican food, the carbohydrates quickly
add up, and they are hard to count. Save up your grain/breads
serving for the day when you are planning to eat Mexican food, or
split the meal with someone else!
HealthMex Burrito with Chicken - 380 Calories, 9 grams
fat, 960 mg sodium, 48 grams carbohydrate (3 Grains servings plus
meat)
HealthMex Burrito with Mahi-Mahi - 380 Calories, 8 grams
fat, 740 mg sodium, 48 grams carbohydrate (3 Grains servings plus
fish)
Rice
and Bean Burrito - 340 Calories, 7 grams fat, 990 mg sodium, 58
grams carbohydrate (4 Grains servings)
Grilled Chicken Baja Bowl - 260 Calories, 6 grams fat,
1440 mg sodium, 35 grams carbohydrate (2 Grains servings plus
meat/vegetables if any)
HealthMex Combo Chicken/Mahi Burrito - 490 Calories, 7
grams fat, 1115 mg sodium, 69 grams carbohydrate (4 ½
Grains plus meat)
HealthMex Combo Mahi Burrito - 500 Calories, 7 grams fat,
1035 mg sodium 70 grams carbohydrate, (4 ½ Grains plus
meat)
Grilled Steak Baja Bowl - 270 Calories, 8 grams fat, 1710
mg sodium, 36 grams carbohydrate (2 Grains plus meat)
Taco
Combo with chicken - 480 Calories, 8 grams fat, 1195 mg sodium,
68 grams carbohydrate (4 ½ Grains plus meat)
Carne
Asada Taco - 210 Calories, 7 grams fat, 520 mg sodium, 25 grams
carbohydrate (2 Grains plus meat)
Grilled Chicken Taco - 200 Calories, 5 grams fat, 250 mg
sodium, 24 grams carbohydrate (2 Grains plus meat)
HealthMex Mahi Taco - 190 Calories, 2 grams fat, 260 mg
sodium, 25 grams carbohydrate (2 Grains plus fish)
CHILI’S - Southwest Mexican sit-down restaurant with
some “guilt-less” menu items. You can see from this
list and from Rubio’s that low-fat mexican food is still
very high in calories because the tortillas, beans, and rice in
one meal add up to a lot of calories from carbohydrates. These
are healthy choices from the standpoint of fat, but they are way
too high in sodium, and once again, save up your Grain/Breads for
the day when you eat like this!
Guilt-less Grilled Chicken Platter - 563 Calories, 9
grams fat, 3284 mg sodium, 83 grams carbohydrate (5 ½
Grains plus meat)
Guilt-less Chicken Salad w/dressing - 272 Calories, 5
grams fat, 1475 mg sodium, 27 grams carbohydrate (at least one
Grain, plus vegetables and meat)
Guilt-less Chicken Pita - 597 Calories, 9 grams fat,
sodium not available Guilt-less Grilled Chicken Sandwich - 527
Calories, 8 grams fat, 2923 mg sodium, 70 mg carbohydrate (4
½ Grains plus meat)
PIZZAS-
After reviewing the nutritional content of pizzas from
several restaurants, I can generalize several things:
-
The
calorie and fat content of pizza is highly variable, depending
upon the style and ingredients, so it’s tricky!
-
Deep-dish is higher in fat, order the thin crust or the
“hand-tossed” type.
-
You
can’t get away with eating pizza unless you stick to one or
two slices to keep the calories and fat low enough for the
meal.
-
If
you can order a salad with fat-free or low fat dressing, and
limit yourself to one or two pieces, you can fit pizza into your
diet.
-
The
amount of meat added to most pizzas isn’t all that high,
but it’s fatty meat and high in sodium - better to choose
vegetarian or lean meats.
-
You
can also ask that the pizza be made with less cheese - that will
cut the fat, sodium , and calories down quite a bit. If you
don’t like these particular pizza restaurants, you can
generalize this information to other pizzas.
-
Lastly, it is another one of those foods that contain a
lot of carbohydrate from the crust (mostly) and is difficult to
gauge amounts, so I added the carbohydrate content as
well.
DOMINO’S PIZZA - Take out pizza,
delivered quickly.
¼ pizza, 12-inches, cheese, hand-tossed - 375
Calories, 11 grams fat, 776 mg sodium,
55
grams carbohydrate (4 Grains plus meat/cheese)
¼ pizza, 12 inches, cheese, thin crust - 273
Calories, 12 grams fat, 835 mg sodium,
31
grams carbohydrate (2 Grains plus meat/cheese)
PIZZA
HUT - A “sit-down” chain pizza place, with some other
menu items.
Spaghetti with marinara - 490 Calories, 6
grams fat, 730 mg sodium, 91 grams carbohydrate(5 Grains, 2
Vegetables)
Beef Taco Pizza, hand-tossed, 1 slice - 270
Calories, 8 grams fat, 870 mg sodium, 35 grams carbohydrate(2
Grains plus meat)
Cheese pizza, hand-tossed, 1 slice - 309
Calories, 9 grams fat, 848 mg sodium, 43 grams carbohydrate (3
Grains plus meat/cheese)
Chicken Supreme pizza, 1 slice,
hand-tossed - 291 Caloires, 6 grams fat, 841 mg sodium, 44 grams
carbohydrate (3 Grains plus meat/cheese)
Ham, Sicilian style pizza, 1 slice - 257
Calories, 10 grams fat, 745 mg sodium, 30 grams carbohydrate (2
Grains plus meat/cheese)
Pepperoni pizza, hand-tossed, 1 slice -
301 Calories, 8 grams fat, 867 mg sodium, 43 grams carbohydrate
(3 Grains plus meat/cheese)
“Edge” pizzas, 1 slice - 140
Calories, 5 grams fat, 390 mg sodium, 16 grams carbohydrate (this
must be a small pizza, only 1 Grain serving)
ROUND
TABLE PIZZA - Another “sit-down” chain pizza place
with lots of variety of pizza.
Cheese, thin-crust, 1/16 large- 160 Calories, 6 grams
fat, 240 mg sodium, 16 grams carbohydrate (this is a small slice,
only 1 Grain serving)
Chicken and Garlic Gourmet Pan Pizza - 1/16 large - 230
Calories, 8 grams fat, 310 mg sodium, 27 grams carbohydrate, (2
Grains plus meat/cheese
Garden Pesto Pizza, thin-crust, 1/16 large - 170
Calories, 7.7 grams fat, 200 mg sodium 28 grams carbohydrate (2
Grains plus meat/cheese, vegetables)
Gourmet Veggie Pizza, thin-crust, 1/16 large- 160
Calories, 6.5 grams fat, 200 mg sodium, 18 grams carbohydrate (1
Grains plus meat/cheese, vegetables)
Guinevere’s Garden Delight, pan style, 1/12 (size
unknown) - 200 Calories, 6.2 grams fat, 250 mg sodium 27 grams
carbohydrate (2 Grains plus meat/cheese and
vegetables)
Maui
Zowie Pizza, pan style, 1/12 large - 310 Calorie, 10 grams fat,
490 mg sodium, 37 grams carbohydrate (2 ½ Grains plus
meat/cheese)
Salute’ Veggie Pizza thin-crust 1/16 large - 140
Calories, 5 grams fat, 170 mg sodium 19 grams carbohydrate (1
Grains plus meat/cheese, vegetables)
Enjoy dining out
and choose wisely!
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