 Healthier
Fast Food Choices
Prepared by Lynn Maarouf, M.S., R.D., L.D. - Stark Diabetes
Center & Jordy Staat, B.S.
Edited: 10/03/2005
Many of us have days when we don’t
have time to cook at home. Parents, in particular, have schedules that
may demand food on the run. Luckily for us, fast food restaurants are
beginning to take an interest in helping patrons stay healthy.
Traditionally, many fast foods have been high in fat, and often high in
saturated and trans fats. Recently, restaurants are offering menu items
that have lower levels of fat, sugar and sodium, just what many of their
customers are looking for.
Check out some of the entrees listed like the Chicken Whopper Sandwich
from Burger King or the Baja Chicken Gordita from Taco Bell, both with
only 6-7 grams of fat and 1-2 grams of saturated fat. For breakfast, the
Egg McMuffin from McDonald’s or the Breakfast Jack from Jack in the Box
would be truly reasonable choices for those working on either weight
loss or cholesterol reduction. Now that you know what is out there, go
out and buy! Show our fast food eateries that consumers are interested
in choosing healthier foods!
The food items listed contain less than 26 grams of fat and less than 11
grams of saturated fat per entrée. Most women who are trying to maintain
or lose weight should eat less than 60 grams of fat per day, and as a
general rule, men should eat less than 100 grams of fat per day.. If you
feel like you have to have fries, make a low fat meal selection to
decrease the total fat grams.
If you order the small fries at Wendy’s, you could add on the Ultimate
Chicken Grill Sandwich and a diet coke, rather than a Big Bacon Classic
and a regular coke. The fat intake will be about 21 grams less with the
first, healthier option. Eating the chicken sandwich and fries together,
however, will bring the carbohydrate content up to 81 grams for the
meal, which is high for both men and women who are working on balancing
their daily intake of carbohydrate. In this case, perhaps the 5 piece
chicken nuggets would be a better selection.
It’s all a matter of checks and balances! When you eat out, keeping an
eye on nutrition information can be difficult. Here are a few
suggestions for foods that can work well where calories and intake of
fat and saturated fat need to be trimmed. Watching your sodium intake
can also be beneficial. Foods with sodium levels over 1300 mg. are not
included and foods with sodium levels over 900 mg are
highlighted. Meals with
carbohydrate levels more than 60 grams are not included.
|
Foods at Burger
King: |
Carbs |
Fat |
Sat fat |
Sodium |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Croissan’wich, Ham,
Egg, & Cheese |
37 |
22 |
5 |
1100 |
|
Croissan’wich , Egg
& Cheese |
26 |
17 |
6 |
700 |
|
French Toast Sticks (5
w/no syrup) |
46 |
24.5 |
4.5 |
440 |
|
Jam – Grape or
Strawberry |
7 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
Cheeseburger |
31 |
18 |
9 |
750 |
|
Chicken Tenders
(8 pieces)
|
20 |
19 |
5 |
840 |
|
Chicken Caesar Salad
(no dressing or croutons) |
9 |
7 |
3 |
900 |
|
Fire-grilled Whopper
Junior with mayo |
31 |
22 |
7 |
550 |
|
Chicken Whopper |
48 |
7 |
2 |
1280 |
|
Onion Rings (
Small) |
22 |
9 |
2 |
260 |
|
French Fries (
Small) |
31 |
11 |
3 |
410 |
|
* Values from the
Burger King Website (9/04) |
|
|
|
|
|
Foods at
McDonald’s: |
Carbs |
Fat |
Sat fat |
Sodium |
|
Egg McMuffin |
30 |
12 |
4.5 |
850 |
|
Bacon, Egg & Cheese
McGriddles (no syrup) |
46 |
21 |
7 |
1260 |
|
Sausage Breakfast
Burrito |
26 |
16 |
6 |
760 |
|
French Fries – Small
Order |
30 |
11 |
2 |
140 |
|
Chicken McNuggets (6
pieces white meat) |
28 |
15 |
3 |
670 |
|
Grilled Chicken Bacon
Ranch Salad (no dressing) |
12 |
9 |
4 |
1000 |
|
Grill. Chicken
California Cobb Salad (no dressing) |
12 |
11 |
5 |
1110 |
|
Quarter Pounder (no
cheese) |
40 |
18 |
7 |
730 |
|
Premium Grilled
Chicken Classic Sandwich |
52 |
9 |
2 |
1240 |
|
Hamburger |
33 |
9 |
3.5 |
530 |
|
* * Values from the
McDonald’s Website (9/04) |
|
|
|
|
|
Foods at Taco Bell: |
Carbs |
Fat |
Sat fat |
Sodium |
|
New Fresco Style
Items-less than 10 grams fat |
|
|
|
|
|
FS-Crunchy
Taco |
14 |
7 |
2.5 |
360 |
|
FS-Soft
Taco |
22 |
8 |
2.5 |
630 |
|
FS-Ranchero
Chicken Soft Taco |
22 |
4 |
1 |
710 |
|
FS-Baja
Gorditas (chicken) |
29 |
6 |
1 |
570 |
|
FS-Burrito
Supreme (chicken) |
50 |
8 |
2 |
1260 |
|
FS-Fiesta
Burrito (chicken) |
49 |
9 |
2 |
1100 |
|
FS-Chicken
Enchirito |
34 |
5 |
1.5 |
1230 |
|
FS-Steak
Enchirito |
34 |
7 |
2 |
1220 |
|
Pintos’n Cheese |
20 |
7 |
3.5 |
700 |
|
Regular Taco |
13 |
10 |
4 |
350 |
|
Double Decker Taco |
39 |
14 |
5 |
810 |
|
* * Values from the
Taco Bell Website (9/04) |
|
|
|
|
|
Foods at Wendy’s: |
Carbs |
Fat |
Sat fat |
Sodium |
|
Large Chili |
35 |
9 |
3.5 |
1170 |
|
Fresh Fruit Bowl |
33 |
0 |
0 |
35 |
|
Mandarin Chicken Salad
with dressing |
53 |
26 |
3 |
1210 |
|
Chicken BLT Salad
w/Reduced Fat Ranch |
18 |
26 |
10.5 |
1390 |
|
Kids Meal Fries |
37 |
14 |
2.5 |
270 |
|
5 piece Nuggets |
13 |
14 |
3 |
490 |
|
Classic Single with
everything |
34 |
13 |
6 |
820 |
|
Ultimate Chicken Grill
Sandwich |
44 |
7 |
1.5 |
1100 |
|
Junior Cheeseburger |
34 |
13 |
6 |
820 |
|
Small Frosty |
56 |
8 |
5 |
150 |
|
* * Values from the Wendy’s Website (8/05) |
|
|
|
|
|
Foods at Jack in the
Box: |
Carbs |
Fat |
Sat fat |
Sodium |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Junior Bacon
Cheeseburger |
30.5 |
25 |
9 |
816 |
|
Hamburger with Cheese |
31 |
17 |
8 |
787 |
|
Bacon Chicken Sandwich |
39 |
24 |
6 |
965 |
|
Chicken Fajita Pita |
31 |
10 |
4 |
879 |
|
Small Fries |
35 |
12 |
3 |
440 |
|
Small Curly Fries |
30 |
15 |
3 |
590 |
|
Monster Beef Taco |
20 |
14 |
5 |
390 |
|
Egg Rolls (1) |
15 |
6 |
2 |
310 |
|
Breakfast Jack |
29 |
12 |
5 |
756 |
|
Hash Browns |
13 |
10 |
2 |
226 |
|
* * Values from Jack in the Box - Website
(9/04) |
|
|
|
|
|
Frequent thirst