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Healthy Choices At Fast Food Restaurants

Hands holding a delicious burger

Sometimes time just dictates the necessity of a quick and easy meal on the go. But let’s take a look at how to eat as healthy as possible when grabbing a meal in a paper sack. For the most part, I am focusing on reducing calories and fat with these suggestions, though sodium can also be a huge consideration.

Burgers
The best bets are usually plain hamburgers or a grilled chicken sandwich. Make sure to order either one with extra vegetables and no mayo. Sometimes salads can seem like the better option, but take a good hard look at the toppings and the dressing. Those can easily add hundreds of calories and could even triple the fat content. One of the easiest ways to limit the meal size is to stick with the kids’ meal, with water instead of juice or soda.

Mexican
This one is relatively easy – avoid the deep-fried bombs, and minimize your dairy. Personally, I stick with soft shredded chicken tacos with extra lettuce and tomatoes. I still get my shredded cheese on top but instead of sour cream and guacamole, I use extra salsa. Some fast food Mexican places even offer a nice vegetarian option that could be considered healthy, with black beans and rice, and topped with lettuce and pico de gallo.

Delis
Lean turkey, ham, or roast beef on wheat bread with all the vegetables you can and no mayo. It sounds limiting, but consider how much flavor you can get from a turkey sandwich loaded with spinach and cucumbers and topped with a fat-free vinaigrette. And I would say as long as you are adding a lighter dressing, feel free to add cheese or avocado for a boost of flavor and fat to make the meal last.

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