Fast-food restaurants are easy, fun and many times, quicker than even your microwave.
And sometimes, on days when you’re working late, carpooling children to football practice or heading to Wednesday evening church, there seems to be no other option.
altogether for those of us who live busy lives in America,” said Dr. Rallie McAllister, a board-certified family physician and author of “Healthy Lunchbox: The Working Mom’s Guide to Keeping You and Your Kids Trim.”
“Bottom line — fast food is probably OK on occasion but it has little to offer in the way of nutrition, so we shouldn’t make it a habit,” she told WebMD.com. “Believe it or not, there are lots of ways to avoid consuming fast food on a regular basis.”
McAllister said the biggest thing to do is plan ahead.
– Keep your home stocked with healthy food.
“Lay a healthful foundation by stocking up on ingredients for nutritious meals, desserts and snacks,” writes the health editor of eHow.com. “If you eat healthy food at home, you won’t feel so bad when you splurge on an infrequent fast-food meal.”
– Cook large quantities and put extra meals in the freezer.
“That way you won’t be tempted to make a junk-food run on your way home from work,” eHow.com notes.
And for when you can’t cook ahead of time, a number of quick, easy recipes — even Crock Pot meals — are available online at Web sites such as BetterRecipes.com.
McAllister said easy foods like hot dogs can also make for a nutritious meal if you watch the package labels. “Make sure that you are buying high-quality franks to start with. Some varieties contain turkey or chicken or even soy and these may be lower in fat and calories than those that are made from pork or beef,” she said.
You can improve upon your hot dogs, too, by putting them on a whole-grain bun and avoiding high-fat chili, cheese and mayonnaise, McAllister noted.
A sandwich is also a fast, nutritious meal, she said.
“The sandwich has long been underappreciated, but from a nutritional standpoint, it can be an excellent source of high-quality nutrients,” McAllister said, adding with whole-grain bread, cheese, low-fat deli meat and tomato, it contains four food groups.
– Pack healthy snacks.
“Most of us realize that we are going to be away from our home at least a couple of times a week during [mealtime],” McAllister said.
Be proactive, she said, and pack some healthy snacks, even a cooler or picnic basket full if you have children with you, too. Yogurt, cheese cubes, serving-size packages of raisins and nuts are good things to keep with you, McAllister said.
And for those mealtimes at fast-food restaurants, decide ahead of time to make good choices when ordering.
The good news is that many fast-food chains are providing healthy options, according to McAllister.
“Instead of french fries and burgers, we can request fruit salads, vegetable salads, applesauce and fruit juice,” she said.
McAllister noted it’s also good to choose grilled or broiled over fried and milk over soft drinks.
“Your best bets at the local burger joint are grilled chicken, baked potatoes, and salads,” she said. “If they have grilled or baked fish, that’s a bonus.”
Some other tips offered by the American Heart Association (AHA) for fast-food ordering are:
– Pass on the “value-size.”
– Avoid double meat and bacon. “A serving size of meat is 2–3 ounces — about the size of a deck of cards. You’re probably getting well over that with a single meat patty,” the AHA Web site says. “Bacon is high in calories and fat with little nutrient content.”
– Ask for a wheat bun. “Some places offer a wheat alternative, some don’t. It never hurts to ask.”
– Eat your sandwich open-faced. “By eating only half the bun, you can eliminate unnecessary calories.”
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