Fast food is now everywhere. It is difficult to take a walk without seeing one. The widespread diffusion of these restaurants is closely related to today's life, made up of a thousand work commitments, long journeys, household chores and family problems. It is therefore not surprising that many people prefer to eat something on the fly. For example, in the United States, 1 in 4 Americans go to fast food every day. If you're really planning on stopping by for a bite to eat, it's possible to make healthier decisions. By adopting the following tips, it will be easier to choose nutritious and low-calorie foods in your favorite fast food.
Steps
Part 1 of 3: Choosing a Healthy Main Course
Step 1. Prefer the small, children's variants
It is a very simple trick to implement when ordering at fast food. Mini meals are convenient for eating smaller portions and consuming fewer calories.
- Choosing a children's meal can save you 200-300 calories, but you won't have to give up anything. Most of the meals designed for the little ones feature products similar to those of traditional menus. In addition, many fast food chains also offer a fruit.
- Go for small sandwiches. A double or triple burger has double or triple the calories of a single burger.
- Also avoid ordering a larger menu if you are offered a promotion. While this sounds convenient to you, the meal in general will have more calories and fat.
Step 2. Go for the salad
Many fast food chains now offer other types of food besides the usual burgers and fries. Salad is a relatively recent proposal that allows you to take in more nutrients and fewer calories.
- Salad is a great choice as it allows you to include 1 or 2 servings of vegetables, which are naturally low calorie.
- Watch out for high-calorie dressings and toppings. Foods like bacon bites, cheese, croutons, or fried protein sources (like fried chicken) can substantially increase your calorie intake. Read the nutrition label (if available) to see if a salad is actually healthier.
- Choose salads made with grilled protein sources, low-fat dressings (served separately) and lots of fresh vegetables.
Step 3. Choose a main course that contains fewer calories
Sandwiches and nuggets are popular at fast food. Opt for a dish that allows you to moderate your calorie intake.
- Try a wrap. Many fast food outlets sell wraps (even mini) stuffed with grilled chicken. They are low in calories (around 300) and are often small in size, perfect for portion control.
- Most fast food places sell chicken nuggets. A 4-6 piece pack is actually low in calories, around 200. Also, some restaurants offer grilled nuggets, which have even fewer calories.
- Go for a regular hamburger or cheeseburger. A sandwich filled with a single medallion of meat and lightly seasoned can have relatively few calories, around 300.
- If possible, order half a sandwich and accompany it with a salad or fruit. Also, if available, ask for wholemeal bread.
- If you order a sandwich, prefer wholemeal bread and ask to remove the crumb with the help of a spoon to decrease the carbohydrate intake.
- Divide the meal into 2 or 3 smaller portions, then take the leftovers home and eat them the next day.
Step 4. Always prefer grilled or baked foods rather than fried
It's another easy tactic to implement to make a meal healthier right away.
- According to some studies, fried foods not only contain more calories and fat, they also affect the risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes if consumed regularly.
- Preferring grilled food can save you 100-200 calories per sandwich. For example, if you want to order a sandwich filled with chicken, choose the grilled version over the fried one.
Step 5. Choose a healthy breakfast
In many fast food restaurants it is possible to have the first meal of the day, among other things some restaurants serve breakfast foods throughout the day. Prefer healthy alternatives to start off on the right foot.
- If you like savory breakfasts, go for something simple, like a toast, sandwich or wrap. You can eat eggs, cheese, and fat-free protein foods, such as raw ham or low-fat bacon. You could also opt for a sandwich filled exclusively with egg whites. Try to avoid croissants, bagels, or other fatty options (like sausages or bacon).
- Although not very common in Italy, in some cases you could opt for an oatmeal. Avoid sugaring it. You can accompany it with a handful of dried or dried fruit.
- If you prefer a fresh breakfast, try ordering a fruit and cereal-based creamy yogurt. Containing protein and fiber, it is a great choice for breakfast.
Part 2 of 3: Choosing Healthy Drinks and Side dishes
Step 1. Order a low calorie drink
Fast food restaurants offer a wide range of drinks to complement a menu, such as sodas, coffees, and smoothies. However, some are high in calories and can ruin all the efforts you are making to eat a healthy diet.
- The consumption of sugary drinks is associated with numerous chronic conditions, such as type 2 diabetes and heart disease.
- Avoid fizzy drinks, juices, teas or sugary coffee drinks, smoothies, milkshakes, or chocolate milk.
- Prefer low-calorie or calorie-free drinks. The ideal would be to drink only and exclusively water, but you can also opt for diet sodas, tea, iced coffee or sugar-free lemonades. Some may contain artificial sweeteners, but are low in calories (or none at all).
- Consuming drinks containing artificial sweeteners satisfies the craving for sweetness, but doesn't help fight it entirely. To reduce this, opt for unsweetened drinks (such as coffee and tea) so that you can sweeten them yourself and gradually reduce the amount of sweetener used.
Step 2. Prefer simple options
Many fast food meals, especially the main course, become high in calories due to later added toppings and toppings. Simple versions tend to contain fewer calories.
- For example, a simple single cheeseburger contains about 300 calories, while the bacon cheeseburger has approximately 700.
- Customize the meal according to your needs. If you want to order a dish that is usually full of toppings and toppings, ask them to be served separately or discarded altogether.
- Avoid fatty toppings, such as mayonnaise, honey mustard, barbecue sauce, and specialty dips. Instead, opt for mustard, chili sauce, tomato sauce, horseradish, and vinegar to substantially cut calories.
Step 3. Order a low calorie side dish
Usually in fast food restaurants, customers are asked to choose a side dish. However, we must be careful: no matter how healthy you order a first course, the wrong side dish can nullify all the efforts made.
- The first tip to follow? Order a small portion, especially if it is a fried or high-calorie food. Choosing a small serving of fried potatoes or onion rings can save you hundreds of calories.
- Some fast food restaurants allow you to order fruit instead of the classic side dish. If possible, opt for a bag of apple slices, a banana, or a small fruit salad.
- You could also choose a salad for a side dish. In addition to being low-calorie, vegetables stimulate a greater sense of satiety. The important thing is to opt for a lean dressing.
- If you're planning on ordering another side dish, opt for a low-calorie, non-fried dish. For example, prefer baked potatoes to fried potatoes, which contain more calories. Don't overdo it with butter, sour cream, and other fatty toppings.
Step 4. Choose a healthier dessert
If you're craving dessert after eating, try to order a dessert that doesn't contain too many calories or fat.
- Choose mini or single desserts. Order a shortbread cookie, a boat with jam or a cream basket. The sweets are perfect for indulging in a whim without excess.
- Always prefer a small dessert. Whether it's a cone or a milkshake, the mini version contains fewer calories.
- If you order ice cream, go for a McFlurry sundae and don't add toppings like chocolate sauce or caramel. A handful of sprinkles is preferable, as they contain fewer calories.
- Bring your own dessert, such as a fruit, a packet of low-calorie cookies, or a snack of dried fruit. Planning your dessert can reduce your meal's calorie intake and save you money.
Part 3 of 3: Eating Fast Food and Maintaining a Healthy Lifestyle
Step 1. Keep hunger under control
If you plan on going to fast food on any given day, it's important to properly control your appetite so you don't overdo it.
- If you skip meals or snacks and hit the fast food restaurant hungry, you run a greater risk of gorging yourself and choosing unhealthy menus. If you know you're going to McDonald's or Burger King, this behavior is dangerous.
- If necessary, have a snack 2 hours before going to the fast food restaurant. Choose a simple and small food: its function should be to keep hunger pangs under control. A fruit, a small yogurt, a hard-boiled egg or a protein bar will do.
- Don't try to eat little or skip meals / snacks to get fewer calories in anticipation of a high calorie fast food meal.
- Bring meals and snacks from home. This ploy will help you keep hunger in check and fight the temptation to order fast food.
Step 2. Plan fast food visits
To make sure you keep tabs on your consumption of this type of food, concretely establish when and how often to go to fast food.
- If you don't plan, you'll be more likely to go on a whim or when you're so hungry you can't see us.
- Instead, plan to go there only occasionally. This will help you prepare in advance and make healthy choices easier.
- Also, take a look at the menu before you go there. Learn about foods that interest you and healthier alternatives. Most fast food restaurants offer menus and nutritional information online.
- You may also want to compare different fast food restaurants to understand which ones offer healthy menus that suit your needs.
Step 3. Always make healthy choices at the dinner table
It can happen that you go to fast food when you are in a hurry or have little time to cook. Although the visit has not been planned, it is still possible to eat healthy for the rest of the day.
- Making a mistake or eating an unhealthy meal isn't the end of the world. You can still choose from a wide variety of foods throughout the day to fill up on nutrients.
- If you are late for work and have breakfast at a fast food restaurant, don't worry. Remedy this by choosing healthy foods for lunch, a snack and dinner.
Step 4. Make sure you are exercising
To lead a healthy lifestyle, it is also important to train consistently.
- Try to set aside 2.5 hours a week for moderate-intensity cardiovascular activity. Constantly engaging in sports such as running, jogging, swimming or dancing is ideal for maintaining a healthy weight (even after an occasional fast food meal).
- If you eventually went to fast food or failed to eat healthily, make up for it by taking a walk or workout a little longer than usual at the gym.
- Although it is not possible to work off an entire meal at the gym, make it a habit to constantly do healthy and positive actions that benefit your psychophysical well-being.
Step 5. Try to recreate your favorite dishes at home
If you often want to eat a certain food or love a certain dish, try to reproduce it yourself.
- According to some studies, it is possible to consume fewer calories in general by cooking most meals at home, as this allows you to control the ingredients used and the quantities consumed.
- Consider what your favorite fast food foods are. Try to figure out if you can recreate low-calorie, lean variations at home. Try looking for recipes online or cookbooks that offer healthy, nutritious versions.
- For example, instead of ordering fast food chicken nuggets, try baking them. If you like burgers, cook turkey ones and buy wholemeal sandwiches.
Advice
- Don't think that it's impossible to find healthy foods in fast food. Examine the menu and you'll see that healthier options exist.
- Don't worry if you want to give yourself a little "cheat". Make the main dish healthy, but replace the fried potatoes or onion rings with fruit or a salad.
- It is not wrong to eat fast food from time to time (whether the meal is healthy or not). Going there occasionally shouldn't have any negative consequences for your health and balance.
