My Fast Food Research

written for as a guest post for my cousin Ann's website.

I remember when I could "crash diet," skip a meal or two and my jeans would fit nicely.  Now that I'm nearing my late 20s, I've had a baby, and I'm breastfeeding, dieting takes more effort.  My body needs consistent calories since I'm not the only dependent these days and indulging in a Quarter Pounder can't be remedied by skipping the next meal.  I'd like to say that I NEVER eat fast food but I have to admit when I don't have time to grocery shop, somebody else needs to do the cooking.

Fortunately, we live in a semi-health conscious society and fast food companies have started listing ingreds and nutrition facts on their websites.  Fortunately, I now have a tool that let's me save time without compromising my healthy lifestyle.  Unfortunately, discovering that a 6-piece McNugget meal (nuggets + fries) has 665 calories and 37g of fat freaks me out...how many times have I eaten that!?

There are some (but not many!) options for me at FF restaurants.  There are very few meals that I can order and eat as is.  Most meals require special orders, stuff omitted, or even stuff added from home.  Salad dressing is the best example of this...Carl's Jr's Hawaiian Grilled Chicken Salad has 270 calories, 8g of fat and DOES NOT INCLUDE THE DRESSING! That's quite high for a bowl of greens, pineapple, cucumber and grilled chicken.  It does have "crispy wonton strips" which are easily omitted, but if you want to add the sesame Asian dressing that comes with this salad, be prepared to add an extra 120 calories and 8g of fat to your meal! I'm not a big fan of salad dressing as it is (why eat a bunch of beautiful veggies, fruits and proteins just to cover it up with dressing and make it all taste the same?), but if I had to add dressing to a FF salad I would use one that I keep at home.

Not for the health conscious...

While I'm on the subject, I must say that "salad" is such a confusing word.  Most people assume that salads are healthy...a bowl of greens, veggies, seeds, proteins, etc (despite the dressing) HAS to be healthy, right? WRONG! Taco Bell's Fiesta Taco Salad has 770 calories and 42g of fat.  I won't even mention any other nutrients, because there isn't anything in there that can justify that much fat.  This is one of the many meals that I won't eat.  The only omitting I can do to make this little gem healthy is skip the entire salad.

Now for some good news:

BREAKFAST: Breakfast is an easy meal to prepare myself. 
Hard boiled eggs, fresh fruit, oatmeal...there are lots of quick, healthy, yummy options.  But if my husband is getting himself a Sausage McGriddle (420 calories, 22g of fat) I will eat
McDonald's Fruit & Maple Oatmeal (290 calories, 4.5g of fat).  Not great, but it's an occasional treat.  Can't forget the coffee! Coffee itself isn't too bad for you, it is calorie/fat free and I just add non/low fat milk from home! The fancy drinks are where you find the calories - a small McCafe Mocha has 280 cals, 11g of fat; Starbucks Grande Caramel Macchiato has 280 cals, 7g of fat.

LUNCH: Eegee's 5" Turkey Sub has only 210 cals, 2g of fat!  Eegees is local, but there are plenty of sandwich shops in every town.   Stick to whole grain breads, LOTS of veggies, omit cheese and fattening condiments!

DINNER:  Wendy's has an Apple Pecan Chicken Salad that I can alter and actually eat.   I opt for the half-size (it's PLENTY of food,  I COULD eat the full-size but I constantly remind myself of that fine line between satisfied and miserably full), I omit the blue cheese crumbles and the salad dressing and I'm left with about 250 calories and 10g of fat.  I could totally make this salad, an even better version!, myself but this is for those days that seem to have less hours.

100 calories, 0.5g of fat

DESSERT:  There are a FEW options...McDonald's Apple Dippers have 100 cals, 0.5g of fat, their small McCafe Smoothies have 210 cals, 0.5g of fat (sure beats a milkshake, 580 cals, 14g of fat!). 

Remember, pairing a healthier meal with a soft drink sort of negates all this research.  "Diet" doesn't mean good for you.  I'm not a huge fan of fruit juice either.  Fruit is loaded with awesome fiber, but when you squeeze out the juice and dump the goods you're left with a lot of sugar.  I am all for an occasional diet cheat, but don't let your drink be your treat.  How often do you carry around your beverage hours after you eat lunch?  Don't spend your afternoon sucking down flat soda.  That's a great opportunity to enjoy the TRUE diet beverage...good ol' water.

My best advice, for myself and anyone on a healthy eating diet is to cook at home.  Remember simple foods make a great breakfast, pack your lunch the night before and keep pre-cooked dinners in the fridge/freezer.  If fast food is a must...do your research, your body deserves it!