Eating at Fast Food Restaurants

stephanieauthement Eating Out, Nutrition

When’s the last time you ate at a fast food restaurant? It could have been for lunch time or maybe even dinner tonight. Which leads me to my next point – lots of people eat at fast food restaurants! If you are part of this group – keep reading for 5 tips to help you be able to eat at fast food restaurants without blowing your diet!

  1. Salads may not always be the best option! Sometimes the salad that fast food restaurants offer are  packed with calories and unhealthy items. One salad that I can think of offhand is Wendy’s taco salad. There is sour cream, chili, cheese, and tortillas. Plus if you would ask for salad dressing on top of that – you’re talking calorie city. Choose a salad that has lettuce, spinach, tomatoes, cucumbers, and any other vegetables. AVOID the croutons and creamy dressings and choose a light Italian or light Balsamic Vinaigrette.
  2. AVOID FRIED CHICKEN! This may sound hard to do when you really want to go and get some chicken tenders or chicken nuggets and french fries. But the calories add up and fried food is really unhealthy for you to top it all off. Instead – pick the grilled chicken. Whether it is as a sandwich with grilled chicken or grilled chicken nuggets, always choose the grilled version!
  3. CHOOSE THE SIDE SALAD OR FRUIT CUP! Instead of choosing french fries as your side, choose the fruit cup or the side salad with a light dressing. They have apple slices at most major fast food restaurants and most places have a side salad.
  4. CHOOSE A DRINK WITH NO CALORIES! I know my Southern people are about to have a fit, but choose the unsweet tea instead of sweet tea and add in whatever artificial sweetener that you like. Instead of regular lemonade, choose the diet lemonade (if they have it). Or you can choose bottled water! You can also choose a diet soda too! There are a lot of options at fast food restaurants for you to choose from.
  5. CHOOSE A KID’S MEAL! Most kid’s meals are between 400-500 calories and are served much smaller portions, which is what you want to do anyway. Plus – you will save an extra $3-4 on your meal. Every fast food restaurant has kid’s meals and you should take advantage of them!