Healthier Choices in Fast Food
MaryPhillips90
Posts: 236 Member
Hello Fellow Dieters!
Today is my second day on this site! I'm sure many of you diet and get fast food here and there because you're probably in the same boat as I am- ALWAYS on the go with no time to cook/eat at home. What are some of the healthiest fast food meals you have found that still aid in your weight loss?
Today is my second day on this site! I'm sure many of you diet and get fast food here and there because you're probably in the same boat as I am- ALWAYS on the go with no time to cook/eat at home. What are some of the healthiest fast food meals you have found that still aid in your weight loss?
0
Replies
-
Google - eat this not that fast food.
There are tons of healthier choices.0 -
i generally get a salad. and use very little dressing.0
-
I guess it depends where you live! I live in NYC and there's tons of healthy choices! Try Chickpea-- great falafel place and very healthy and it's fast food!0
-
The healthiest fast foods, much to my suprise.... were
3 crunchy chicken tacos from Taco Bell at 450 and only 1050 mg of sodium.... just watch your sodium the rest of the day. Fresca version is even better.
6 piece chicken nuggets and apple slices from McDonalds at only 325 calories, 550 mg of sodium and 50 mg of cholesterol.
Everything else is nothing but **** and chock full of sodium.0 -
My favorite is McDonald's grilled chicken caeser salad with their lowfat vinaigrette dressing.
My new obsession though- taco bell's fresco menu. i'm sure the sodium count isn't great but for 300 calories you can have two delicious chicken soft tacos!0 -
Chick-fil-a's chargrilled chicken sandwich is only 290 calories and the chargrilled chicken club is only 410. That and a fruit cup is not too bad.
You will find, though, that even the healthiest fast food has a lot of sodium in it. You may find it best to pre-cook some things at home and pack lunches.0 -
Salads with FF Rasberry Vin. Dressing, Grilled chicken sandwich no mayo, sometimes I order the kids meal to avoid excess. Stay away from anything fried, breaded, etc. Marina when possible vs alfredo.. that type of thing! Even a thin crust veggie topped pizza.0
-
My favs are chic fil a salads(no dressing), subway roasted chicken breast with lots of veggies (no dressings,condiments), wendy's or mcd's grilled chicken wraps(no sauce), chili or plain potato. Just keep an eye on your sodium. Im sure there are lots of others and always moderation is the key.
0 -
Hello Fellow Dieters!
Today is my second day on this site! I'm sure many of you diet and get fast food here and there because you're probably in the same boat as I am- ALWAYS on the go with no time to cook/eat at home. What are some of the healthiest fast food meals you have found that still aid in your weight loss?
any fast food item can still be eaten and you can lose weight, providing you maintain a caloric deficit0 -
NO FAST FOOD! There are no healthier options!! I always make BIG dinners so I have plenty of leftovers for lunches and/or dinners if I get super busy.
That being said I had to eat fast food a couple times when out of town and such. There was nothing that fit the diet. One sandwhich from McDonalds was usually too high for one meal...but one sandwich from McD would not fill me up so I would get 2 with no cheese or something and hope for the best! Tacobell does have some options for lower calorie and what not and I feel I can get more full...but it is still soooo greasy and bad for you.0 -
Yes there are. See above.NO FAST FOOD! There are no healthier options!!0 -
NO FAST FOOD! There are no healthier options!!
Don't say NO! SAY YES!!!!0 -
Thanks for reading ALL of the message. Also, really???? Just cause there are some options with less calories does not change the fact that they are serving you crap! Processed food with artifical fillers can be very low cal but damn they are bad for you! The reason there are even sites like MFP in this country is because we live by fast food and its turned us so obese! Other countries do not have weight issues like we do and other countries do not have drive thrus and fast food on every corner!!!!!
Yes there are. See above.NO FAST FOOD! There are no healthier options!!0 -
NO FAST FOOD! There are no healthier options!!
Don't say NO! SAY YES!!!!
YES! YES!! YES!!!
I
fast food
ETA: I would DIE without Taco Bell. FYI.0 -
I would look up the websites for your favorite fast food joints and look at the nutrition information. You can get a good look at the actual nutrition and "healthiness" of their offerings. It helped me a lot when figuring out what to eat.0
-
NO FAST FOOD! There are no healthier options!!
Don't say NO! SAY YES!!!!
YES! YES!! YES!!!
I fast food
ETA: I would DIE without Taco Bell. FYI.
I love it when you scream yes, Em!0 -
Thanks for reading ALL of the message. Also, really???? Just cause there are some options with less calories does not change the fact that they are serving you crap! Processed food with artifical fillers can be very low cal but damn they are bad for you! The reason there are even sites like MFP in this country is because we live by fast food and its turned us so obese! Other countries do not have weight issues like we do and other countries do not have drive thrus and fast food on every corner!!!!!
Yes there are. See above.NO FAST FOOD! There are no healthier options!!
fast food didn't make people fat, chronic over consumption of calories did
And
Bray GA et. al. Hormonal Responses to a Fast-Food Meal Compared with Nutritionally Comparable Meals of Different Composition. Ann Nutr Metab. 2007 May 29;51(2):163-171
Background: Fast food is consumed in large quantities each day. Whether there are differences in the acute metabolic response to these meals as compared to ‘healthy’ meals with similar composition is unknown. Design: Three-way crossover. Methods: Six overweight men were given a standard breakfast at 8:00 a.m. on each of 3 occasions, followed by 1 of 3 lunches at noon. The 3 lunches included: (1) a fast-food meal consisting of a burger, French fries and root beer sweetened with high fructose corn syrup; (2) an organic beef meal prepared with organic foods and a root beer containing sucrose, and (3) a turkey meal consisting of a turkey sandwich and granola made with organic foods and an organic orange juice. Glucose, insulin, free fatty acids, ghrelin, leptin, triglycerides, LDL-cholesterol and HDL-cholesterol were measured at 30-min intervals over 6 h. Salivary cortisol was measured after lunch. Results: Total fat, protein and energy content were similar in the 3 meals, but the fatty acid content differed. The fast-food meal had more myristic (C14:0), palmitic (C16:0), stearic (C18:0) and trans fatty acids (C18:1) than the other 2 meals. The pattern of nutrient and hormonal response was similar for a given subject to each of the 3 meals. The only statistically significant acute difference observed was a decrease in the AUC of LDL cholesterol after the organic beef meal relative to that for the other two meals. Other metabolic responses were not different. Conclusion: LDL-cholesterol decreased more with the organic beef meal which had lesser amounts of saturated and trans fatty acids than in the fast-food beef meal.0 -
Oh my....so many people love fast food! Don't get me wrong...it taste delicious! But in all honesty....the question was healthy and quick...not just low calorie. Salads are great options...but I do not consider salad on the go food. If you have time to sit and eat a salad then you have time for food not bought at fast food establishments. Yes if you eat fast food you can stay under your calories...but you will probably be hungry and its not HEALTHY.0
-
Oh my....so many people love fast food! Don't get me wrong...it taste delicious! But in all honesty....the question was healthy and quick...not just low calorie. Salads are great options...but I do not consider salad on the go food. If you have time to sit and eat a salad then you have time for food not bought at fast food establishments. Yes if you eat fast food you can stay under your calories...but you will probably be hungry and its not HEALTHY.
Quite right Meg!0 -
And an over consumption of calories is often traced back to the fast food industry in which a CHILD HAPPY MEAL is the amount of food one adult should eat. Now you tell me how many adults eat that when they go to fast food? Thank you for the informative albeit brief abstract of a research paper. I am not versed enough in nutritional science and hormones to make as much sense of it as I could but it was nice of you to quickly cut and paste an article in defense of fast food!
Thanks for reading ALL of the message. Also, really???? Just cause there are some options with less calories does not change the fact that they are serving you crap! Processed food with artifical fillers can be very low cal but damn they are bad for you! The reason there are even sites like MFP in this country is because we live by fast food and its turned us so obese! Other countries do not have weight issues like we do and other countries do not have drive thrus and fast food on every corner!!!!!
Yes there are. See above.NO FAST FOOD! There are no healthier options!!
fast food didn't make people fat, chronic over consumption of calories did
And
Bray GA et. al. Hormonal Responses to a Fast-Food Meal Compared with Nutritionally Comparable Meals of Different Composition. Ann Nutr Metab. 2007 May 29;51(2):163-171
Background: Fast food is consumed in large quantities each day. Whether there are differences in the acute metabolic response to these meals as compared to ‘healthy’ meals with similar composition is unknown. Design: Three-way crossover. Methods: Six overweight men were given a standard breakfast at 8:00 a.m. on each of 3 occasions, followed by 1 of 3 lunches at noon. The 3 lunches included: (1) a fast-food meal consisting of a burger, French fries and root beer sweetened with high fructose corn syrup; (2) an organic beef meal prepared with organic foods and a root beer containing sucrose, and (3) a turkey meal consisting of a turkey sandwich and granola made with organic foods and an organic orange juice. Glucose, insulin, free fatty acids, ghrelin, leptin, triglycerides, LDL-cholesterol and HDL-cholesterol were measured at 30-min intervals over 6 h. Salivary cortisol was measured after lunch. Results: Total fat, protein and energy content were similar in the 3 meals, but the fatty acid content differed. The fast-food meal had more myristic (C14:0), palmitic (C16:0), stearic (C18:0) and trans fatty acids (C18:1) than the other 2 meals. The pattern of nutrient and hormonal response was similar for a given subject to each of the 3 meals. The only statistically significant acute difference observed was a decrease in the AUC of LDL cholesterol after the organic beef meal relative to that for the other two meals. Other metabolic responses were not different. Conclusion: LDL-cholesterol decreased more with the organic beef meal which had lesser amounts of saturated and trans fatty acids than in the fast-food beef meal.0 -
Oh my....so many people love fast food! Don't get me wrong...it taste delicious! But in all honesty....the question was healthy and quick...not just low calorie. Salads are great options...but I do not consider salad on the go food. If you have time to sit and eat a salad then you have time for food not bought at fast food establishments. Yes if you eat fast food you can stay under your calories...but you will probably be hungry and its not HEALTHY.
Quite right Meg!
Gotta say I'm with you ladies....
Hey if you want to eat fast food...go for it.
personally I think most fast food, if not all, are bad. I don't trust their food and their "meat" has so many fillers and chemicals in it that it makes me ill. If you don't mind it though, more power to ya.0 -
plan, plan, plan
I cook meats and veggies- grill or bake on Sundays & my breakfast daily. I usually don't have time to cook when I get home from work @ 6 in the evening. Between the boy (my son) school, martial arts, being caregiver to my dad (mom past away in Jan. but I used to take care of her full time too,) my full time job, cleaning my house/laundry, and my part time job during the NFL season time is not on my side.
BUT I'M TOTALLY WORTH MY OWN TIME. I do it for me!
I plan a menu, make a grocery list, and manage my time wisely. It takes me about 2 hours to cook what I do on Sundays. I fridge what I'm going to eat thru Tuesday and freeze the rest. Preparation is key when making lifestyle changes.
I lost 100 lbs (pre MFP) and am determined to loose another 100.
If I can make time then you can too.
Maybe reading up on time management tips would be helpful for you & no more excuses!
Best wishes!0 -
Yes, there ARE healthier options.
HEALTHIER being the word to pay attention to.0 -
plan, plan, plan
I cook meats and veggies- grill or bake on Sundays & my breakfast daily. I usually don't have time to cook when I get home from work @ 6 in the evening. Between the boy (my son) school, martial arts, being caregiver to my dad (mom past away in Jan. but I used to take care of her full time too,) my full time job, cleaning my house/laundry, and my part time job during the NFL season time is not on my side.
BUT I'M TOTALLY WORTH MY OWN TIME. I do it for me!
I plan a menu, make a grocery list, and manage my time wisely. It takes me about 2 hours to cook what I do on Sundays. I fridge what I'm going to eat thru Tuesday and freeze the rest. Preparation is key when making lifestyle changes.
I lost 100 lbs (pre MFP) and am determined to loose another 100.
If I can make time then you can too.
Maybe reading up on time management tips would be helpful for you & no more excuses!
Best wishes!
Now that is impressive. Great Job!0 -
And an over consumption of calories is often traced back to the fast food industry in which a CHILD HAPPY MEAL is the amount of food one adult should eat. Now you tell me how many adults eat that when they go to fast food? Thank you for the informative albeit brief abstract of a research paper. I am not versed enough in nutritional science and hormones to make as much sense of it as I could but it was nice of you to quickly cut and paste an article in defense of fast food!
so no adult should eat more than 4-500 cals a day, which is the amount in a happy meal?
and once again it is not fast food that causing people to get fat, it's over eating, it doesn't matter what they are eating.0 -
See my blog.0
-
She's on the GO. Doesn't say she can't sit down to eat her lunch.
I think most fast food places have lowER calorie choices that aren't 2pc of whatever alternatives. ie.. subway turkey sandwich or their salads. MacDs (both previously mentioned).
You just have to be careful about what you order. If you do to the same ones, hit their websites and research what would fit into your plan before you go to out for lunch.0 -
And an over consumption of calories is often traced back to the fast food industry in which a CHILD HAPPY MEAL is the amount of food one adult should eat. Now you tell me how many adults eat that when they go to fast food? Thank you for the informative albeit brief abstract of a research paper. I am not versed enough in nutritional science and hormones to make as much sense of it as I could but it was nice of you to quickly cut and paste an article in defense of fast food!
so no adult should eat more than 4-500 cals a day, which is the amount in a happy meal?
and once again it is not fast food that causing people to get fat, it's over eating, it doesn't matter what they are eating.
The point being you can eat XX calories. But one choice limits you to a very small portion while the other allows you much more quantity for the same amount of calorie intake.
yeah, technicall it's the amount of calories that determines your weight loss/gain. But who is realsiticly going to eat such a small amount of high calorie food just to stay under the allotment?0 -
Yes it's very possible!!
I have currently found a love for salads! I love the half size apple pecan grilled chicken salad from Wendy's with the berry dressing, or the roast chicken farmhouse salad from Arby's with the Italian dressing (only 20 calories in dressing), or the grilled chicken fruit salad with berry dressing from Chik-fil-A. Love Love Love! (Not a fan of Mcdonalds salads) 0 -
here in the UK MCD's have the calorie count on the menu board now.
McD's is getting good for healthy food - carrot sticks or apple bags also the grilled chicken wrap you can order no sauce thats less than 300 calories but satisfying.
I don't think you have to buy a salad to buy healthy food and often the salads are the worst anyway with the dressings ec.
buy a sandwich pack and a piece of fruit (just a plain one and check hte label for the calorie count).
vege soups are normally good options or a plain baked potato with tuna on top.0
This discussion has been closed.
Categories
- All Categories
- 1.4M Health, Wellness and Goals
- 393.4K Introduce Yourself
- 43.8K Getting Started
- 260.2K Health and Weight Loss
- 175.9K Food and Nutrition
- 47.4K Recipes
- 232.5K Fitness and Exercise
- 427 Sleep, Mindfulness and Overall Wellness
- 6.5K Goal: Maintaining Weight
- 8.5K Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
- 153K Motivation and Support
- 8K Challenges
- 1.3K Debate Club
- 96.3K Chit-Chat
- 2.5K Fun and Games
- 3.7K MyFitnessPal Information
- 24 News and Announcements
- 1.1K Feature Suggestions and Ideas
- 2.6K MyFitnessPal Tech Support Questions