Who hasn’t walked into a McDonald’s and ordered a double quarter pounder with cheese and a side of large fries only to regret it 20 minutes later?
We all crave fast food once in a while, but it doesn’t always have to be unhealthy. Bikini season is upon us, so next time you’re craving some fast food look here to avoid gaining extra, unwanted pounds.
When you walk into a fast-food restaurant and smell the fries, try to imagine the nauseating food coma that will come within the hour. Succumbing to the craving for a greasy burger or an enormous burrito will most likely turn a productive day into one spent lying on the couch. So before you put the ketchup-doused chicken nugget into your mouth, think about what you want to do with the rest of your afternoon.
The key to ordering fast food is moderation. Obviously when you enter any fast-food restaurant, whether it be Five Guys, Burger King or Pizza Hut, it is near impossible to avoid getting one unhealthy item, so decide what you want most. Is it fries or a shake? Make the conscious decision to allow yourself the side of fries once in a while, but make the rest of your meal healthy. While making a balanced meal at McDonald’s may appear as difficult as climbing Mount Everest, remember there are choices you can make that are healthier than others.
As you open your mouth to order one meal that consists of an entire day’s worth of fat and calories, think about the following options to avoid committing fast-food suicide.
Healthy eating at your local greasy spoon
McDonald’s:
Healthy Breakfast: Fruit ‘N yogurt parfait (150 calories), or the next best option is the Egg McMuffin (300 calories).
Healthy Lunch: Plain hamburger (250 calories) or four-piece Chicken McNuggets with sweet ‘n’ sour sauce (220 calories).
Healthy Snack: Instead of opting for the fries or the McFlurry, if you’re craving a snack grab a plain vanilla cone (170 calories).
KFC:
Healthy Lunch: Kentucky grilled chicken, whole wing (80 calories) or chicken little sandwich without sauce (210 calories).
Healthy Side/Dessert: Corn on the cob (70 calories) or a sweet life oatmeal raisin cookie (150 calories).
Taco Bell:
Healthy Breakfast: Sausage a.m. griller (240 calories).
Healthy Lunch: Fresco chicken soft taco (150 calories) or a cheese roll-up (190 calories).
Healthy Side/Dessert: Black beans (80) or cinnamon twists (170 calories) .
Five Guys:
AVOID AT ALL COSTS! It is extremely hard to find a healthy or low-calorie dish.
Healthiest Option: Bunless, little hamburger (220 calories).
Pizza Hut:
Healthy Appetizer: Two traditional naked wings (90 calories) or two baked hot/mild wings (110 calories)—don’t use any sauce!
Healthy Lunch: One slice of veggie lover’s hand-tossed, 12-inch pizza (220 calories).
Healthy Snack/Dessert: Two cinnamon sticks (160 calories).
Wendy’s:
Healthy Breakfast: Steel cut oatmeal with summer berries (150 calories).
Healthy Lunch: Junior hamburger (250 calories) or half-size apple pecan chicken salad with fat-free French dressing (210 calories).
Healthy Snack/Dessert: Skip the sides and go for a junior vanilla frosty (170 calories).
Dunkin’ Donuts:
Healthy Breakfast: Egg white veggie wake-up wrap (150 calories).
Healthy Lunch: Tuna salad sandwich on an English muffin (390 calories).
Healthy Donut: Two cocoa-glazed munchkins (70 calories).
It really is possible to find something healthy everywhere! So next time you’re at a fast-food restaurant and decide to give up on your diet, think twice and make a healthy choice.
Need more tips on how to stick to your diet in the face of deep fryers? Email Jordyn at jasilverstei@wisc.edu, and perhaps you two can explore more fast-food restaurants to discover the semi-healthy menu items—and which ones to slap a warning label on!
