Many people are eating on the run in today’s busy world. You’re usually better off eating at home rather than dining in a restaurant. But it’s still possible to make healthy selections if you have to eat fast food. Here are some rules of thumb you should follow as you’re perusing the fast food menu.
A lot of fast food franchises are well aware of the poor reputation that fast food has for clogging up the arteries. In response, they now offer a number of menu selections that are a lot healthier. As an example, salads have become quite common as a menu option at many fast food eateries. All the same, look out for the saturated fat in the dressing. Salads that are garnished with deep fried chicken aren’t as heart healthy as the ones containing grilled chicken.
Choose grilled chicken instead of deep fried for your sandwich. As well, it’s usually a good idea to request as many veggies as possible to be included in your sandwich. Ketchup and mustard are better choices for a dressing because of their lower saturated fat content.
Choose fruit or salad as a side dish rather than fries. This will fill your lunch with vitamins and fiber rather than saturated fat. You might also choose milk or juice over soda as a beverage with your meal. This can aid in maintaining normal blood sugar and give you additional vitamins and minerals.
It’s alright to give in to the occasional craving for a hamburger and French fries. But be aware of the portion size you’re ordering. A number of fast food establishments give you portion sizes that are enough for a couple of meals. To reduce the amount of saturated fat in your meal, choose a small hamburger and small fries, or even a kid’s meal.
If you’re feeding fast food to your kids, remember that there are usually some healthy choices you can make such as mandarin oranges or apple slices. Instead of soda, order milk or fruit juice.
If you’re dining Mexican, a generally healthy choice is a basic burrito or taco. Be sure to pile on lots of vegetables in order to up the fiber content. You might think a taco salad is a good choice, but frequently it’s high in calories as well as saturated fat.
Choosing fast food for the majority of your meals can take its toll on your heart health when you don’t make good choices. Eating at home is the best choice. Still, if you can’t always make that choice, give the new healthy food choices a try.
