When you’re too busy with work, or simply have too much going on, cooking may be the last thing on your mind. You may even find yourself lacking the time to simply reheat healthy frozen food. Busy individuals often find themselves opting for fast food since it offers convenience at affordable pricing.
It is undeniably challenging to stay healthy while you’re constantly eating fast food. The general consensus is that fast food is almost always high in calories, sodium, and unhealthy fats. The food also has a low nutritional value.
So, does this mean that you’ll have to throw your health goals out of the window if fast food is the only option available to you? Of course not! Healthy fast food does exist. There are lots of ingenious tips and tricks that will ensure that your meals at fast food establishments are healthy.
Keep an Eye on Your Portion Size.
Your portion size has a huge effect on the number of calories that you consume at a fast-food restaurant. Large servings will quickly send the calories soaring. At most fast-food establishments, a single serving of food will actually comprise enough food for several meals. You’ll find that you tend to eat more when the servings are big, even if you didn’t intend to eat a lot.
To keep your portion sizes in check, ensure that you never order supersized, jumbo, or value-sized items. Another great idea would be to order from the kid’s menu. These meals are reasonably sized and you’ll actually find them filling. This minor tweak will save you lots of unnecessary calories.
Some actionable tips to reduce your portions include;
- You can order a single burger instead of opting for a burger with 2 or 3 patties.
- If you’re really craving fries, choose the smallest serving available.
- Opt for a small or a half sandwich.
- When you need a sweet treat, cut down on the calories by asking for a small cone or a kid’s cup.
Choose healthier sides.
You need to tread carefully when it comes to side dishes as some options are packed with calories. The standard side dish at fast food joints is fries and they are unsurprisingly not the best choice for you. They are laden with saturated fats and are also overly processed.
Other sides that can cause the calories in your meal to shoot up include, rice, onion rings, noodles, and mashed potatoes.
You can substitute these sides with healthier options such as side salads, yogurt, fresh fruit, a baked potato, or corn on the cob.
Opt for a Salad.
If you’re looking to have a healthy meal at a fast-food restaurant, a salad would be an excellent option. However, not all salads are created equal. You’ll need to be careful with your order to ensure that you’re not having a high-calorie salad. Some tips include;
- For a filling salad, choose a source of lean protein such as grilled chicken breasts, turkey, beans, or eggs.
- You’ll also want to add greens, veggies, fruits, nuts, and seeds to make your salad more interesting and filling.
- The dressing can wreak havoc on an otherwise healthy meal. It’s advisable to keep salad dressing on the side or to only use half of the package.
- You can also choose to pass on extras such as shredded cheese, croutons, and bacon bits.
Grilled over Fried.
When eating at fast food joints, you need to pay attention to the cooking methods for the meat. Grilled, roasted, baked, or broiled are the best choices if you want to keep your meals healthy.
You’ll want to avoid meat that is fried or breaded. If healthy food choices, such as fish and chicken, are described as crispy, fried, or breaded, they’ll be full of fat and calories.
Keep an eye on your drinks.
Drinks make it easy to consume massive amounts of calories without even realizing it. Soda, fruit drinks, and shakes are packed with calories and sugar and have little to no nutritional benefits. A single shake, for instance, can have up to 800 calories!
The best drink that you can opt for at a fast-food restaurant is water. You can also choose unsweetened tea to go with your meal.
Know what you’re eating.
Many restaurants have made it easy to know exactly what is in your food. You can look up the calories and nutritional information of your food online or by the register.
This is hugely beneficial since it takes out guesswork and estimation, and helps you make better food choices. You can try and keep your calories at or below 500 when you’re eating at fast food joints.
Walk away with food on your plate.
If your food comes in a large serving, you do not have to finish it. Instead, you can split the meal with a friend, request for a doggie bag, or leave the excess food on the plate.
Conclusion.
It is clearly possible to eat healthy fast food. With these tweaks and tricks, you can enjoy the convenience of fast food and cushion your health from taking a hit.
Whenever you have a few minutes to spare, you can always make some quick and healthy recipes. This list of best recipe boxes will help you to eliminate grocery trips and significantly cut down on cooking time.