While fast food may not ever be the most nutrition-conscious choice a hungry person can make, there are menu items at most establishments that can provide important parts of a balanced diet and reduce some of the health-related guilt associated with eating out. It is also relatively easy to find nutrition facts for menu items at many popular chain restaurants, which can be the best way to make nourishing choices when dining out.
Healthy Menu Basics
With the trend of increasing health-consciousness in recent years, many well-known fast food restaurants have adapted and added items to their menus to offer patrons more nutritious selections.
The menus of McDonald’s, Burger King, Subway, Kentucky Fried Chicken, Taco Bell, Arby’s, Wendy’s, and Dairy Queen, among other fast food restaurants, all include salads. The healthiest salads generally contain either no meat or grilled meat. Diners should be aware, however, that adding a dressing to a salad can increase the fat, sodium, and calorie counts greatly, depending on the particular dressing.
Sandwiches are a traditional and popular fast food item, and many chains provide some sandwich choices that can satisfy even very nutrition-conscious people. McDonald’s, Burger King, Subway, Wendy’s, and Dairy Queen, among others, offer grilled chicken sandwiches that contain relatively low amounts of fat and sodium compared to beef; Burger King’s menu even includes a Veggie-Burger.
Special Selections
Some fast food restaurants have added unique items or entire sections to their menus in effort to give their customers a chance at fast food nutrition.
Subway customers have relied on the chain’s “6 under 6” sandwiches for satisfying meals with less than 6 grams of fat for some time. Taco Bell joined the health trend by introducing “Fresco Style” items, which each have less than 10 grams of fat. Even Kentucky Fried Chicken, which is fundamentally based on fried food, has a menu section called “Options for Lower Fat and Calories.”
With the recent popularity of low-carbohydrate diets, several fast food chains have adapted their menus accordingly. Burger King, Arby’s, and Subway all offer sandwiches billed as “low-carbohydrate” or “Atkins-Friendly.”
McDonald’s has recently undergone arguably the most dramatic changes of any fast food chain in response to widespread criticism of the unhealthy nature of some of its menu items. New options include a Happy Meal for adults, which consists of a salad, a water, a pedometer; and apple dippers which are available with or without a low fat caramel dipping sauce.
Finding Nutrition Information
Fast food nutrition information is not difficult to find and analyze if one takes the time and makes the effort. The Web sites of most mainstream fast food restaurants include easy-to-spot links to complete nutrition and ingredient charts for all of their menu selections. Many of these charts even have special sections for the restaurant’s healthiest choices, and most are available in PDF or special printer-friendly formats.
If Internet access is unavailable or inconvenient, or in the case of someone curious about items they are considering while at the actual restaurant, nutrition information can also be obtained at most chains by simply asking an employee.
A third reliable way to learn about fast food nutrition information is to call a toll-free phone number, which many fast food establishments have for this very purpose and which can be obtained at the particular restaurant itself, or on the restaurant’s Web site.
Unique Nutrition Needs
For individuals who must monitor their diets carefully due to an allergy or health condition such as diabetes, details about ingredients and exchange values can be located on some restaurant Web sites, and in many cases can be obtained simply by calling a toll-free number. Wendys.com, for example, provides a printable chart that features diabetic exchange calculations for every item on the Wendy’s menu.
While the words “fast food nutrition” may seem to be an oxymoron when put together, in reality it is possible to maintain good nutrition ideals when eating fast food. All that is required is the time and effort of finding nutrition information for specific menu items and analyzing the information to make good choices. Some basic nutrition knowledge can be helpful, but with just a few goals and a little bit of dietary determination, anyone can be healthier and happier and still enjoy quick meals away from home.
By Kristin Cleveland