Healthy Guide to Fast Food

Americans are no strangers to fast food. We gobble down burgers, deep-fried foods, and sugary drinks at an alarming pace. Especially on a busy workday.

Can you eat healthy when you grab a fast food meal and head back to the office? You can if you plan ahead and make the right choices.

Hi, I'm Page Love, registered dietician. Today, we're here to talk about fast food choices that you may be making in your office place during a busy workday and how to make healthier choices.

This is America's favorite past-time, a meal from a burger joint.

The most common choice is a loaded, double-patty burger with cheese and mayo, and a large fries, totaling 1500 calories and 70 grams of fat.

Instead, I propose a few lower fat alternatives. You can still go to the burger joint, but consider ordering a single patty, flame broiled burger where the fat can drip away from the burger and not remain with the meat. Load up on with all kinds of veggie toppings; tomato, lettuce, onion, pickles. Consider ketchup and mustard instead of mayo to lower the fat.

So, we've lowered the fat and calorie content to 350 calories and 15 grams of fat, a quarter of the fat and calories of this previous fast food meal.

Here are some other helpful hints when you're trying to enjoy your fast food meal. Try taking it outside of your office setting, maybe outside at a park, at a park bench like we have out here today. Take your time to enjoy your meal. Allow at least thirty minutes to eat your meal. You may want to bring a newspaper along to read a little bit in between bites.

Unfortunately, the average American can scarf down a 2000 calorie fast food meal while they are sitting at their desk and an hour later not even realize that they've eaten. So, take some steps to slow it down and eat in a relaxed fashion. As you're eating your sandwich, put it down in between bites. Try to sip a nutritious beverage in between bites. This will help you notice your fullness, slow down, and enjoy your meal.

If you're with a co-worker, try to talk to them in between your bites, and this will additionally help you slow down and enjoy the relaxing environment.

All these things will help you to eat a healthy, nutritious, low fat fast food meal, enjoyed in a relaxed fashion.

Bon appétit!"

Page Love, MS, RD, LD, a leading expert on sports nutrition and eating disorders, is president of Nutrifit Sport Therapy, Inc.

Review Date:7/8/2023
Reviewed By:Linda J. Vorvick, MD, Clinical Professor, Department of Family Medicine, UW Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA. Also reviewed by David C. Dugdale, MD, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team.

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