1. Hamburgers: Basic hamburgers are in 250-350 calorie range, with about 10-20 g of fat, while deluxe, all-dressed cheeseburgers weigh in at about 500 calories, with 26 g fat. Choose a basic hamburger, no cheese, no mayonnaise, no bacon. Order it dressed with mustard, pickle, fresh onion, tomato, and lettuce.
2. French Fries: Of course we all want French fries with that, but we must be prepared to pay the nutritional price. Just one medium-size serving of French fries delivers between 360-450 calories and a hefty 17-22 g of fat. A large order of fries from several chains provides almost 600 calories with 27 g of fat, part of which is trans fat. Try to skip the fries, or eat them only occasionally.
If you must have fries, get the smallest order, and avoid cooked in anything but vegetable oil (always ask the counter person to verify it). And if possible, order wide, large-cut fries. They are usually slightly lower in fat and salt than the skinny ones because in an entire order of fries, there is less surface area for oil to cling to. Do not add extra salt, add a little ketchup instead. Ketchup has no fat and only 15 calorie per teaspoon.
3. Hot Dogs: The traditional North American hot dog contains about 240 calories, and 16 g of fat. Typically, 60 % of calories come from fat, with only a small percentage from protein. Eat hot dogs only occasionally, and watch the toppings: Skip the cheese and chili, stick with mustard, relish, and onions.
4. Tacos: A regular beef taco with the traditional toppings of lettuce and cheese in a hard taco shell has approximately 180 calories, with 10 g of fat. Stick to one taco, with only the regular toppings.
5. Pizza: There’s no question that pizza is one of our all-time favorite fast-foods. Unfortunately, it is also a major source of fat. One 14-in. (35 cm) commercial pizza has anywhere from 22-36 g of fat. When eating pizza, try the follwoing:
a) Stick to one slice. One or two slices of pizza with a side salad or vegetable sticks will boost the nutrition of your fast-food meal while decreasing the fat and calories.
b) Load up on vegetable toppings. They have the least calories and fat and the most nutrients. Lean meats like chicken and ham are better choices than fatty sausages and pepperoni.
c) Cut down on cheese. Ask for more sauce and less cheese. If your toppings are grilled vegetables, chicken or seafood, and herbs, try having no cheese at all.
It looks difficult at the beginning to cut down your fast-food calorie count by reducing the so called “yum” factor from them, but remember it is not impossible once you start it and stick with it.
{ 0 comments… add one now }