Fast Food

The American lifestyle is getting more and more rushed. Everything has to move fast to keep up with our jam-packed schedules -- even our meals. Most families eat at a fast food restaurant at least once a week and many people find themselves "driving through" several times during the week. The convenience can't be beat, but there is a downside. It affects children's weight and overall health.

Are there any good fast food choices?

Eating high fat, super-sized meals can lead to our kids gaining too much weight. Our kids are taking in extra calories from soda and high fat foods and it shows. Fast food restaurants now offer smaller portions, more grilled chicken selections, kids meals with a choice of fruit and milk instead of fries and soda, and creative salads with bottled waters. Some of the fast food chains are now limiting the salt and trans fats in kids meals. If there is no time to cook, you can order healthy items on the run.

Tips for ordering kid friendly food:

• Order the smaller portion sizes
• Pick milk or water instead of a soft drink
• Choose grilled chicken items more often
• Choose fruit or a side salad instead of fries.
• Choose a baked potato topped with veggies instead of fries.
• Ask for mustard and ketchup instead of mayonnaise or order food plain and request condiment packets
• Use salad dressing sparingly or ask for the low-fat or fat-free varieties
• If you are taking the food home, order entrees only and prepare your own quick side dishes, served with milk, water, or other low sugar drink.

Making Healthy Fast Food Choices

Typical Kid's Meals:

The McDonald's Happy Meal with a cheeseburger, small fries, and a 12 ounce soda has 670 calories and 26 grams of fat. The Mighty Kids Meals for older children offers double hamburgers or cheeseburgers and a 16 ounce soda. These meals provide 730 to 820 calories and 27 to 34 grams of fat. If your child has a Quarter Pounder with cheese, medium fries, and medium soda, the calories jump to 1100 with 45 grams of fat.

Healthier fast food choices can still be high in calories, fat, and salt. However, they are a big improvement over traditional kid's meals. Encourage your child to choose the kid's meals that substitute a hamburger for the cheeseburger, apple dippers rather than fries, and low-fat chocolate milk instead of soda. This adds calcium and reduces the calories to 530 with 12 grams of fat.

Most restaurants offer many healthy salads. Salads usually have no more than 200 to 400 calories before adding the dressing. If your kids like salads, encourage them to order a grilled chicken salad instead of a burger. Choose the low-fat or fat-free dressings. Regular dressing can add 200 to 300 extra calories. Another option is to have your children order a small burger and a garden salad instead of having fries.

The food choices listed below are some of the lowest in calories and fat offered.

Healthier Fast Food Choices

Subway 

6 inch Veggie Delite      230 calories/3 grams fat

6 inch Turkey Breast      280 calories/5 grams fat

6 inch Ham                290 calories/5 grams fat

Turkey breast wrap        190 calories/6.0 grams fat

Honey mustard Ham

    And egg wrap          230 calories/7 grams fat

Berry Lishus Fruizle      110 calories/0 grams fat

Chicken Noodle soup        90 calories/1.5 grams fat





Taco Bell Fresco Style (without cheese or sauce)

Taco - beef               150 calories/8 grams fat

Soft taco - beef          190 calories/7 grams fat

Tostado - regular         200 calories/6 grams fat

Bean Burrito              350 calories/8 grams fat

Cinnamon Twists           160 calories/5 grams fat



McDonald's 

Hamburger kids meal with

  apple dippers and milk  470 calories/12 grams fat

Small hamburger           260 calories/9 grams fat

Small cheeseburger        310 calories/12 grams fat

Chicken McGrill           370 calories/4.5 grams fat

Small fries               250 calories/13 grams fat

Caesar Salad with

  grilled chicken         220 calories/6 grams fat

Hot Cakes (no margarine)  520 calories/8 grams fat

Kiddie cone                45 calories/1 gram fat



Burger King 

Tender Grill Chicken sandwich    450 calories/10 grams fat

Whopper Jr.                      290 calories/12 grams fat

Small hamburger                  290 calories/12 grams fat

Kraft Mac&Cheese                 160 calories/5 grams fat 

Tender grill chicken salad       300 calories/11 grams fat

Strawberry flavored

   Apple sauce                    90 calories/0 grams fat



Wendy's 

Kids meal with hamburger, Mandarin

oranges and 1% chocolate milk     520 calories/11 grams fat

Kid's ham or turkey

   and cheese sandwich            245 calories/6 grams fat

Ultimate Chicken Grill            370 calories/8 grams fat

Grilled Chicken To-Go Wrap        260 calories/11 grams fat

Jr. Hamburger                     270 calories/9 grams fat

Large Chili                       280 calories/9 grams fat

Jr. Vanilla Frosty                150 calories/4 grams fat



Pizza Hut 

Fit and Delicious Menu (1/2 the cheese and leaner toppings)

   1 slice                   150 calories/4 grams fat



Hand tossed (1 slice, medium pizza)

   Veggie Lovers             210 calories/6 grams fat

   Chicken Supreme           230 calories/7 grams fat



Pan (1 slice, medium pizza)

   Ham                       260 calories/11 grams fat

   Veggie Lovers             250 calories/11 grams fat



Thin and Crispy (1 slice, medium pizza)

   Veggie Lovers             180 calories/7 grams fat

   Quartered Ham             180 calories/7 grams fat

   Cheese                    200 calories/8 grams fat

   Chicken Supreme           200 calories/7 grams fat

   Pepperoni                 210 calories/10 grams fat



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*Sandwiches and salads listed above do not include mayonnaise,

cheese, or salad dressing  unless specified.

Where can I find complete menu and nutrition information?

Most large food chains publish nutrition analysis sheets that list all menu items, and show total calories, grams of carbohydrate, protein, total fat, saturated fat, trans fats, and sometimes, food group portion sizes. Ask for information at the counter or go online to the restaurant's Web site. The Web sites often include menus, nutrient lists, and easy to use calculators so you can see exactly what your children are eating and where you need to make changes. Some Web sites also have information about food allergies and diabetic exchanges. It has never been easier to select fast food meals to fit a healthy diet.

Burger King: http://www.bk.com/#menu=3,-1,-1 McDonald's: http://www.mcdonalds.com/usa/eat/nutrition_info.html Wendy's: http://wendys.com/food/NutritionLanding.jsp Pizza Hut: http://www.pizzahut.com/Nutrition.aspx Taco Bell: http://www.tacobell.com Subway: http://www.subway.com/applications/NutritionInfo/index.aspx

We need the convenience of fast foods sometimes, but we also deserve to have healthy choices. The industry is changing because the public is demanding it. In some states, laws are already in place or proposed against serving foods containing trans fat in a restaurant . Burger King has just announced a voluntary program to lower salt content in its kids meals. While these are big steps in the right direction, most fast foods are still high in salt total fat and saturated fat. Do your part by ordering the healthier choices, so that companies will continue to work toward offering healthier foods in the future.

Written by Terri Murphy, RD, CDE for RelayHealth.
Published by RelayHealth.
© 2009 RelayHealth and/or its affiliates. All Rights Reserved.