6 Tips for Making Healthy Fast Food Choices

It is possible to get out of a fast food restaurant without totally undoing all of your hard work, you just have to make the right choices. 

Cooking your own food offers much more control over your dier than eating out, but if you make smart choices, that trip to the drive thru doesn't have to ruin your whole diet plan. Compiled from Eat This, Not That author David Zinczenko and a recent article from the editors of Men's Health magazine, these simple tips can make your fast food choices much healthier.

1. Just because it sounds healthy, doesn't mean it is. When you eat at Subway or Panera Bread, you can't just assume that everything on the menu is low in calories. In a study published in the Journal of Consumer Research, diners were asked to estimate the number of calories in their meals, both at Subway and McDonalds. They both underestimated but Subway patrons were further off. When people eat at a healthy restaurant, they tend to order more food.
2. Get the fresh fruit. If you're eating a fast food breakfast at a restaurant like IHOP or Denny's, the pancakes covered in fruit and whipped cream and sugary syrup look delicious, but all that extra sugar does you no good. Instead, skip the cream and syrup and ask for a side of fresh fruit instead to put on top of your short stack.
3. Cappuccino is better than latte. Cappuccinos are made with steamed milk which has more air and fewer calories than the latte. The Grande Cappuccino at Starbucks with 2% milk has 70 calories less than the equivalent size latte. Over the course of a week, that adds up to around 500 calories less.
4. Ham over Bacon over Sausage. No, this isn't the plan for one meat packed sandwich. When it comes to meats at breakfast, ham is the best choice of the three, then bacon, and sausage comes in last. At McDonalds, the McGriddle with sausage, egg and cheese has 560 calories and 32 grams of fat but the bacon, egg and cheese McGriddle has 420 calories and 18 grams of fat.
5. Choose sides wisely. Some fast food chains now offer more choices than just fries. You can get a side salad or baked potato rather than french fries which are cooked in oil and covered with salt. Zinkzenko says that at Wendy's, the small chili saves you 320 calories and offers three times the protein over the large fry. Combined with a Jr. Cheeseburger and you have a meal for under 500 calories.
6. Pass on the drinks. There is no soda that's a good soda. Even if you do opt for the diet variety, you're still not as healthy tips as simple water. Some chains offer bottled water, or you can always get the water from the fountain machine. It can sometimes be hard to find though and is usually a small button found underneath one of the larger soda logos.

If you order smart, you can still have some of your fast food faves without overdoing it. Stay away from the fries and the drinks and stick to some of the core items to keep calories from piling up. 

Source  http://www.americanhealthandbeauty.com/articles/?article=3697

1931 diet tips still relevant today

“The science of nutrition travels so rapidly that it is almost impossible to keep up with it,” wrote Lenna Frances Cooper in her textbook, “Nutrition in Health and Disease.”

Wow, is she right! Nutrition research findings hit the headlines daily. It’s a lot of information to digest. But, get this: She made that observation in 1931.

Cooper, a nurse and dietitian, was a dean at the Battle Creek Health Care Institution in Battle Creek, Mich. She was one of the co-founders of the American Dietetic Association and was appointed to the staff of the U.S. surgeon general.

You know how most folks think of healthy foods as the ones that don’t taste very good? Well, Cooper was even on the case when she wrote in the foreword of her cookbook, “The New Cookery”: “Many food faddists have attempted to prepare wholesome foods but have neglected the almost equally important requirement — palatability.”

In honor of Cooper’s pioneering diet advice from 1931, here are a few tips to dine out more healthfully today.

● Celebrate the season with a variety of salad greens.

Today: So-called “winter greens,” rich in anti-oxidants and disease-fighting beta carotene and abundant in autumn, include Swiss chard, kale, mustard greens, collards and escarole. Chef Joe Schafer at Parish pairs sweet potato ravioli with the pleasingly bitter notes of Swiss chard.

1931 advice: “The quality of lettuce, which can be obtained all the year round in almost all sections of the country, has improved enormously.”

● Choose the whole-grain version.

Today: You can find whole-grain versions of everything from tortilla chips to doughnuts. The 2010 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee tells us to eat fewer refined grains. Choose brown rice over white and whole-wheat bread over white. Discover the taste of “ancient” whole grains such as quinoa, spelt and amaranth that are showing up on restaurant menus.

1931 advice: “As a class, the whole cereals are rich in minerals, but these are found particularly in the germ and outer layer, which are usually discarded in the milling process.”

● Break the whole egg for breakfast.

Today: Rethink that egg white omelet. The nutrient choline, found in yolks, helps support the brain’s neurotransmitters and is linked to new memory cell production.

1931 advice: “The egg yolk is of much greater value than the white, as it contains the majority of the minerals and vitamins.”

● Eat like a vegetarian.

Today: Eat more plant-based foods such as vegetables, cooked dry beans and peas, fruits, whole grains, nuts and seeds. Check out the vegetarian entrees on menus when dining out, even if you’re not a vegetarian, to increase intake of valuable nutrients including fiber and anti-oxidants.

1931 advice: “Where an overindulgence of meat has been the habit, a recourse to a vegetarian diet often brings excellent results.”

● Dine out healthfully when there’s no time to cook.

Today: Whether it’s lower-fat fast-food favorites at Evos or chef Jeffrey Wall’s perfectly tossed orange and fennel salad with orange basil dressing at La Fourchette, restaurants are offering a greater selection of well-prepared healthful options.

1931 advice: “For cookery, lay wood shavings over the bottom of the firebox. When the wood is burning well, fill the firebox with coal. When the coal is burning without blue flames, close the oven dampers and the front door, but leave open the sliding draft in door.”

O’Neil’s advice: Get back in the time machine, use a smart phone to book dinner reservations, check the online menu for seasonal specialties, reapply lipstick and follow car’s GPS to the restaurant. Meet you there, Lenna!

Carolyn O’Neil is a
registered dietitian and
co-author of “The Dish on Eating Healthy and Being Fabulous!” E-mail her at
carolyn@carolynoneil.com.

Source  http://www.ajc.com/health/1931-diet-tips-still-713563.html