The Fast Food Nutrition Guides
Even fast food joints may have some healthy options or at least some that are less fattening than an 820-calorie Angus burger. Some establishments may offer fast food nutrition guides on the premises or at least give a brief nutritional analysis on the menu. You can also find fast food nutrition guides online. One comprehensive guide is listed in Resources below.
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Burgers
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In general, main courses that contain cheese, buns and lots of mayo or other fattening sauces are going to be the biggest calorie whoppers. A Burger King double whopper with cheese is packed with 990 calories. Take away the cheese and hold the mayo and the double whopper goes down to 740 calories. That's still a lot of calories, but leaving out two simple items takes it down a couple of notches. McDonald's third-pounder Angus mushroom burger, complete with mayo, liquid margarine and Swiss cheese, contains a hefty 820 pounds.
Meal Deals
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Meal deals that come with an array of items, even in smaller portions, can add up. KFC's Guitar Hero Fully Loaded Box Meal with an Original Recipe thigh contains two chicken strips, one snacker sandwich, the aforementioned thigh and a side of macaroni and cheese, potato wedges and a biscuit. It also packs in an astronomical 1,380 calories. Selecting individual pieces of chicken, at 180 calories each, and healthier sides, like corn on the cob, would reduce the calorie count.
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Considerations
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Calories are not the bottom line when it comes to nutrition. Fast foods are generally packed with sodium, which can lead to high blood pressure and other ailments. Many others, especially those that are fried, are loaded with fat. The third-pounder Angus mushroom burger, for example, gets half its calories from fat, with a total of 45 grams or 69 percent of the recommended daily allowance. The KFC Guitar Hero Fully Loaded Box Meal is oozing with 72 grams of fat or 111 percent of the daily allowance.
Misconceptions
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Some sandwiches are obviously going to be laden with fat and calories, but others may masquerade as healthier options. Even when something looks simple, like McDonald's biscuit with sausage, it can contain more calories than an option that sounds fattier, like McDonald's breakfast sausage burrito. The biscuit sandwich has 410 calories while the burrito maxes out at 290.
Warning
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Watch the serving sizes. A small portion of McDonald's fries contains 210 calories. A Super Size portion packs in 610 calories. Picking single items off the menu, cafeteria style, may be a bit more expensive but will also give people more control and healthier choices. Deals that come pre-chosen will also often offer supersizes of everything, adding even more calories and fat to the already decadent meal.
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Resources
- Photo Credit Illustration by Ryn Gargulinski
