Fast Food 
Fast food. Wheither it is tacos or burgers, we all love
it just the same. Fast food has become a way of life for
some people. They eat it three meals a day. There is no
difference between a Big Mac and a steak to some people
these days. When I was growing up as a kid, I hardly ever
ate any fast food. To be honest we were too poor to eat
fast food. Sometimes I think that was a blessing. I mean,
sure I love a bucket of fried chicken like the rest of you,
but there is more to eating than fast food. We have come
too dependant on ready serve meals. I don't care if they
are fast food or a meal in a frozen box. There should be
no need for it, but I can see why it is appealing to many
people.
I have to admit, I have ate my fair share of fast food.
I used to spend a good amount of time away from the house
and it wasn't easy to grab a good meal. Most of us today
live a lifestyle like this. For one reason or another, we
don't have time to prepare a good meal.
Here we will discuss some things
you can get at your local fast food joints that are suprisingly
healthy.
I'm not going to tell you that they are better for you than
a meal that you would cook on your own, but you already
know that. If you are ordering a burger, get it without
the mayo and the cheese. It might not sound like it, but
you will cut a lot of fat out just by doing this. If the
sandwich is too dry for you without the mayo, use mustard
or ketchup. This will help it slide down easier.
The cheese that is used is the processed garbage
loaded with oil and other junk. You think that cheese is
made of milk, but not all of it is. Some of it is made from
cooking oil. If you love cheese as much as I do, you can
tell just by looking at it. Cheese that is made from oil
will have a different look. It will look orange and oily.
Avoid anything with bacon on it. I find
that the bacon in fast food joints is very awful. They really
don't cook it, they just put it under lights until it gets
hot. Avoid this at all costs. You will save calories and
you will be happy you did.
A good rule of thumb is to stay away from sandwiches
that are deep fried. You know the ones. The ones
that have deep fried fish or chicken in them. The process
of frying them in fat like this, makes them worse for your
health. I would suggest that you go with chicken any time
that you can. Generally chicken items will be lower
in fat. Don't get a chicken sandwich loaded with
mayo or that has been deep fried. If the only chicken items
they have are deep fried, look at the burgers they have
you can choose from.
I would also suggest that you substitute french fries for
a side salad. I know, what fun is fast food without
fries? Well, from time to time they are okay. But, if you
make a habit of eating fast food regularly, then you should
stay away from them most of the time. Key thing to remember,
I said most of the time. If you eat them from time to time,
they won't hurt you. But if you are eating so many french
fries that you can slick back your hair with the access
grease on your hands, you need to cut down a bit on them.
There seems to be a trend of meatless burgers that some
fast food joints are carrying. I'm not sure if this is because
there is a jump in the percent of people who don't eat meat.
That could be, but if you live near a college, that might
have something to do with it too. It is a big phase with
college kids to be 'animal friendly'. This is of course
until they get older and realize how much more tasty meat
is compared to tofu.
At any rate, if they have meatless burgers at your local
fast food joint, you can try them. Sometimes they will be
less in fat than normal burgers. They might take a while
to get used to. I can't say that I care much for these.
I can't stand how they when you chew them. Just keep in
mind just because its meatless, don't mean you can add one
the cheese and mayo. Some of these burgers aren't THAT lower
in fat. My favorite place to go is Subway. Well, any good
sub shop will work just fine. You can load up your sandwich
with tasty veggies instead of fatty stuff like mayo. I would
still suggest that you go with chicken, though at most of
these places you can find turkey as well.
The great thing about Subway is, the fat content and the
calories are open for all to see.
They advertise it all over their store how much the sandwiches
contain. You can load up on all kinds of veggies and not
even worry about missing cheese or mayo. One way that you
can keep the calories low is by drinking water or diet sodas.
Personally I hate diet soda, so I just drink water instead.
Ask them if they have any lemon you can squirt into the
water. That will give it a crisp taste that you will love
and it will keep your mind off of the sodas. Of course you
can go with the diet sodas, but to me they are way to sweet.
There you have it. An easy guide to fast food. The
next time you go out to the hamburger joint, keep this article
in mind.