Marie Spano, MS, RD

Healthier Fast Food

5 Rules to Transform an Unplanned Pit Stop into Healthy Fuel for the Road

By Marie Spano, MS, RD

Eating a perfectly grilled chicken breast; crisp, lightly steamed vegetables; and brown rice pilaf isn't always practical when you're on the road. And, life is so fast-paced now that chances are you may find yourself far from a refrigerator, stove, and even a microwave throughout a standard week.

"...fortunately, there are many healthier options to choose from while you're on the road. If, of course, you know what to look for..."

Granted, it's fairly easy to carry shakes and nutrition bars with you when you're traveling but, you have to admit, sometimes, you might just want real food. Even fast food more closely resembles what your mom used to serve than a nutrition bar does. And fortunately, there are many healthier options to choose from while you're on the road. If, of course, you know what to look for...

This article will give you some rules to follow when it comes to dining out. However, you'll still have to make smart choices. Burger King and McDonalds don't have to ruin your six-pack. But, making repeated poor choices at these and other establishments will ensure your ab muscles are buried under a layer or two of fat faster than you can say "Quarter-Pounder with Cheese."

Rule #1: Choose Your Dining Establishment Wisely

The first and most important step to dining out is choosing a restaurant that has something on the menu that is healthy as well as tasty. If you are easily tempted, a fried food buffet shouldn't be on your list as a potential lunch spot, and Krispy Kreme shouldn't be where you get your morning coffee.

If you're dining with others, give them several suggestions to choose from. If a restaurant with few options is mentioned, indicate that there isn't much on the menu you would choose to eat and you would prefer to eat somewhere else. Most people will kindly oblige. Especially if you offer up another option or two.

Several restaurants post their menus online. Some even post their nutrition information (more likely for chain restaurants). In addition, you can search for restaurants on the following websites:

Website	Browse by Area	Type of Cuisine	Healthy?
www.citysearch.com	yes	yes
www.restaurants.com	yes	yes
www.restaurantrow.com	yes	yes
www.healthdiscovery.net/restaurants	Nationwide chains	yes	Gives weight watchers points for entrees
www.zagat.com	yes	yes

Rule #2: Order Smart

Never be afraid to ask how something is prepared. If the server does not know, simply state how you want it prepared: without butter, sautéed lightly, broiled, or grilled, sauce on the side, without salt or seasonings with added sodium.

"...repeated poor choices at these and other establishments will ensure your ab muscles are buried under a layer or two of fat faster than you can say 'Quarter-Pounder with Cheese.'"

You can also order the lunch portion at dinner for the dinner price and ask for substitutions for most side items. Or, try ordering an appetizer as your meal. Additionally, if you tend to overindulge in tortilla chips or the basket of bread put on your table, kindly ask that they not serve this or place it out of your own reach.

If ordering a salad, many restaurants now offer low-fat, reduced-calorie, and fat-free salad dressings, though some do not. If this is the case, the healthiest choice is balsamic vinaigrette. Otherwise, ask for your favorite dressing on the side and dip your fork into it and then into your salad—you'll use less this way.

It is also wise to load up on soup (if you aren't watching your sodium intake and don't mind the temporary water retention), vegetables, and/or fruit before your entrée comes. Research shows that people actually eat less overall when they fill up first on these foods.

Rule #3: Learn the Language of Food

It's hard to know what to order if you don't know some common cooking terms. Below, I've separated which phrases tend to mean less fat and which mean more as well as those that indicate higher sodium levels:

Items with less fat: baked, braised, boiled, broiled grilled, marinara, poached, roasted, steamed, stir-fried, loin and round cuts of meat.

Items with more fat: au gratin, alfredo, béchamel, Bolognese, béarnaise, batter fried, breaded, beurre blanc, buttered, creamed, crispy, deep friend, double crust, en croute, hollandaise, pan fried, pastry, prime, rich, sautéed, scalloped (escalloped), croissants, biscuits.

Items with more sodium: barbecued, cured, in broth, marinated, pickled, smoked, teriyaki, creole sauce, cocktail sauce, soy sauce.

Rule #4: Play Down the Portion Size

Emulating Morgan Spurlock's 30 days of gluttony in his documentary SuperSize Me! would be a big blow to anyone's diet. However, fast food can be healthier, if you order right.

Many popular fast food and chain restaurants offer healthier items. In addition, most, if not all, fast food chains have their nutrition information posted or in pamphlets for their clients. This information can typically be found on each company's website as well.

One of the best websites for nutrition information is Starbucks'. Looking for the fat and calorie count of your favorite nonfat soy-based caramel frappuccino, hold the whipped cream? You can create that drink and calculate its nutrition information at www.starbucks.com/retail/nutrition_info.asp.

In addition to the New York city ban on partially hydrogenated oils, Starbucks, Wendys, and many other establishments are jumping on board to ban everything trans. Chick Fil A fries in 100% refined peanut oil (as opposed to shortening or other partially hydrogenated blends). The caveat? Some of their products, such as the French fries, are coated with partially hydrogenated oil prior to being frozen and shipped to each restaurant and therefore still contain some trans fats, though less than most fries.

In addition to making typically non-healthy foods like French fries a little less unhealthy (though they still remain high in fat and calories—with or without the trans fats), several fast food and quick service restaurants have revamped their menus to decrease portion sizes and add healthy sides and more healthy entrees.

For example, this past Spring, Subway introduced their FRESH FIT™ menu. All of the SUBWAY FRESH FIT™ meals are based on sensible serving sizes, low in total fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol, and are rich in essential nutrients such as vitamin C, calcium, and iron. All meals contain at least 20% of the Daily Value for fiber as well. Not bad for quick food, especially considering the fact that most Americans fall far short on their daily fiber intake.

New "fit" products being introduced include sliced apples, raisins, and low-fat milk. The SUBWAY FRESH FIT™ adult meal consists of a choice of a six-inch sandwich with six grams of fat or less, diet soda, water, or one-percent low-fat milk, and a choice of apples, raisins, or Baked! LAY'S™ potato chips.

The SUBWAY FRESH FIT FOR KIDS™ meal includes your choice of a low-fat four-inch sub, one-percent low-fat milk or 100% fruit juice, plus a choice of apples or raisins.

Many fast food and quick service restaurants also contain information on their websites regarding food allergens, gluten, diabetic exchanges, and other helpful nutrition information to help you plan your meals accordingly.

Rule #5: Plan Ahead

Take most of the guesswork out of finding a healthy meal before you even get on the road. Try searching www.healthydiningfinder.com. Created by registered dietitians, Healthy Dining lets you search for restaurants based on location, price range, and by establishments that include take out, delivery, and catering. Once you click on your restaurant of choice based on the criteria you've chosen, only meal items from this restaurant that meet the following criteria will appear:

• Entrées (or full meals) must include at least one of the following:
  • fruits and/or vegetables
  • lean protein, i.e., skinless white meat poultry, fish/seafood (including salmon), tofu, etc., with no more than two red meat dishes per restaurant
  • 100% whole grains
  
  
  
• Menu items must meet the following three criteria:
  • Entrées (or full meals):
    • 750 calories or less
    • 25 grams of fat or less
    • 8 grams of saturated fat or less
  • Appetizers, side dishes, and desserts:
    • 250 calories or less
    • 8 grams of fat or less
    • 3 grams of saturated fat or less
  
  "...you can probably prepare something healthier and tastier at home. But we're all caught away from home from time to time and need a Plan B."

  If a menu item exceeds only one of these criteria (fat, saturated fat, or calorie) by a small margin (i.e., 10%), that item may be included on the website.

  Whenever possible, menu items that are lower in sodium and cholesterol are featured.

• Deep-fried items (e.g., egg rolls, chicken fingers, tostada shells, etc.) are excluded from the website, except for very small amounts of garnishes, such as wonton strips.

  This website focuses on meals lower in calories, fat, and saturated fat. Therefore, items listed are not necessarily low in sodium or sugar. So, double check those particular columns within the nutrition information section.

Healthy Eating Made Easy

It's true that you can probably prepare something healthier and tastier at home. But we're all caught away from home from time to time and need a Plan B. Fortunately, many restaurants are now catching on, so we can have real food (as opposed to a shake or a nutrition bar) even when far from home.

Regardless of where you find yourself sitting down to eat, remember that most places will substitute items or cook them as you prefer. Even fast food establishments will prepare an item without various sauces and other high-fat toppings. Armed with a little knowledge and an appetite for taste, you can definitely fit in anything from fine dining to fast food in your meal plan without sacrificing your six-pack abs.

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