Over the years, fast food restaurants have expanded their menus to include healthier options such as soups, salads, and grilled meats. But don’t think that it’s necessarily healthy because it’s advertised as being healthy. A lot of these offerings are still high in fat, sugar, and calories. High-fat salad dressings and sauces are some of the primary culprits here.

Don’t be afraid of asking for the dressings and sauces to be set aside. You can then ration it yourself to better control your caloric intake.

Think ‘grilled’ instead of ‘fried’.

Reading the nutritional values on the menu is very helpful. This website allows you to do a search on healthy menu offerings at various fast food restaurants.

Check out this article to see exampes of healthy fast food restaurants.

2. Avoid “Super-sizing”

Order a burger meal and you’ll receive a burger, fries, and soda, with the option to super-size it. Many fast food restaurants train their employees to offer the super-sizing option because a large percentage of customers are converted when asked. Oftentimes, we don’t even think about it, we just accept the super-size option because it’s in our nature to be agreeable.

It’s cheaper to order a value meal, but the soda that comes with the meal is a major source of calories and sugar. Ask for a glass of water instead.

3. Enjoy your meal

This seems like an obvious thing to do, but I often see people devouring their food and gulping their drinks in a mad rush, as if eating were simply a task to be finished. Eating as if it were an afterthought leads to poorly-thought out nutrition and diet choices. Take control of your dietary lifestyle.

Eating slowly ensures proper digestion. You also avoid overextending yourself because it does take some time for our bodies to recognize if we are already full.

It’s not just the airports. While traveling around Shanghai, you get the feeling that the world around you is starting to look the same. There were the usual assortment of luxury brands in Gucci, Louis Vuitton and Prada. The restaurant choices were McDonalds, Kentucky Fried Chicken, and Yoshinoya, among others. Maybe it’s a sign of the modern age, but you had to do a lot of walking to find a good authentic Chinese restaurant in China!

Fast food is fast, inexpensive, and convenient. The drive-thru is the embodiment of this philosophy. You get in and get out with your food in a matter of minutes. And with today’s busier and faster paced lifestyles, it’s very easy to turn to develop a habit of eating fast food.

Eating fast food is not the problem in itself, it’s eating fast food all the time that causes problems. An article the January 2005 issue of The Lancet details the results of a study by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute wherein test subjects ate at fast food restaurants multiple times in a week. People who ate fast food frequently gained an additional ten pounds compared to those who only ate once per week. In addition, they had developed an increased risk for diabetes.

Fast food has become ingrained in our culture. If you’re in a foreign land and you’re not particularly adventurous when it comes to trying the local cuisine, fast food will probably be your safe haven. The point isn’t to completely avoid fast food. The point is for us to put more thought in the food we choose to eat. Instead of thinking, “I’m tired and I’m hungry, I’ll go get fast food,” we should think of healthier alternatives rather than choosing the easy way out. Be more selective in what you order. Be more selective in the fast food restaurant you choose.

We’ll next discuss ways to eat healthily at fast food restaurants.