Your health
For healthier fast food, know before you go

Just because your schedule doesn’t always allow time for a well-balanced, home-cooked meal doesn’t mean you can’t make intelligent choices about nutrition at the drive-through window. Most fast-food companies, in response to the public’s desire for healthier diets, have added menu items with less fat and fewer calories. But is that "healthy" chicken sandwich really better for you than a burger?

An easy way to assess various fast-food choices is to follow recommendations from the United States Department of Agriculture’s Center for Nutrition, which state that no more than 30% of an adult’s daily caloric intake should come from fat, and foods high in saturated fat should be avoided. While you can’t find this type of information prominently displayed on menus, most fast-food chains post a full array of nutritional data for each menu item on their Web sites. The key–if you’re serious about trying to eat right but still want to grab fast food–is to look at the information before you’re hungry and in line.

A quick scan of the numbers online might change your view of just how healthy some of your choices are. For example, the grilled-chicken California Cobb salad from from McDonald’s sounds much healthier than a Big Mac. And it is–until you put Ranch dressing on it. Then your "wholesome" salad balloons to just as many calories and saturated fat as a Big Mac, with even higher amounts of total fat and sodium.

Don’t be fooled by words that sound healthy, like grilled. Taco Bell’s Grilled Stuft Beef Burrito will set you back more than half your recommended daily intake of fat. And fish won’t get you off the hook, either. Burger King’s Big Fish Sandwhich contains more fat and saturated fat than a Whopper with Cheese (no mayo).

Subway promotes itself as a place to eat healthy when you’re on the run, and they do offer several options that are low-fat and low-calorie. For example, you can get their roast beef and turkey sandwiches with lettuce, tomato, onions, olives, and pickles for 290 calories (16% from fat) and 2 grams of saturated fat. But just because a restaurant offers low-fat fare doesn’t mean all their selections fit that description. Case in point–Subway’s meatball sandwich weighs in at 530 calories (43% from fat) and 10 grams of saturated fat.

So check out the nutritional information on the Web site of your favorite fast-food joint and make informed choices at the counter. You may still want the Big Mac–and be willingly to absorb the 590 calories (52% from fat)–but you’ll know about other options when you’re looking to eat lighter.

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