How to change the fast food habits

In a society where fast is fabulous, it is hard to develop healthy eating habits while on the go, but continuously eating out can be a problem.

According to Palo Alto Medical Foundation, over 25 percent of Americans eat fast food every day. Busy people often get sucked into low priced, convenient fast food, but it is often difficult to determine which fast food restaurant is healthier than its competitor down the road.

Fast Food Facts at a Glance

Here are the calorie counts for popular fast food items:

McDonalds

A Big Mac has 560 calories and 30 grams of fat.
A large order of French Fries has 540 calories and 26 grams of fat.
Subway

A 6 inch Turkey Club has 276 calories and 4 grams of fat.
A 6 inch veggie Club has 223 calories and 3 grams of fat.
Burger King

A Whopper has 640 calories and 39 grams of fat.
A fish sandwich has 720 calories and 43 grams of fat.

Easy Food Alternatives

It can be difficult to steer away from old fast food habits, it may be easier to simply adapt the order instead.

It is hard to pass up delivery pizza, but instead of ordering a ton of toppings, try ordering a plain cheese pizza to cut calories.

A salad appears to be a healthy choice when dining out, but once meats, cheeses and dressing are added on top, the amount of calories on the salad skyrocket. To help solve this problem, limit the number of toppings on a salad and use a light dressing. A McDonalds garden salad has 100 calories without adding toppings and a Crispy Chicken Salad has over 400 calories.

Foods that are deep fried are generally not a healthy choice. To avoid this unhealthy choice, order items that are grilled or baked.

Dodging Large Portion Sizes

As children, many people are taught not to be wasteful, but that can become unhealthy when portion sizes at fast food restaurants are enormous.

Some solutions to this problem include:

sharing a meal with a friend
utilizing the doggie bag and bringing leftovers home for another meal
steering away from ordering large combination meals
ordering from the kids menu where the portion sizes are smaller

Fast food is often hazardous to our health if continuously consumed. It can be difficult to stay entirely away from fast food when on the go, but remember to take health into consideration when ordering. Never be afraid to ask a restaurant for nutrition facts.