Fast Food: Are You Making the Right Choice?

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Read more :

• Fast food know-how
• McDonald's
• Hungry Jack's – Baguettes and Salads
• Subway – Fresh Fit 6" Subs, and Carb-Conscious items
• Red Rooster
• Moral of the story

Fast food know-how

Our tips will help you keep your calorie intake under control without sacrificing your fast food experience:

• Don't be fooled by words like 'fresh' or 'flame-grilled'. Flame-grilled food may be drowned in fat before grilling. And fresh...well that can mean anything! The food could be 'fresh' looking, 'freshly' cooked (in fat!), and so on
  
  
• Skip the mayonnaise, tartare sauce, cheese and other special extras. Add a little mustard or tomato sauce instead if you need a flavour enhancer
  
  
• Most fast food servings are oversized. Boris Kazakov, CalorieKing.com.au dietitian, recommends choosing the smallest serving size. "You can always order more food if you are genuinely still hungry," he reminds us
  
  
• Skip the high-fat side dishes (such as fries, onion rings, or garlic bread), have a garden salad instead, with reduced-fat or non-fat dressing
  
  
• If you must have fries, order the smallest serving size and share them with a friend
  
  
• Order the smallest size soft drink and avoid unlimited refills. Choose water or diet drinks
  
  
• Generally fast foods are high in sodium, so drink plenty of extra water to reduce the effects, such as fluid retention and excessive thirst
  
  
• Watch out for battered, crumbed, or fried ("crunchy"/"crispy") menu items, as these will usually be high in fat and calories
  
  
• Take the 'fast' out of fast food and eat your meal slowly. Enjoy what you're eating and stop when your hunger is satisfied

Although home-prepared foods will usually win out nutritionally over fast foods, sometimes you're pushed for time or on the run and fast food is the most convenient option. So if you do choose fast food, it makes sense to be prepared and know which choices are better for you. The next few sections of this article will help you identify smarter choices.

McDonald's

McDonald's now have a range of food options that are better for you than their traditional burgers and fries. Choose items from their Lighter Choices range, as these have 10g fat or less. Some of their Tick-Approved Meals are also good choices. But beware of some of the items in their Deli Choices range.  For example, the Chicken Caesar roll has more calories than a Big Mac and nearly as much fat (Big Mac: 481 cals, 2010 kJ, 25.5g fat; Chicken Caesar, multigrain, 573 cals, 2390 kJ, 21.7g fat)

Make better choices by consulting the table below.

	Calories	Kilojoules	Fat
Better choices
These Tick-Approved Meals:
McNuggets (3pc), sweet chilli sauce, Garden Salad w chilli & lime dressing	232	971	9.2g
Hamburger, Garden Salad w chilli & lime dressing	278	1160	9.1g
Lean Beef Burger, Garden Salad w chilli & lime dressing	294	1230	8.3g
Herb Fusion Chicken Salad w chilli & lime dressing & Berrynice Yoghurt Crunch	356	1490	5.8g
"Lighter Choices" range:
Garden Salad, no dressing	19	80	0.2g
Herb Fusion Chicken salad, no dressing	102	428	1.3g
Lean Beef Burger	251	1050	8.1g
Deli Choices, Turkey and Cranberry Roll, multigrain bread	376	1570	6.8g
Deli Choices, Thai Chicken Roll, multigrain bread	388	1620	7.8g
Deli Choices, Chicken Tandoori Roll, multigrain bread	397	1660	9.4g
Not-so-good choices
Tick Approved Meal, McChicken, Garden Salad w chilli & lime dressing	459	1920	18.9g
Deli Choices, Bacon & Egg Roll, multigrain bread	522	2180	19.8g
Deli Choices, Sweet Chilli Chicken Roll, multigrain bread	589	2460	19.7g
Deli Choices, Chicken Caesar Roll, multigrain bread	573	2390	21.7g
Meal: Big Mac, small fries, small Coke	837	3497	39.2g

Hungry Jack's – Baguettes and Salads

Like McDonald's, Hungry Jack's have expanded their menu in recent times. As well as selling burgers and fries, they now have a range of baguettes on offer. The question is,  are these any better for you? Well, only one of their baguettes stacks up, and beware choosing the Country Chicken baguette. At 662 calories and with nearly 35g fat, it has more calories and almost as much fat as a Whopper (656 cals; 2744 kJ; 39.3g fat).

	Calories	Kilojoules	Fat
Better choices
Spicy Chicken Baguette	394	1645	8.2g
Not-so-good choices
Caesar Salad w chicken and dressing	425	1772	27.4g
Grilled Chicken Baguette	443	1850	16.9g
Veggie Supreme Baguette	538	2249	23.2g
Ocean Catch Baguette	568	2379	25.5g
Country Chicken	662	2764	34.6g
Meal: Whopper, small fries, small Coke	1042	4354	52.4g

Boris also points out the 'salad trap'. While salad can be a healthy choice (eg. Caesar Chicken Salad: 309 cals; 1296 kJ; 15g fat), when you start adding full-fat dressings the figures change dramatically - 425 cals; 1772 kJ; 27g fat. That's more fat than a Junior Whopper!

Subway – Fresh Fit 6" Subs, and Carb-Conscious items

Subway has established itself in the fast-food market as an alternative to the usual burger and fries. They offer eight types of rolls with 6g of fat or less, but you need to stick to their guidelines and avoid adding cheese, oil or mayonnaise.

Don't be fooled into thinking that all of Subway's products are low-fat. For instance, some of their 'Carb-Conscious' wraps - although low in carbohydrates - contain about as much fat as that Big Mac.

	Calories	Kilojoules	Fat
Better choices
Veggie Delite®	229	958	3.7g
Roast Beef	275	1150	4.7g
Turkey	278	1160	5.6g
Turkey & Ham	278	1160	5.1g
Subway Club®	289	1210	5.4g
Roasted Chicken	306	1280	5.1g
Ham	280	1170	4.7g
Sweet Onion Chicken Teriyaki	368	1540	5.4g
Carb Conscious Turkey Wrap	219	916	6.4g
Not-so-good choices
Carb Conscious Turkey & Bacon Melt Wrap, with chipotle sauce	443	1850	25g
Carb Conscious Chicken & Bacon Ranch Wrap, with cheese	452	1890	23g

Red Rooster

Red Rooster has introduced various skin-free chicken products to entice the health-conscious consumer. Many of these products are fairly high in calories, but have less than 10g of fat. They are, however, a better option than some of their rolls and wraps, which can have more fat than a quarter chicken and chips pack!

	Calories	Kilojoules	Fat
Better choices
Large Garden Salad, no dressing	25	104	0.1g
Roast Chicken Salad, no dressing	86	360	1.4g
Skinfree Grilled Chicken Salad, no dressing	92	387	0.9g
Split Grill Chicken Pieces	258	1080	7.2g
Skinfree Grilled Chicken Wrap	397	1665	7.3g
Not-so-good choices
Fish Wrap	430	1794	18.4g
Flayva Wrap	669	2797	41.7g
Strip Sub	786	3289	38.9g
Classic Quarter with wing and chips	895	3740	35.3g

Moral of the story

Whichever your favourite fast-food outlet is, there are bound to be good and not-so-good choices. Take care not to make assumptions about menu items. If you're skipping the burger to have a roll or salad, you might well be sacrificing your preferred choice for no benefit, weight-watching wise!

However, while some of these alternative choices may be no lower in calories than a burger, chances are you're still getting more nutrients, more fibre, and more vegetables than if you choose a greasy hamburger.

So be aware of what you're eating and check your Pocket Calorie, Fat & Carbohydrate Counter or our Food Database for nutritional information before ordering. You can also ask restaurant staff for nutritional information and food preparation details, and many companies list details on their website.

So the moral of the story is...don't give up on 'healthier' fast-food options, just choose wisely!

Related links :

• 2007 Pocket Calorie, Fat & Carbohydrate Counter
• CalorieKing.com.au Food Database

Last updated: December 20th, 2007