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Fast Food: The Top 10 Best Meals!
by Kim Droze
eDiets Managing Editor
There’s nothing wrong with living life in the fast lane... not even when your eating habits include a car, a drive-thru and a fast-paced work schedule.
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Over the years, fast food restaurants have become the scapegoat for the obesity epidemic. But the condemnation is no longer limited to just criticism from health experts and government officials.
No, overweight men and women have gone so far as to file class-action lawsuits against major food chains. The charge: fast food has made them fat!
But chew on this. There are nutritional experts who say you can eat fast food and still lose weight. In fact, they see fast food purveyors as convenient outlets for meals on the go. While no one would tell you to eat fast food every meal, every day, there are those who say a once-in-a-while pit stop can remain part of your healthy diet.... if you make the right choices.
Zone founder Barry Sears is one of the individuals who looks on the light side when it comes to burger-and-fry joints. The renowned weight loss expert says fast food restaurants merely perpetuate the eating ideals that have been touted by society for decades.
“Fast food made people fatter for two reasons,” Sears says. “Fast food restaurants make money selling extra carbs, which is why they love giving you supersized meals for a dollar more. Because people are eating more carbs, they’re hungrier after eating fast food. If you’re hungry, you’re going to consume more calories. The more you eat, the fatter you become.
“Fast food restaurants have been singled out as the ultimate villain. But in reality, it goes throughout the entire food structure that focuses on having you eat more carbs.”
When healthy choices are made, fast food restaurants can be the answer to your dieting prayers. You can grab a quick, well-balanced meal when you have no time to spare. As Dr. Sears points out, it’s important to eat frequent, small meals to stay hormonally balanced -- it's one of the principles behind the Zone diet .
The secret to eating in the Zone: You need to eat significant amounts of fruits and vegetables at the same time. Balance out with an adequate amount of protein and you have the guidelines for lifelong weight control, Sears says.
It's the starches and unfavorable carbs that send your blood sugar on a roller coaster. Foods like rice, potatoes, cereal and foods made with white flour and sugar can have adverse effects on the body.
It's a one-two poor diet punch. Not only do the extra calories make you fat, but the excess carbohydrate also elevate insulin which in turn store the carbs as fat. In response to this, the Zone calls for a balance of protein, fat and favorable carbs.
Picture an empty plate. Now, divide it into thirds. One third will be covered with low-fat protein (enough chicken, lean ground beef or shrimp to fit in the palm of your hand without being thicker than your hand) and two-thirds fruit and vegetables (broccoli, tomatoes, green beans, apples, strawberries, etc.). Round off your meal with a dash of heart-healthy monounsaturated fat, such as olive oil, slivered almonds or guacamole.
There will be times when you can’t follow the eating regimen to the letter. But you can get pretty darn close at most restaurants. Many fast food joints adhere to portion size when it comes to meat and poultry. So a regular burger or chicken breast is the ideal amount of protein for your meal.
Now that you know the science, check out the better choices:
Subway: Enjoy the sandwich of your choice. However, remove half the bread. You have plenty of low-fat protein to choose from at Subway.
Taco Bell: Consume two chicken soft tacos. If you can get corn tortillas, even better.
McDonald’s: Order a McDonald’s McGrill sandwich and a salad. Put the chicken breast on the salad and eat 1/4 of the bun (think of it as a giant crouton). Or you can opt for a hamburger patty and a salad. For breakfast, try an Egg McMuffin plus one order of scrambled eggs.
Dunkin' Donuts: 2 Egg and Cheese Sandwiches with the top half bun removed from one of the sandwiches.
Wendy’s: A bowl of chili with grated cheese on top and two saltine crackers makes a perfect Zone meal. Or try the Taco Supreme Salad, light on the taco chips.
Burger King: BK broiler with half the roll removed and no mayo.
KFC: 3/4 of a single chicken breast without skin, 1 serving of green beans and 1 serving of BBQ baked beans.
Dairy Queen: Get a Dairy Queen hamburger. Throw away the entire bun. Have half a small Dairy Queen soft serve ice cream.
Italian: Enjoy a grilled chicken or fish entrée. Replace the pasta with grilled vegetables.
Chinese: Avoid the rice. Get extra vegetables with a low-fat protein dish. Chicken and shrimp are great options.
And perhaps the best fast food choice around: the salad bar. A supermarket salad bar is the ultimate fast food restaurant, according to Dr. Sears. You can load up on fruits and veggies at the salad bar. Since you’re just a few steps away from the deli, top your salad with low-fat proteins like ham or turkey.
It doesn’t matter whether you’re following the Zone in your own kitchen or in a restaurant. eDiets is simplifying an already easy process by offering personalized meal plans. With weekly menus, shopping lists, 24/7 support and more, we’ll help you meet all your dieting needs.
“Even though the rules to the Zone are very simple, an online dietary program helps generate new meals and tells you exactly what to buy," Sears says. "This will always be a great aspect. People only have to eat the foods they like to eat.
"That’s the power of eDiets. People are given an unlimited number of meals and options so they don’t have to think any harder as to what they eat.
To get your copy of Dr. Sears' book, A Week In The Zone, click here.
We keep you informed of the best choices and best foods. To get started with the eDiets-personalized Zone plan, click here and fill out a free diet profile.
The eDiets weight loss program will always help you make the smartest choices. Visit eDiets and fill out a free diet profile.
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