When is it healthy to eat fast food?
Rarely. Typically, fast food is low in nutrition and high in trans fat, saturated fat, sodium, and calories.
Making healthier choices at fast food restaurants is easier if you prepare ahead by checking guides that show you the nutritional content of meal choices at your favorite restaurants. Free downloadable guides help you evaluate your options. If you have a special dietary concern, such as diabetes, heart health or weight loss, the websites of national non-profits provide useful advice. You can also choose to patronize restaurants that focus on natural, high quality food.
If you don’t prepare ahead of time, common sense guidelines help to make your meal healthier. For example, a seemingly healthy salad can be a diet minefield when smothered in high-fat dressing and fried toppings, so choose a salad with fresh veggies, grilled toppings and a lighter dressing. Portion control is also important, as many fast food restaurants serve enough food for several meals in the guise of a single serving.
Tips for making healthy choices at fast food restaurants
Make careful menu selections – pay attention to the descriptions on the menu. Dishes labeled deep-fried, pan-fried, basted, batter-dipped, breaded, creamy, crispy, scalloped, Alfredo, au gratin or in cream sauce are usually high in calories, unhealthy fats or sodium. Order items with more vegetables and choose leaner meats.
Drink water with your meal. Soda is a huge source of hidden calories. One 32-oz Big Gulp with regular cola packs about 425 calories, so one Big Gulp can quickly gulp up a big portion of your daily calorie intake. Try adding a little lemon to your water or ordering unsweetened iced tea.
“Undress” your food. When choosing items, be aware of calorie- and fat-packed salad dressings, spreads, cheese, sour cream, etc. For example, ask for a grilled chicken sandwich without the mayonnaise. You can ask for a packet of ketchup or mustard and add it yourself, controlling how much you put on your sandwich.
Special order. Many menu items would be healthy if it weren't for the way they were prepared. Ask for your vegetables and main dishes to be served without the sauces. Ask for olive oil and vinegar for your salads or order the dressing "on the side" and spoon only a small amount on at a time. If your food is fried or cooked in oil or butter, ask to have it broiled or steamed.
Eat mindfully. Pay attention to what you eat and savor each bite. Chew your food more thoroughly and avoid eating on the run. Being mindful also means stopping before you are full. It takes time for our bodies to register that we have eaten. Mindful eating relaxes you, so you digest better, and makes you feel more satisfied.
Avoid Supersized portions - An average fast food meal can run to 1000 calories or more, so choose a smaller portion size, order a side salad instead of fries, and don't supersize anything. At a typical restaurant, a single serving provides enough for two meals. Take half home or divide the portion with a dining partner.
Avoid Salt. Fast food restaurant food tends to be very high in sodium, a major contributor to high blood pressure. Don’t add insult to injury by adding more salt.
Avoid Bacon. It’s always tempting to add bacon to sandwiches and salads for extra flavor, but bacon has very few nutrients and is high in fat and calories. Instead, try ordering extra pickles, onions, lettuce, tomatoes or mustard to add flavor without the fat.
Avoid Buffets – even seemingly healthy ones like salad bars. You'll likely overeat to get your money's worth. If you do choose buffet dining, opt for fresh fruits, salads with olive oil & vinegar or low-fat dressings, broiled entrees and steamed vegetables. Resist the temptation to go for seconds, or wait at least 20 minutes after eating to make sure you're really still hungry before going back for more.
These types of fats are called polyunsaturated fats. One popular form of polyunsaturated fats is found in cooking oil such as olive oil.
Pumpkin is a gourd-like squash of the genus Cucurbita and the family Cucurbitaceae which is incredibly rich in vital anti-oxidants and vitamins. This humble backyard vegetable is very low in calories yet good source of vitamin A .
Triglycerides are the scientific name for the chemical formulation of animal and vegetable fats. A triglyceride consists of three molecules of fatty acid combined with a molecule of the alcohol glycerol. Some triglycerides circulate through our blood after eating a meal, providing fuel to our muscles. Excess triglycerides are stored in our adipose (fat) tissue. Triglycerides are commonly found in food high in calories and in alcohol. They enter the body not only through the fats we consume, but are also present in carbohydrates. The body naturally converts many carbohydrates into triglycerides. High triglyceride levels are associated with heart disease but are not considered to be a leading causal factor. However, excess levels of triglycerides are directly linked to obesity, diabetes and to pancreatitis.
Bread is made out of flour that comes from grain kernels — usually wheat. A grain kernel has three parts: the bran, the endosperm, and the germ (so called because it's the part of the kernel that germinates into a new plant).
When is it healthy to eat fast food?
Beets or beetroots, as they are called, belong to the Chenopodiaceous family. Health benefits of beet roots can be attributed to their richness in nutrients, vitamins and minerals. They are a source of carotenoids and lutein/zeaxanthin. Beets are also rich in dietary fiber, vitamin C, magnesium, iron, copper and phosphorus. Beet is a source of beneficial flavonoids called anthycyanins. They are very low in calories but have the highest sugar content of all vegetables. It is also used to make refined sugar.
The brown pear and appleshaped fruits are subglobose or pyriform and crowned by foliaceous sepals (drupes 5). The fruit ranges in diameter from 1.5 to 3 cm and weight from very small (about 10 g) to big (more than 80 g). The plant is native in Europe and Asia. Its fruit is well known for its nutritive value especially by the people of Southeastern Europe, Turkey and Iran . The pomelike fruit originates from the inferior ovary, generally with five stony seeds. The skin color is brown, sometimes tinged reddish. The harvest of fruit bletted on the plant in late autumn or the harvest of fruits at physiological ripening and their storage in straw until over-ripening are well known traditions. The medlar is a typical climacteric fruit which has gained value in human consumption and commercial importance in recent years, attracting researches to study its chemical or nutritional compositions . Medlar fruit is widely consumed in some countries such as Turkey a unique place where the people grow the wild and alternative cultivars for the consumption of the fruits in different ways. A long list of recipes utilizing medlar fruits such as in jams and jellies are well known . The astringency of the fruit is well known and it has been reported that bletted pulp or syrup of the fruit is a popular remedy against enteritis and has many human healing properties . 
Yogurt drinks are known and consumed all over the world. Being rich in potassium, calcium, protein and B vitamins, including B-12, they help stabilize the immune system, digest lactose and dairy products, and are a good source of iodine. Yogurt drinks have uses for a variety of gastrointestinal conditions, and in preventing antibiotic-associated diarrhea.They also promotes good gum health because of the pro-biotic effect of lactic acids present in them. Calcium, which is found in dairy products, needs to enter the body in an acid matrix or your body will not absorb it. So the lactic acid of yogurt, as a part of yogurt drink, is a perfect medium to maximize calcium absorption. Eight ounces of yogurt will equal 400 mg of calcium, 25% more calcium than you would get out of a glass of milk. Another benefit is helping banish the belly. The same calcium stops the production of the hormone cortisol, which increases your stomach fat. So, if you want to look and be fitter then several tubs of fat-free yogurt drink a day can help you a lot.
