Fast food has a reputation for being high in fat, salt and sugar, but this combination could be exactly what makes it so appealing.
It all comes down to evolution. Fatty foods were prized by our not-so-distant hunter-gatherer ancestors because the high concentration of calories in fat provided an important energy store – a potential life saver in times when food was scarce.
Our bodies have evolved to enjoy sugar too – it’s one of the first tastes that babies can detect. Sweetness indicates that foods, such as fruit, are ripe, ready and safe to eat. Salt is another taste hit – it regulates our water balance and exists naturally in many foods.
The trouble is that food manufacturers have isolated and concentrated our favourite tastes into a heady mix that makes fast food hard to resist. So hard, in fact, that recent research suggests eating fat and sugar-loaded foods could actually be addictive. Some studies show that fast food can activate pleasure centres in the brain in much the same way as addictive drugs.
Is fast food ever an option?
The Biggest Loser Club dietitian, Dr Clare Collins, says, “In a perfect world, fast food doesn’t have a place in a healthy diet. The fact is, though, we don’t live in a perfect world. By making the right choices most of the time, you can eat fast food and still get good results”.
Tom Sanders, director of Nutrition at King's College, London, agrees, saying that the occasional meal, perhaps just once a week, won’t do much harm as long as it’s factored into your weight loss program.
If you’ve been a bit of a fast food junkie, there’s no doubt that stepping inside a fast food outlet can be tempting fate. Dr Collins suggests having a healthy lunch or snack first. That way you can order a large diet drink or water and a side salad to help fill you up. Otherwise go for a sandwich without the extras or special sauces, she says.
“Generally speaking, it is definitely worth getting good at surviving close encounters with fast food outlets because ... people who keep lost weight off long-term rarely opt for fast foods or takeaways,” she says.
Making better choices
Here’s how you can make smarter fast-food choices:
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Research your facts. Many fast food restaurants have brochures and websites that list the nutritional information for their menus, and most appear in food search. Check before you go to see which foods are the lower calorie options.
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Count the calories. Try to choose a meal that provides fewer than 450 calories and 12 grams of fat or less.
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Downsize. If you don’t want to supersize your body, downsize your portions. Sanders says that the supersize quantities on offer in fast food outlets are “a major problem” and “particularly unhealthy” because they encourage you to eat more than what you need. Share a regular-sized meal and you’ll slash the calories you consume.
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Watch the salt. Fast food tends to be very high in sodium, a major contributor to high blood pressure. Don’t add salt to your meal.
Burgers
The best burgers are the undressed kinds, so leave out the fatty cheese, mayo and other add-ons and ask for mustard or tomato sauce on the side. This way you can add as much or as little as you like. If you have the option, ask for extra vegies, such as lettuce, tomatoes, onion and pickles.
Dr Collins says, “You can’t go too wrong if the food item you choose has a Heart Foundation Tick – these are always going to be better choices than non-tick items.”
Try a McDonalds Heart Foundation Tick Approved Meal, such as a hamburger with garden salad with Italian dressing and water (266 calories), instead of the McDonald's Quarter Pounder (545 calories), small fries (255 calories) and a small cola (101 calories), which add up to 901 calories.
Chicken
Go for roasted instead of fried chicken. Frying any food piles on the calories because the food absorbs the cooking oils. Fried chicken, such as a KFC Snack Box Original Recipe, comes in at 452 calories per serve, while lean, roasted chicken breast adds up to 243 calories for the same 160g.
Pizza and Italian
If Italian is your thing, opt for thin-crust, Italian-style pizza with just a little cheese instead of a thicker, cheese-stuffed crust, American-style pizza. Ask for lots of vegetable toppings.
If you choose pasta, leave-off the creamy sauces, cheeses and fatty meats and instead go for tomato-based sauces and simply dressed salads with balsamic vinegar or light dressing.
Also consider the Domino’s Good Choice Range. Meals such as the BBQ Chicken & Mushroom Ciabatta Pizza are very filling and can fit easily into your diet plan at 389 calories.
If you find it hard to stick to your resolve at the local pizza shop, try ordering online or via your mobile so you won't be persuaded by food aromas or staff asking if 'you'd like garlic bread with that'. For example, Domino’s has an iPhone application that allows you to order and track a pizza from your phone, which may help you stay in control when ordering.
Salads
They may sound virtuous but some salads can be high in calories and fat – a chicken Caesar salad can crank up around 400 calories because 1 tbsp Caesar salad dressing comes in at around 113 calories, while 1 tbsp mayonnaise can be anything from 50-150 calories. The best salad choices include lots of fresh vegies with little or no add-ons.
Drinks
Whenever you can, opt for water or a diet soft drink. You’ll cut the calories from a regular standard 375ml can of cola (171 calories) and 8 tsp sugar to 0 calories for water or a diet soft drink.
Remember the big picture
You don’t have to ban anything from your diet but if you want to be healthy in the long term you do need to achieve a balance. If you’re planning a meal that you think may be high in calories, cut the calories earlier in the day or the next day to make up for it, and increase your exercise to burn them off. Input everything into your online diary and check the nutritional information to help you stay on track.