TRUCKING: Eating on the Go
The 411 on Fast Food
For people who spend a lot of time on the road, fast food can easily become a main course in their daily diet. While fast food is notoriously unhealthy and fattening, restaurants are gradually starting to add more healthy options to their menus, making it easier to choose healthy food without sacrificing time and money.
Many fast food options include a daily serving of fat, saturated fat, calories and sodium in a single meal. The popular and tasty Whopper Value Meal from Burger King — including small fries and a small Coke — has 57 grams of fat, nearly 1,300 calories and 1,560 milligrams of sodium! And it isn’t the worst offender!
As a steady diet, these types of fat-laden hamburgers and fries can lead to serious health problems. But just like everything else, moderation is the key.
Is it or Isn’t it healthy?
Even the ‘healthier’ options may not be what they seem. For example, a salad always sounds healthier than a burger and fries, but many ‘healthy’ salads offered by fast food chains are covered in cheese, high-calorie salad dressing, croutons and fried chicken. McDonald’s Premium Southwest Salad with Crispy Chicken — yum — contains 21 grams of fat, 450 calories and 820 milligrams of sodium! Delicious and filling, this salad with grilled chicken instead: 8 grams of fat, 290 calories and 650 mg of sodium! Smart choice!
Some of the most calorie and fat-laden meals come from fast food restaurants. The unhealthiest chicken meal by far is McDonald’s 5-piece Chicken Selects Premium Breast Strips with ranch sauce. It packs a whopping 55 grams of fat and 830 calories in just one serving…really bad news for those of us (me) who thought that eating fast food without a bun was a better option.
Think it might be safer to scrap the food and just get a beverage instead? Think again. Beverages can do just as much damage as those fried and cheese-covered delights. For instance, Burger King’s Oreo Sundae Milkshake contains 920 calories, 29 grams of fat and 18 grams of saturated fat. Don’t count on
your favorite diet soft drink to save you, either. No calories, no sugars and no carbs — what’s wrong with that? Your body has no idea how to metabolize the ‘mystery ingredients’ in that deliciously addictive, ice-cold thirst quencher; it’ll just inflame your digestive system until you stop for your next big gulp, then start again. Sorry.
It’s not all bad news. It is possible for consumers to make healthy fast food choices. Here are a few:
· Dunkin’ Donuts offers a ham, egg, and cheese English muffin sandwich with 500 calories and 15 grams of fat.
· Hardee’s BBQ Chicken Sandwich with a side of cole slaw is only 490 calories and 16 grams of fat.
· Pizza Hut’s Thin N’ Crispy Pizza with one meat topping has 360 calories and 12 grams of fat in two slices.
· When it comes to hamburgers, Wendy’s is one of the best choices with the Junior Hamburger Deluxe containing only 8 grams of fat, 230 calories and 3 grams of saturated fat.
Know Your Options
It takes some effort and a little education to eat healthy at fast food restaurants, but it can be done. Most restaurants now offer nutritional information through their websites or even on their food labels — though it would be wise to know your options before you’re starving and in a hurry.
It’s also worth noting that even the choices lower in calories and fat can still be over the top in sodium. This is another reason to eat fast foods as infrequently as possible; although stopping for fast food is quick, easy and cheap (though not as cheap as in times past), your long-term health will pay the price.
Planning your meals ahead can save a lot of time, money and calories, too. If you haven’t visited this website, take a look when you have time; it has, literally, everything you need to equip your truck to brew coffee, make your own meals and keep your drinks refrigerated. Check it out: RoadTrucker.
In the meantime, here’s a list of some popular fast food chains with links to the nutritional information on their menu items as well as links to their store locations. If you run the same route often, you probably already know where these are and have your favorites; this list is for the trail blazers out there!
· A&W: NUTRITION FACTS and LOCATIONS
· Arby’s: NUTRITION FACTS and LOCATIONS
· Blimpie: NUTRITION FACTS and LOCATIONS
· Burger King: NUTRITION FACTS and LOCATIONS
· Chick-Fil-A: NUTRITION FACTS and LOCATIONS
· Dairy Queen: NUTRITION FACTS and LOCATIONS. When in doubt, say yes to this:
· Dunkin’ Donuts: NUTRITION FACTS and LOCATIONS
· Five Guys: NUTRITION FACTS and LOCATIONS
· Hardee’s: NUTRITION FACTS and LOCATIONS. We all have our favorites: The Mushroom Swiss Burger is mine. Remember: moderation.
· In-N-Out Burger: NUTRITION FACTS and LOCATIONS
· Jack in the Box: NUTRITION FACTS and LOCATIONS
· KFC: NUTRITION FACTS and LOCATIONS [with coupons]
· Long John Silver’s: NUTRITION FACTS and LOCATIONS
· McDonald’s: NUTRITION FACTS and LOCATIONS
· Pizza Hut: NUTRITION FACTS and LOCATIONS
· Popeye’s: NUTRITION FACTS and LOCATIONS
· Sonic: NUTRITION FACTS and LOCATIONS
· Subway: NUTRITION FACTS and LOCATIONS. Another personal favorite: Classic Tuna.
· Taco Bell: NUTRITION FACTS and LOCATIONS
· Wendy’s: NUTRITION FACTS and LOCATIONS
· Zaxby’s: NUTRITION FACTS and LOCATIONS
If you’re curious about a restaurant not listed here, take a look at these links to find what you’re looking for [Fast Food Nutrition] and where the closest one is to you [Hours — Locations].
Good luck. Is it time for lunch?
Alkane thanks Samuel Barradas, writing for The Truckers Report, for the content of this article.
Alkane Truck Company is currently raising capital on the crowdfunding platform StartEngine. Find out more here: https://www.startengine.com/startup/alkane
