Best Choices in Fast Food

Fast Food…if you gotta have it, have these!

The Center for Science in the Public Interest has just released a new report on the best and worst fast foods. If you find yourself traveling to a lot of pool meets this winter and need to eat on the run here are their top five choices:

1. Subway’s seven low-fat subs. Calories: a 6 inch low-fat sub ranges from 200 to 300 calories including lettuce, tomatoes, onions, preen peppers, olives and pickles. The seven choices include roasted chicken breast, sliced ham, roast beef, Subway club, turkey breast, turkey breast and ham, and the veggie delight.

2. Burger King Chicken Whopper Jr. Calories: 350. Make sure it’s a junior. A regular Chicken Whopper increases the calories to 580. The junior Whopper is actually a regular size sandwich.

3. Wendy’s Mandarin Chicken Salad. Calories: 420. Leave off the Oriental sesame dressing to lower the calorie content even more.

4. McDonald’s Fruit ‘n Yogurt Parfait. Calories: 380 with granola, 280 without granola. You’ll get plenty of nutrients in this low far vanilla yogurt and berry treat and only 2 grams of fat.

5. Burger King Veggie Burger. Calories: 330. The BK Veggie Burger is the first meatless sandwich made of vegetables and grains in the fast food market. It has only 2 grams of fat and if you hold the mayo you’ll eliminate even more fat and calories.

This month's article is a two-part nutrition information piece by Jani Sutherland, Co-Fitness Chair of the Oregon LMSC, and member of the USMS Fitness Committee. This article is from the February issue of the Aqua-Master, official newsletter of the Oregon LMSC, and it is reprinted with permission from the author.