Bad news for people living in a fantasy world where a 780 calorie bowl from a well-known fast food establishment whose website slogan boasts, “To vegetables grown in healthy soil, and pork
from pigs allowed to freely root and roam outdoors or in deeply bedded barns.”
Hummm, this is considered a reasonable option for lunch, right? A California Cobb Salad with Crispy Chicken and ranch dressing salad from a well-known establishment is a total of 670 calories and 53 grams of fat.
Just because it’s not McDonald’s, doesn’t mean it’s healthy. There really is no such thing as healthy fast food.
Researchers did a study comparing the menus of 34 fast food restaurants and 28 fast casual restaurants. They found that, on average, entrees at fast casual restaurants, like Chipotle and Panera, had more calories than entrees from fast food restaurants like Burger King and McDonald’s. The study was only comparing calorie counts and didn’t take any nutritional information into account. They also didn’t take into consideration the fact that you might only eat a burrito from Chipotle, but you would maybe get a burger and fries from McDonald’s, tacking on another couple hundred calories.
Still, the findings are a helpful reminder for those of us who perceive fast casual dining spots as a healthy option, that they leave something to be desired. Or rather, they don’t — the average calorie count for an entree at a fast casual restaurant was 760. They also had more entrees with more than 640 calories, which means a meal from one of those places makes it pretty easy to eat more than your daily caloric needs.
People and clients ask me all the time for the best choice in “Fast Food” restaurants. There are even hundreds of new apps that will help you count your calories, your fat or make so-called better choices. Who are they kidding? That is a lie and gimmick!
Frankly, your best bet is just to make your own food or say you’re going to make that Chipotle burrito last for two meals, and actually do it for once, a simple, but frustratingly impossible, task.
There just aren’t any short cuts to eating well or taking on a healthy lifestyle by way of a “good diet”. Yes, it takes planning, shopping and preparing with a conscious mind. It takes time and even practice to get it right. But for the many who can’t seem to get it right, there are many local area services that are happy to do all the prepping of meals for you. They can create the meal plans, count the calories or just hand deliver your meals to you weekly, fresh out of the kitchen, leaving you nothing to do but open the fridge and choose your next container. Meals can range from as low as $5.00 a meal and go up from there based on food selections. Let’s be honest, two burger meals from Whataburger costs $14.95 and a dinner for two at Cheesecake Factory, upwards of $54.00+ dollars, so let’s not talk about affordability.
If you know you have choices to create a healthier lifestyle, stop making excuses why you can’t get to a gym, why you can’t eat better or prepare meals. If you don’t pay attention to your health while you can, eventually your health will force you to pay attention when you no longer have a choice. Have you seen the cost of a 1-day hospital stay lately?
For more information on Meal Prepping Services contact CoachingInTheKitchen at Info@JadeGoldFitness.com for meal planning, delivery, menu options or FREE consultation.