If you have met with one of the dietitians at Lexington Surgery, you know we discourage eating frequent fast foods. So often fast food has become the choice for busy folks looking for a mid-day meal or a quick family meal alternative. Why are fast foods not the best option?
- They are very high in calories .An average burger, french fry and regular soda is approximately 1000 calories. If you add cheese, bacon, mayo or super-size your order, you can be up to 1500-1800 calories in ONE meal. That is a whole day’s calorie intake for most people.
- They are high in fat and sodium. Fifty percent of the calories from a fried chicken meal is from fat! The sodium can well exceed the American Heart Association’s recommendation for sodium. The American Heart Association recommends no more than 2300 mg sodium/day (one teaspoon of salt) and an ideal limit of 1500mg sodium for most adults. A personal pan meat lovers 9” pizza from Pizza Hut has 3670 mg of sodium!!
- They are low in fiber. Very few fast food meals contain fresh fruit, fresh vegetables or whole grain foods. Salads are often on the menu but take a look at the calories and fat content of the salad and dressing.
Our frequent suggestion is to pack your own meal in a lunchbox or cooler with leftovers or meal prep of lean protein, fresh or cooked vegetables, fresh fruit and whole grains. Of course, this takes planning and meal prepping to have healthy alternatives. Our dietitians can help you plan to avoid the high calorie, high fat and sodium and low fiber fast foods.