Survive the Drive-Thru:
Your Fast Food Nutrition Guide

A Registered Dietitian Provides Her Fast Food Nutrition Guide

Fast Food
Nutrition Pages

McDonald's
Wendy's
Taco Bell
Subway
Burger King
Pizza Hut
Kentucky Fried Chicken
Arby's
Jack in the Box
Starbucks
I can already hear you through the internet waves...

...why in the world would a credible dietitian have intentionally provided a fast food nutrition guide on her website?!

It's not uncommon for my clients to show up at my door (or online) and expect to be told they are never "allowed" to eat particular foods again...fast food being near the top of the no-no list.

Yes, a healthy eating attitude is an important part of my approach as a Registered Dietitian. But clients are usually pleasantly to find out that I think fast food is acceptable...in moderation.

cartoon hamburger
Am I suggesting you eat McDonald's for breakfast and Taco Bell for lunch?

Of course not! I don't want to lose my license :-)

I'm simply acknowledging the fact that fast food is part of most people's lives, and I want to reveal how eating the occasional burger can be possible as part of a healthy eating plan.

And believe it or not, you can still lose weight even if fast food drive thrus are part of your regular route home.

My fast food nutrition guide...

...is presented through the eyes of a dietitian (Meet me). Instead of just providing you with charts and numbers and tables, I'll suggest what to choose. I'll even tell you what I'd choose.

(See the criteria I used.)

If you are trying to lose weight or have a health issue such as diabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, or are just trying to eat a bit healthier, you need to know what your best options are.

Now don't misunderstand me. I'm definitely not here to encourage you to grab Burger King for dinner tonight, but I want you to know how to pick "the best of the worst," just in case you find yourself there! After all, sometimes the people we're with want to stop at a fast food joint, even if we don't.

So I've done all the work for you...

...I've perused over 3,000 menu items from various fast food restaurants (and even did a little "personal research" on the Wendy's Frosty) to come up with a guide for choosing at each popular restaurant.

My fast food nutrition guide provides

  • 250-350 calorie meal suggestions
  • 400-500 calorie meal suggestions
  • 600-700 calorie meal suggestions
  • low fat options
  •  

    recipe!

       
      Home Made Spaghetti Sauce  
    Filename: j0296906.gifKeywords: cartoon chef cookingFile Size: 18 KB courtesy of
    Live Healthy Guide
      Easy. Healthy. Versatile.  
  • low carb options
  • high fiber suggestions
  • salt warnings
  • suggestions on what to absolutely avoid
  • guides to choosing the best salads, sides, sauces and dressings
  • my personal picks

Still looking for numbers? Here's a site that's offers a fast food nutrition guide to the calories, fat grams, sodium, etc., in various fast foods.

Now, did someone say...

..."Frosty?"

Your Personal Nutrition Guide home.