How many times have you forsaken the healthy salad, maybe because you're, frankly, sick and tired of salad, or because you're just unable to put yourself through the stress and strain of putting together the meal your family deserves because you've either been at work all day, piled overwhelmingly with paperwork, or because you've been cooped up with seemingly endless homemaking, whether it's cleaning up your kids' messes, or doing the necessary chores here and there. Well, whatever your reason may be, your bound to feel even a little twinge of guilt on your conscience, because your family deserves the best, and you can't believe you've gotten so busy that you can't even manage to care for them in the way that you'd like. Well, please don't beat yourself up about it so much; the fact that you're working your fingers to the bone to get them the best possible life is sacrifice enough. It's time that you'd been handed a break! I'm here to let you know that junk food can actually be HEALTHY! Fitnessmagazine.com has made note of the following options: Premium Caesar Salad with Grilled Chicken and low-fat balsamic vinaigrette plus Fruit 'n Yogurt Parfait; 375 calories, 9.5g fat (4g saturated) at McDonalds Fresco Chicken Soft Taco plus Pintos 'n' Cheese; 330 calories, 10.5g fat (4g saturated) at Taco Bell 6" Subway Club on 9-Grain Wheat Bread with lettuce, tomatoes, onions, green peppers, cucumbers, and Sweet Onion Sauce plus Apple slices; 445 calories, 4.5g fat (1.5g saturated) at your local Subway and even Chicken & Hummus Bistro Box (hummus, grilled chicken, grape tomatoes, cucumber, and pita bread) plus a banana; 380 calories, 7g fat (1.2g saturated) at Starbucks! Yeah man, there are options out there, and I wanna know if you guys are aware of this, or if you're gonna check 'em out!
Nope nope nope nope. Not healthy. Everyone has the wrong idea of what healthy even means and this doesn't cut it. Most people don't even know HOW to eat healthy either.. hence the idea that salads are all healthy people eat lol. You can absolutely make sinfully delicious foods from whole foods. But you can't make healthy foods from junk. And the idea that junk can be healthiER than other junk.... I guess.... maybe you'll just get a little diabetes? Just a small heart attack? That should be ok lol. And before everyone gets sick from their food they think they're immune. They think they've never been sick a day in their lives or they're not fat etc etc. Then bam.. you're wishing you treated yourself better. Healthy is not less calories! But fast food places know most people aren't educated on the matter.. which is why you can see the most unhealthy things in the ingredients list, but as long as the calories are low, people swarm to it in droves thinking they're doing the right thing.
I would say these places offer healthy options but are not healthy as a general rule. Often they are smaller portions and calories are not an indication of quality of food, it appeals to those who are on diets so they will still frequent the place. Subway is different, as you can choose your own sub, but the meats may not be as high in protein. As a vegetarian I don't know, but they seem to be processed. Healthy food is not only calories, but is a balance of fat, protein and carbohydrates.
This is still useful information to have. Lets face it, despite many of us all trying to eat healthier, there are times when we will still rely on fast food from time to time - and it's good to know some better options at many of these common fast food joints. If a person is travelling on a long road trip, they may have to settle for whatever restaurants are at a given rest stop - with McDonald's and Starbucks being fairly common. Yes, we know those hamburger patties are more processes, the buns have more preservatives, etc... But if it comes down to ordering a menu item that is below 400 calories and 10 grams of fat vs getting something that's over 1000 calories and 40 grams of fat, why not be informed of the healthier option? You're not going to gain 100 lbs and develop diabetes and have a heart attack from eating at places like McDonald's once or twice a month. I've even seen on sites such as eDiets.com where they would list what your best options are if you have to eat at fast food joints - a Quarter Pounder with no cheese, a small fry and a diet soda was one of the lunch recommendations. It still stayed within the daily calorie and other nutritional requirements of their plans. Another one I would add to this list: Mr Hero makes a grilled chicken philly sandwich, which is only 9 grams of fat. I don't really the calorie count on it, but it can't possibly be that high.
No prob! re: the informative post. Thanks! As for McDonald's, I was pretty surprised myself, but as regards the apple slices that never go brown, I can definitely understand your suspicion, but it's more than possible that they've used fresh apples each time, and that they maybe sprinkled a bit of lime juice or some natural preservative to help keep it from "browning up" and not looking as nice and presentable as the fresh apple slices you're used to. If this isn't it, and you're really curious, then please don't be afraid to pose the question as to "How they care their apples", maybe to the Manager, who would probably have a greater, firsthand knowledge of this.
I appreciate the post JosieP, but I honestly don't think that the persons who made this list were suggesting that we make these meal options at popular fastfood restaurants the staples of our diet. The aim of the article was merely to provide healthier options than the typical "fries, burgers" and over-salted food that has formed the bulk of our fast-food consumption. Yes, a lower-caloric intake doesn't necessarily mean that you are eating a healthier diet of food, but , when you are, say, unable to cook a meal after a long, hard day of work, then this list provides options that, in these last-resort situations, you are able to make use of.
Thanks so much for your insight! I appreciate your response very much! I do believe that the danger with a lot of these options is the fact that some are processed as you mentioned, but it's our duty as consumers to know what it is that our body feels when we eat these foods. Each body reacts differently, and there are even some "healthy" organic options that might not necessarily agree with each person. The title, "Junk Food Can Be Healthy" has the operative word, "can" in it, to imply and demonstrate that the term "healthy", when used in this context, may lend itself to relativity, based on the specific needs of one person's diet, as opposed to another. No offense intended.
I like to try and maintain a healthy body weight and being mindful of your caloric intake each day is a good start. That way you can monitor how you are doing and eventually it becomes second nature. I've often found myself stuck with the best option being a McDonalds or Subway, and it is tempting to over eat. I do think that "fat" has been given a bad reputation though. It is essential that a healthy diet includes fats, and often reduced fat is just replaced with extra sugar. High blood sugar is what often leads to stimulating appetite and can cause people to over eat or become tried when their blood sugar crashes.
The title of this post is a bit misleading. it should probably say that fast food can be healthy...these aren't necessarily healthy but the portion sizes are correct. you'd be much better off making the same meals at home--you'd avoid a lot of the random preservatives, additives, and artificial flavors. However, sometimes fastfood is the only thing around and you need to get it in a pinch. In that case, yes, these are 'healthier' choices than the run of the mill bacon cheeseburger and onion rings but that isn't saying too much.
I understand all that and that's usually the response I get.. but my problem is with the word healthy or healthier and those reading it that don't have the first clue what that actually means and believes these companies are doing them a favour, so eat it more often or go to the grocery store instead and buy something similar that is also not healthy. They will buy it often.. it's not just from fast food joints. So everyone can play the moderation card all they want with this one.. it's irresponsible to call this healthy food. For those who do it once in a while and eat healthy otherwise, go for it.. but these are the small things that lead to a very large, inaccurate picture that is totally contributing to the obesity crisis and the revolting number of deaths directly related to the western diet. Your title to this thread says it all. Just my two cents of course.
This was a great post! I love going to Subway and I always opt for the wheat bread with other ingredients. I get so many debates from friends who say wheat bread is just as bad as white bread. Sighs, whatever. I always find myself reading one health expert article disputing another health expert's advice on what to put into our bodies. For McDonalds, I usually get a fish sandwich with no cheese and the Fruit N Yogurt Parfait. This is SO delicious together. I have this when I don't bring my lunch to work.
