Fast Food Restaurants and Healthy Choices FD Essay

When choosing what kind of food establishment you want to go to, it is always a good idea to know the nutritional information for the food you want to eat. By knowing this information, you will be able to make a better decision towards choosing an establishment that serves healthier food keeping you in better shape. McDonald’s Calories McDonalds’ food tends to have higher calories than foods that you would find at an establishment such as Subway. The Big Mac burger from McDonalds’ for instance has 550 calories (http://www. mcdonalds. com/us/en/food/product_nutrition. sandwiches. 255. Big- Mac.html) and that is just the burger itself; that is not including any French Fries that come standard with the meal. The Premium McWrap Chicken & Bacon (Crispy) has a whopping 620 calories (http://www. mcdonalds. com/us/en/food/product_nutrition. chicken. 1063. Premium- McWrap-Chicken-Bacon-Crispy. html) and once again, this is not including any sides that you might want to get with your meal. Of their â€Å"Burgers and Sandwiches,† only 15 of 37 menu items have less than 400 calories and that is not including any sides. It is also noteworthy that many of their items also have high sodium content (http://www. mcdonalds. com/us/en/full_menu_explorer. html). Fast Food Restaurants and Healthy Choices 3 Subway’s Calories Subway’s food tends to have lower calories than that of McDonalds. The 6† BLT only has 320 calories (http://www. subway. com/nutrition/nutritionlist. aspx). A 6† Cold Cut Combo only has 360 calories (http://www. subway. com/nutrition/nutritionlist. aspx). Their highest calorie count sandwich, the Chicken & Bacon Ranch Melt (includes cheese), only has 570 calories (http://www. subway. com/nutrition/nutritionlist. aspx). Out of the 29 sandwiches listed in their nutritional information, 18 have less than 400 calories. That is 62% of the meals compared to 40% of McDonalds’ meals. It does have to be mentioned that not all of McDonalds’ meals were looked at due to trying to keep the total number of meals looked at close to the same. When you look at Subway, they also have 9 sandwiches of the 29 that are below 300 calories. Like McDonalds though, none of these items include any sides you might order with your sandwich. One should also pay attention to the items that make up their meal, such as meat, bread, greens, etc. Ingredients in Food Another key item that you want to look at when choosing your food is what makes the food. We are not talking specific ingredients such as this chemical and this dye; more we are speaking bread, meat, and other items like those. McDonalds’ Ingredients When you get food from McDonalds’, the ingredients that you get are frozen burger patties, frozen fries, and frozen chicken nuggets. You are not getting fresh food that has not been frozen. It is noteworthy however that their beef patties are not cooked until they arrive at the restaurant from which they are to be served (http://www. mcdonalds. com/us/en/food/food_quality/see_what_we_are_made_of/your_question Fast Food Restaurants and Healthy Choices 4 s_answered/meats. html). McDonalds’ also does not cook their food at the time of delivery, one look behind the counter and you can see that they store cooked food in bins until the food is put on a bun. French fries are also left under heat lamps until they are packed into the containers that hold them and put with your meal. The same practice goes with chicken nuggets. While this may not have a lot to do with your food being healthy, it does have to do with your food being fresh. Who doesn’t want their food cooked for them when they order and not sitting under heat lamps for who knows how long before you get the food? Subway’s Ingredients When it comes to the ingredients at Subway, everything is right there in your face. The deli sliced meat is sitting in refrigerated bins waiting to go on your sandwich. The bread is fresh made, which you can see behind the counter, and in ovens until your sandwich is made. Any ingredients such as chicken that might go onto your sandwich is stored in a refrigerated container until it is cooked and immediately put on your sandwich. No hot ingredients, except for the bread rolls, are cooked until you order the food. All produce that might go onto your sandwich is also stored in metal refrigerated containers until you order your sandwich. Like McDonalds, this may not necessarily mean healthier food, but it does give you the ability to see what exactly is going on the sandwich that you order. Seeing the quality of what you are eating before it is put on your meal helps lend a little credibility to the good itself. Choices of Food Items When it comes to your food, it is important that you are able to make your meal healthier if you would like to. Replacing certain ingredients can be a good way to make your food healthier for you. McDonalds’ doesn’t have a lot of options to make your food healthier whereas Subway does. Even reducing 100 calories for a meal is good towards a healthier lifestyle. Fast Food Restaurants and Healthy Choices 5 McDonalds’ Choices When you go to McDonalds, you do not have a lot of options when it comes to making your food healthier. While you can order apple slices to replace your French fries, you cannot change the bun that your food comes on to make it healthier. You cannot just go to McDonalds and have spinach put on your burger to replace the iceberg lettuce that comes stock on your burger. Subways’ Choices When you order food from Subway, there are quite a few ways to make your meal healthier. First off, you can have spinach put on your sandwich instead of the iceberg lettuce that would normally be on your sandwich. You can also choose healthier rolls for your sandwich, such as wheat or whole grain. You can also choose healthy fruits and vegetables to go on your sandwich such as tomatoes, bell peppers, pickles, onions, and many others. This gives you the option of making your meal extremely healthy. If you really want to, you can even have a sandwich that is completely fruits and vegetables on a healthy role, making you an extremely healthy meal. You can easily avoid any sauces such as sweet onion sauce or teriyaki sauce to avoid those extra calories. Conclusion In today’s society, fast food restaurants are becoming more popular; and sadly obesity is also becoming much more prevalent. People are in such a rush that fast food is a great option for them because they don’t have a lot of time. What most people need to recognize is that there are healthier options when it comes to fast food, such as Subway over McDonalds. All you have to do is look at http://www. subway. com/Menu/MealBuilder/MealBuilder. aspx to see it right in your face. Fast food does not have to be the unhealthy choice that it has become, there are options out Fast Food Restaurants and Healthy Choices 6 there and all you have to do is look for them. References Retrieved from http://www. mcdonalds. com/us/en/home. html Retrieved from http://www. subway. com/subwayroot/default. aspx Fast Food Restaurants and Healthy Choices 7.