We all enjoy the opportunity to take it a bit easy and “grab” a quick meal from time to time. Or sometimes we just don’t get a choice. We are in the middle of getting from one place to another for appointments, or family commitments.
These factors, combined with our children’s wishes and a chance to relax a bit, often see us faced with the dilemma of satisfying our hunger, or maybe just going out to a dinner for an easy meal, and the requirement for a nutritious meal.
The challenge then, is to satisfy those demands with the knowledge of enjoying a “fast-food” meal that is a healthy choice… full of flavour and nutrition, and low in fat, sugars, and salt.
Dream on you say?
Ok…we also know the reputation that those multi-national fast food conglomerates have for providing meals that include so much fat and sugar that just one item may exceed your allowance for the entire day.
Top that up with a super size, a sugar filled soft drink and an ice cream and we can start to understand the modern concerns about obesity in society and particularly in our children.
Those concerns are not only real they ae often understated. Mega burgers with extra cheese, bacon and mayo, hamburger buns laced with sugar (such that they are not classified as bread, but as confectionery)….. fried chicken, pizzas with cheese on top of cheese with pastry stuffed with cheese, meat pies with a full 25% meat content (if you are lucky)…. And so it goes on and on and on.
I remember being at a baseball game at Wrigley Field in Chicago way back in 1994. The hot dog vendor came around and asked the guy in front of me if he wanted a “hut duuuuug….get ya hut duuuuug”. The guy in front pointed out that he does not eat meat. In an effort to help him with his decision, his friend called out from several seats to his right….”Go on, go ahead and have one….you won’t find any meat in those!” It’s a thought that has stuck with me ever since. Yikes!!!
Now if you are a sensible eater and healthy food is a priority, the odd fast food item or piece of pizza is not going to hurt you. However, if like over 45% of the population you consider your local fast food outlets as your second kitchen, it’s probably time to reassess your lifestyle and your health and watch what you are eating.
These days, some of the new fast-food restaurants either have salad bars, or offer some healthy alternatives. So you might be able to choose a fresh green salad as an extra ….but that does not mean it is OK to load it up with lots of fattening extras, such as cheeses and mayonnaise. Ask for the low calorie salad dressings and some simple seasonings, like salt and pepper, are often overlooked.
But better still…. there are some restaurants, that while considered to serve items normally confined to traditional unhealthy fast-food restaurants, actually have a menu full of only the healthiest items, with the best of nutritious ingredients.
Now if you think about it for a minute lets look at one of the world’s most popular meals…The almighty fast food meal….
What if a fast food restaurant served only healthy fresh bread rolls or pizza bases with no sugar or preservatives, but with added fibre?
What if a fast food restaurant served only low fat, fully trimmed, premium meat and chicken that was prepared fresh on the premises?
What if a fast food restaurant served only free range eggs?
What if a fast food restaurant used only fresh organic fruit and vegetables?
What if a fast food restaurant used low calorie dressings and sauces, freshly prepared without preservatives and additives?
Would your opinion of fast food and similar types of restaurants take on a different slant?
Combine these with some adult selections and some fine wines for moderate consumption when you can take a bit longer, and you have a new healthy alternative.
You would be enjoying an extra tasty meal that is healthy, instead of a fat and sugar laden meal that tastes the same as a wet newspaper…with similar texture!!
Well you probably see where this is going. I am not talking about abstinence from fast-food. I am talking about choices. How much is our own health worth? Or more importantly, how much is our children’s health worth?
Eating “on the run” is something that sometimes we just cannot avoid. However, we can make healthy choices instead of just keeping fast-food restaurants off-limits. healthy choices on the restaurant we go to and healthy choices from its menu.
And as the demand for a healthy alternative is increasing, so too will the number of similar healthy fast-food establishments. It’s up to you to source them near you, and be a truly responsible individual and parent.
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