It’s common sense not to eat a lot of hamburgers, pizza, fries, and other fast food items if you’re on a serious diet. Some take the route of eating none, and some take the route of only on certain days. But what about the foods you think are healthy? Some of them may not actually be as healthy and good for your diet plan as you think.
First is the Chicken Caesar salad or for that matter a salad you may find at McDonalds or another fast food chain. The average chicken Caesar salad has 900 calories, 60g of which come from fat. And the average fast food chain salad is low on nutrition and high in fat, especially when you add the dressing. Instead try grilled chicken(instead of fried chicken, etc)on a bed of a variety of greens such as cucumbers, romaine lettuce, etc. It will be packed with significantly more vitamins and nutrients and less fat.
Second is the bran muffin. You think it’s healthy, because it has bran, whole grain, etc. In reality, it has 420 calories, 20g of which come from fat. Instead, try ham, egg, and cheese on an English muffin. I realize it sounds counter-intuitive. But this sandwich has 300 calories and only 12g of fat. It may surprise you, but it is true.
Third is the chicken wrap. It seems like a lot of these are centered around chicken I realize. But it is the most commonly misconceptualized meat, because people think of chicken, no matter how it is prepared, as the healthy and low fat meat. Your average chicken wrap has 700 calories with 35g of fat. I am not saying stay away from chicken all together. In fact, instead of your chicken wrap, try a grilled chicken sandwich. Again, the grilling process has less fat, less excess calories, more basic chicken, while not sacrificing so much taste. A grilled chicken sandwich has 375 calories with only 15g of fat, less than half of what a chicken wrap has.
This one may really surprise you. Stay away from the turkey burger. Everybody thinks of this as a healthier alternative to their fast food burger. But in fact, it has 850 calories with 50g of fat.l Wow….and this may really surprise you. Instead, you should try a 7oz sirloin steak. Whoever thought steak would be the alternative. But a 7oz sirloin steak only has 350 calories with only 20g of fat. It will also keep you more full for a longer period of time, therefore helping you to eat less calories throughout the day.
Finally, the fruit smoothie. I like fruit smoothies, some TV stars like fruit smoothies, and some chains like Jamba juice actually advertise use of fruit smoothies as a way to lose weight. The average fruit smoothie actually has less fruit and more sugar than you would think. It often has 600 calories, 120g of which come strait from sugars(and I don’t mean sugars from fruits). So try a 100% fruit smoothie you make at home instead. You know what is going into that, and should you use only fruit, it will average 350 calories with only 75g of sugar, much healthier.
The food industry has introduced quite a few foods as “healthy.” But as we’ve learned time and time again, you can’t always trust the media. As you can see above, you definitely shouldn’t trust advertising when you choose what food to eat. Most people choose to eat fast food based on advertising. But those who are trying to be healthier can also be misled.