Fast Food Diet
I caught a commercial sometime this weekend with Taco Bell lightly pushing the idea of eating light and making it a diet with some selection from their menu. Not only is it something light, like their fresco menu, but specifically they are pushing it as a drive through and diet concept. Apparently, just as Jared has done for Subway in the past, they have some lady who has lost fifty pounds and is the face of the ad-campaign. That being said, I am a bit skeptical of the diet, as I am of several others with the possible exception of Subway. After all, McDonald’s of all places promotes some version of adult happy meals as being light fair and even box it with a pedometer. Some timely ads on their part and some timely advice on my part given the goals some of you have probably set.
Lets evaluate a bit and let me give my thoughts on the three with which I am most familiar. I will start with McDonald’s – though I admit to not being completely sure of what is in their adult happy meal, I am just not buying it. After all this is the greasy coming off a gril king of fast food place with a side of extra salty and extra greasy fries. Good for a quick meal if you have to and certainly makes some folks very happy with the same food no matter where in the country you are. Of course we know that I really have a chip on my shoulder with McDonald’s raised and packed where ever and sometimes even prepared somewhere else prior to being shipped by truck all over the country to you local McDonald’s. All of that movement and just the nature of food in general is a strike against healthy your self in my book. Add the extra processing and it is two strikes. Three and they are out is the horrible things that happen with the environment with all that shipping – which it some ways still effects your body and health if you believe the obvious regarding that.
Clearly one step is Taco Bell and their new campaign. They still have the two strikes about food being prepped and purchased elsewhere and similar being shipped all across the country. I do think the very limited amount of things that go on a lot of their foods get them a slightly better nudge then McDonalds fried and fried. They do have bit more in regards to fresh topping and such. But you have to be really careful as they do have a lot of sauces and such that are calorie and carb laden – which is probably rough when trying to loose weight. Given that though, some careful choosing and you can keep the carbs and calories in the lower end of the numbers, especially if you stick with just the taco and hot sauce – as those are pretty light in all regards. Do keep in mind, if you actually check on Taco Bell’s website they basically this and even point out the fresco items are only slight less in calories and carbs and not truly a low calorie diet menu in the strictest of senses. Kudos to them though for having a menu with flavor enough that one can easily leave off the heavy sauces and sour cream toppings. The price tag of putting a fairly filling lunch or even dinner into myself for between $2.00 and $3.00 bucks (less soda of course, which I rarely if ever have) is a good option.
Moving on to the the last one is Subway. Very good light fresh menu with lots of vegetable options. If one pays attention can go low carb (salads and the wraps come to mind) and with a careful selection of toppings like mostly vegetables with vinegar and typical yellow mustards you can keep the fat and carb count very low. Of course with their options it is very easy and very tempting to add on a big dollop of mayo or some other calorie loaded sauce, increase the flavor with lots of bacon and cheese and they even have bread with extra cheese backed in and on it. Add to that they still have the problems of everything comes in on a truck from who knows where and is all pre-packed and prepared for the most part, requiring only nominal heating when indeed it is a hot sandwich. I will further give an addition mark against them from the standpoint that a typical six inch sandwich or small salad runs at least $5.00 dollars and more. I just have a hard time making the justification for cold cuts at that kind of price, especially when I think about where the veggies come from and what I could get at the grocery store for $10 would be enough for a weeks worth easily. Not to say it does not happen on occasion but just a cringe when I really think about it.
This leads me to Joe’s Deli. At least it is a local place and I suspect though I need to verify one of these days that at least some veggies and such come from reasonably local places, especially during summer months. Prices are a bit less for a typical cold cut sandwich and less factory made for the record. Plus there is a good selection of odd specials and soups, all of which are generally home made in style if not ought right.
Of course I think personally the biggest thing on all of these options, if you are going to go with the fast food is limiting the quantities. Example, I fully admit to usually getting the twelve inch sandwich on the occasion I do Subway and usually at least three if not four items from Taco Bell. Cut those in half and instant diet with half the typical calories, carbs, and fat that I am consuming. Add to that just a bit with watching the sauces and such I mentioned before and suddenly it is a big deal of getting toward a diet.
** – Image is from an apparent book cover by the name of Fast Food Diet. Really? No Kidding?
January 5th, 2010 at 10:01 am
I guess if you have no option other than fast food, quantity is a key word here. It is mostly not what you eat (though it matters, of course) but how much you eat. Some people just do not get the difference.