OK, WE KNOW YOU MIGHT EAT IT, SO ...
Let's face it: A lot of you are exercising less and munching on fast food more. It's that simple, and it's not good. And, hey, we know there are so many distractions and tasks such as homework that require SITTING AND NOT MOVING MUCH. And yes, fast food can taste really good and, as its name implies, is fast and easy.
"We've got the fattest, least fit generation of kids ever," says James Hill, a University of Colorado nutritionist, as sited in the eye-opening Fast Food Nation, written by Eric Schlosser. Keep that thought in mind. You're also at an age now when you're becoming more independent in making food choices. So you now need "fast food for thought" to make healthy, informed choices about the foods you eat. You might eat fast food, OK, we know that, and you need some fat in your diet, but think before you eat!
FINDING THE GOOD FROM AMONG THE BAD
Health Trek has gathered together a lot of menu choices from six favorite fast-food hangouts, so you can see what kind of calories and fat are hiding behind those "delicious" names. Pretend to make an order, hit a few places, order what you think would be healthier (cover up the calories and fat numbers with your non-mousing hand or a sheet of paper). Are you surprised, shocked or now ready to grab a quick bite?
Click on a name below to jump directly to your restaurant of choice, or scroll through them all at your leisure:
Burger King | McDonald's | Subway | Taco Bell | Taco Del Mar | Wendy's
| Burger King |
| FOOD ITEM |
CALORIES |
FAT CONTENT |
| Double Whopper Sandwich |
1060 |
69 grams |
| BK Homestyle Griller |
480 |
48 grams |
| King Supreme Sandwich |
550 |
34 grams |
| Chicken Whopper |
580 |
26 grams |
| Chicken Whopper without Mayo |
420 |
9 grams |
| BK Veggie Burger with reduced fat mayo |
290 |
7 grams |
| Chicken Tenders (8 piece) |
340 |
19 grams |
| Hamburger |
310 |
13 grams |
| Original Whopper JR. Sand. Without mayo |
310 |
13 grams |
| Croissan'wich with sausage, egg, and cheese |
520 |
39 grams |
| McDonald's |
| FOOD ITEM |
CALORIES |
FAT CONTENT |
| Big Mac |
590 |
34 grams |
| Big N' Tasty with Cheese |
580 |
37 grams |
| Cheeseburger |
330 |
14 grams |
| Chicken McGrill |
400 |
17 grams |
| Grilled Chicken |
520 |
22 grams |
| Hamburger |
280 |
10 grams |
| Super Size Fries |
610 |
29 grams |
| Chicken McNuggets (10 piece) |
510 |
33 grams |
| Crispy Chicken Bacon Ranch Salad with Ranch Dressing |
660 |
51 grams |
| Quarter Pounder with Cheese |
530 |
30 grams |
| Subway |
| FOOD ITEM |
CALORIES |
FAT CONTENT |
| 6" Veggie Sub |
230 |
3 grams |
| 6" Cold Cut Trio |
440 |
21 grams |
| 6" Meatball Sub |
530 |
26 grams |
| 6" Subway Melt |
410 |
15 grams |
| 6" Turkey Sub |
280 |
4.5 grams |
| 6" Steak and Cheese |
390 |
14 grams |
| Nutritional values are listed for a 6-inch sandwich. Adding cheese, sauces, mayonnaise or other extras also adds fat and calories. Subway uses only low-fat mayonnaise. |
| Taco Bell |
| FOOD ITEM |
CALORIES |
FAT CONTENT |
| Taco Salad with Salsa |
790 |
42 grams |
| Mexican Pizza |
550 |
31 grams |
| Soft taco - chicken |
190 |
6 grams |
| Nachos Bell Grande |
780 |
43 grams |
| 7 Layer Burrito |
530 |
22 grams |
| Chalupa Supreme - Chicken |
370 |
20 grams |
| Gordita Supreme - Beef |
310 |
16 grams |
| Grilled Stuft Burrito - Chicken |
680 |
26 grams |
| Taco Del Mar |
| FOOD ITEM |
CALORIES |
FAT CONTENT |
| Super Burrito - Chicken |
1081 |
36 grams |
| Super Burrito - Fish |
1102 |
69 grams |
| Jumbo Burrito - Vegetarian |
789 |
20 grams |
| Chicken Soft Taco |
250 |
7 grams |
| Fish Hard Taco |
260 |
19 grams |
| Fish Soft Taco |
368 |
22 grams |
| Super Burrito Beef |
1128 |
40 grams |
| Jumbo Burrito Fish |
914 |
45 grams |
| Wendy's |
| FOOD ITEM |
CALORIES |
FAT CONTENT |
| Big Bacon Classic |
570 |
29 grams |
| Jr Hamburger |
270 |
9 grams |
| Grilled Chicken Sandwich |
300 |
7 grams |
| Chicken Club Sandwich |
470 |
19 grams |
| Mandarin Chicken Salad |
620 |
36.5 grams |
| Taco Supremo Salad |
670 |
34 grams |
| Great Biggie Fries |
530 |
23 grams |
| Frosty 16 oz cup (Medium) |
440 |
11 grams |
| Spicy Chicken Sandwich |
430 |
15 grams |
| Jr. Cheeseburger |
380 |
18 grams |
Teens absolutely should eat MORE fat than adults to support growth and development. Teens should eat around 80 grams of fat per day -- but no more than that, please! Teens should eat between 2,200 (for girls) and 2,500 (for boys) calories per day.
Don't Feed the Monster
As you can see from the list above, "big," "super" and "double" tend to add lots of calories and fat to your meal. And what about some of those salads, items you'd think would be on the slender side? Guess again, as Taco Bell's Taco Salad with Salsa weighs in at a whopping 790 calories and 42 grams of fat -- that's one monster salad! And speaking of monsters, consider Taco Del Mar's Fish Super Burrito at 1,102 calories and 69 grams of fat -- that's about half of your recommended calories-per-day intake; it's almost the daily max in fat! Who are these things made for? GODZILLA?!
You need to weigh your options carefully when it comes to eating fast food. You don't have to eliminate it from your diet, just don't pig out on those "bigs," "supers" and "doubles" every day. Just don't overfeed the monster -- consider this some smart fast food for thought, Health Trek style!
Fast Food
