Aging Backwards Tuesday Tips #56: Not-So-Fast Food

New York City is number one again - this time they're the first city in the U.S. to require major fast food restaurants to post the calorie content of all their menu items. The chains have had nutrition facts available for a long time, but now the calories are actually posted - prominently - as of last Friday.

Here's an example of calorie content for some popular choices: a Big Mac with medium fries and a medium soda contains 1130 calories, according to the McDonald's menu. A Whopper with medium fries and a medium coke has "only" 1040, according to Burger King's Web site.

Aging Backwards Fast Food Tips:

1) Look for salads on the menu. Most fast food restaurants offer a few healthy choices, including salads, but go easy on the amount of dressing you use and skip the cheese and croutons, or use only half.

2) Lose the bun. A hamburger actually provides decent protein - it's the bun that has little or no nutritional value. Eat the hamburger with some lettuce, tomato and mustard without the bun or include the top or bottom half of the bun if you must have bread.

3) Avoid "special" sauces. Most fast food sauces are mayonnaise-based, which can add lots of unnecessary fat and calories to your meal. Order your food without the sauce or with the sauce on the side and use only half.

4) Order water. Even diet sodas have been shown to contribute to metabolic syndrome, the precursor to type II diabetes, so stick with water, which is sometimes even free.

5) Don't shake. Fast food typically contains a fair amount of salt, so adding more salt is unnecessary and unhealthy. Studies show that people who consume high amounts of salt are at risk of stroke, cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis and even stomach cancer.

Making healthy choices at the fast food restaurant can start you on your way to Aging Backwards.

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"Americans now spend more money on fast food than on higher education, personal computers, computer software, or new cars. They spend more on fast food than on movies, books, magazines, newspapers, videos, and recorded music - combined."
-- Eric Schlosser, Fast Food Nation

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