Avoid deep-fried and breaded foods.
Order dishes based on vegetables and lean protein, such as chicken and fish, that are steamed, baked, broiled, grilled, stir-fried or roasted.
Replace unhealthy side orders, such as French fries, with extra vegetables or a salad.
Avoid rich, creamy sauces and gravies, and opt for lighter sauces such as marinara or olive oil and lemon juice.
Ask for salad dressing and other sauces to be put on the side, so you can control the amount.
Instead of white bread, rice and pasta, ask for whole-wheat and whole grain.
Ask that your dish be prepared with less oil and butter. Chefs can do that!
Just because your plate is large, doesn’t mean you have to finish it all! Eat until you are satisfied and then take the rest for takeaway.
Drink water, low-fat milk or 100% fruit juice instead of soda.
If you must order dessert, don’t eat the whole thing by yourself. Share!
An in-depth research of the most popular eateries revealed an enormous difference in the number of calories and fat between items. However, occasionally eating fast food doesn’t have to sabotage your health or weight — you just have to know what and how to order!
Until restaurants start serving nutrition fact menus, we’ve come up with a list of the worst and best items from each place to help you make wiser decisions.
Almost everything on the menu has over 40g of fat! To be safe, order from their light menu: King Garden Salad, King Chicken Salad (don’t use all the dressing and try to substitute it with a lighter version) and Lite Chicken Whopper.
BAD: Steakhouse Burger (970 calories, 61g fat), Double Whopper Sandwich (900 calories, 57g fat), Chicken Royale (680 calories, 43g fat), Whopper (670 calories, 40g fat).
BETTER: Lite Chicken Whopper WITHOUT mayo (290 calories, 7g fat), Hamburger (260 calories and 11g fat), Whopper Jr. WITHOUT mayo (260 calories, 11g fat), Chicken Crisp WITHOUT mayo (300 calories, 12g fat), BK Chicken Fries (250 calories, 15g fat).
www.bk.com
Even though it is recognized as the “healthy fast food choice,” you would be surprised to know that some sandwiches are worse than a burger.
BAD: 6-inch Meatball Marinara with cheese (580 calories, 23g fat), 6-inch Tuna with cheese (530 calories, 30g fat), 6-inch Italian B.M.T. with cheese (450 calories, 20g fat) — these values are for a 6-inch whole grain sandwich WITH cheese. Remember, the calories and fat double when you get the foot-long sub!
BETTER: Veggie Delite (230 calories, 2.5g fat), Turkey Breast (280 calories, 3.5g fat), Roasted Chicken (320 calories, 4.5g fat) — these values are for a 6-inch whole grain sandwich WITHOUT cheese. (For cheese, add another 50 calories and 4.5g of fat).
CONDIMENT TIP: Dress your sandwich with these flavorful, fat-free sauces: Honey Mustard and Sweet Onion (only 30 calories and 0g fat). Stay away from Ranch (110 calories and 11g fat) Southwest (100 calories and 10g fat)!
www.subway.com
Surprisingly, most of their chicken sandwiches are worse than their beef and fried fish alternatives!
BAD: Chicken Big Mac (593 calories, 32g fat), Spicy McChicken (583 calories, 35g fat), McArabia (566 calories, 30g fat), McRoyale (540 calories, 31g fat), Quarter Pounder with Cheese (530 calories, 30g fat).
BETTER: Beef burger (254 calories, 9g fat), Cheeseburger (299 calories,13g fat), Chicken burger (317 calories,14g fat), Garden Salad (118 calories, 8g fat), Chicken Caesar Salad (157 calories, 4g fat).
— Did you know? A small French fries has 230 calories and 11g of fat!
www.mcdonaldsarabia.com
Research revealed that the Thin ‘N Crispy style pizza is the least in calories and fat, followed by (better to worst) Hand-Tossed Style, Pan and Stuffed Crust.
BAD: Supreme (420 calories and 14g fat), Pepperoni (380 calories and 17 calories), Hawaiian (380 calories and 16g fat) — values are for one slice of a 14-inch Large Stuffed Crust pizza.
BETTER: Vegetarian (180 calories, 6g fat), Cheese (190 calories, 8g fat), Pepperoni (200 calories, 9g fat) — values are for one slice of a 12-inch medium Think ‘N Crispy pizza.
— For lovers of a thick crust, choose the Hand-Tossed Style — it is a mere 20-30 calorie addition per slice.
www.pizzahut.com
Frankly, everything is bad — after all, it is fried chicken! Therefore, if you must indulge, have no more than 2 chicken pieces and take off the skin.
BAD: Mighty Zinger (1,028 calories, 54.6g fat), Mattafee (743 calories, 38.4g fat), Zinger Supreme (685 calories, 27g fat).
BETTER: Twister (146 calories, 7.3g fat), Kids Burger (343 calories, 9.8g fat), Crispy Strips (124 calories, 6.2g fat).
www.kfc-arabia.com
Large-size specialty coffees, iced coffees and hot chocolates made with syrups, whipped cream, and full-fat milk or cream can add up to more than 400 calories and 20 grams of fat! That's not a beverage, that's a meal! Even though Saudi Arabia still doesn’t offer Starbucks’ sugar-free syrups and light versions of their famous Frappuccinos, like in North America, you can still enjoy what they offer by following these smart tips:
Order a regular-sized cappuccino or latte
Ask for drinks to be made with low fat or skim milk instead of whole milk. By choosing nonfat milk, you will save at least 70 calories and 9g of fat!
Skip the whipped cream (70 calories and 7g of fat) and extra flavor shots (extra sugar)
BAD: Grande 16 oz (473 ml) Hot chocolate with whole milk and whipped cream (400 calories, 20g fat), Grande Caramel Frappuccino with whole milk and whipped cream (390 calories, 15g fat), Grande Café Mocha with whole milk and whipped cream (360 calories, 19g fat) — Let’s not even go to the Venti size!
BETTER: Tall 12 oz (355 ml) nonfat Hot Chocolate with no whip (190 calories, 2g fat), Tall nonfat Iced Vanilla Latte (120 calories, 0g fat), Tall nonfat Caramel Frappuccino with no whip (170 calories, 0g fat), Tall nonfat cappuccino (60 calories, 0g fat).
— Did you know: Brewed coffee (black) and tea contain less than 5 calories.
www.starbucks.com
You see? Eating out will not necessarily make you gain weight, especially if you know what to order and what to avoid. It’s always a good idea to check the restaurant’s website for further nutritional information.
Still, however, limit eating out, especially fast food, to no more than once a week as these foods contain a lot of sodium. Maintain healthy eating habits throughout the week by eating more vegetables, fruits, lean protein and whole grains.
At burger joints, DON’T supersize your drink and fries! In addition, DON’T double or triple the burger patties! Sure, it may be a great deal, but you will be saving yourself at least double the calories and fat. Also, stick to small regular hamburgers, and skip the mayo and cheese to further cut down on calories and fat.
For sandwiches, stick to 6-inch whole wheat bread and choose lean meats such as chicken and turkey.
At the pizza place, choose cheese and vegetarian over mixed meat toppings. Also, don’t have more than two slices.
Have a salad with your meal instead of fries and onion rings. Not only do you need your veggies, but it will help fill you up. And, drink water instead of soda.
