When following a weight loss diet, at times it can be difficult to ignore cravings when all you want to do is to indulge in fast food instead of a salad. Following a healthy weight loss meal plan doesn’t mean you have to cut out these things entirely. Instead, it’s about enjoying treats in moderation. Here is a quick guide to help you discover a few healthy fast food options and alternatives to fast food to keep your cravings at bay.
Burger King
Unhealthiest: Triple Whopper sandwich (1130 calories).
Healthiest: Cheeseburger with small fries (520 calories).
You can still enjoy a fast food meal without consuming thousands of calories. Enjoying it with a small portion of fries and a standard cheeseburger isn’t such a bad bet. You’ll at least get some calcium from the cheese and iron from the burger and the calorie count is a lot more manageable.
Subway
Unhealthiest: Chicken and Bacon Ranch Melt (620 calories).
Healthiest – Tuna salad (192 calories)
A healthier alternative to fast food at Subway is their delicious tuna salad, packed full of veggies and high protein tuna. By cutting down on fatty meats, bread and calorific sauces, you can enjoy a healthier but equally as tasty meal.
Pizza Hut
Unhealthiest: Large pepperoni pizza (1940 calories).
Healthiest: Tomato and basil couscous salad (58 calories).
A stuffed doughy base and the cheesy, meaty topping make for an extremely fattening choice. Why not have a small amount of pizza to curb your craving and fill up on the salad bar, with plenty of healthy and nutritious options to choose from.
Fish & Chips
Unhealthiest: Battered sausage and chips (1000 calories).
Healthiest: Fish and chips (838 calories).
Whilst fish and chips is definitely more of a treat, they don’t have to be a nutritional sin if incorporated into a healthy weight loss diet. It provides protein, vitamins and iron and no chemical additives. Team your meal with a glass of juice and some vegetables to make a more balanced meal.
Sushi
Unhealthiest: Chicken Kastu Sando (600 calories).
Healthiest: Avocado Maki (131 calories).
Sushi is a quick and easy source of protein. If you’re looking for a high-protein meal or snack, choose tuna, salmon or rainbow rolls, all of which can have 20 or more grams of protein per roll.
McDonalds
Unhealthiest: McDonald’s Big Mac meal (980 calories)
Healthiest: McDonalds Chicken Snack Wrap (490 calories).
You can guarantee that anything with “big” or “whopper” in the title is going to be calorific. A McDonald’s Big Tasty burger alone has more than 1.5 times a woman’s guideline daily amount of saturated fat. With the large fries and milkshake, the meal totals up to more calories than five Mars bars. Stick to something small if you decide to get a McDonalds, like the chicken snack wraps. They are just as tasty but won’t leave you feeling as sluggish!
Indian
Unhealthiest: Chicken Tikka Masala (557 calories).
Healthiest – Indian vegetable curry (280 calories).
An average portion of an Indian takeaway contains 3.2g more saturated fat than a woman should eat in a whole day. With its generous content of cream and coconut, fat content in this dish is sky high. A vegetable curry will give you all the flavour and spice you need, but will cut out the cream and therefore cut the calories.
Chinese
Unhealthiest: Sweet and sour pork (1500 calories).
Healthiest: Vegetable spring rolls (400 calories).
Chinese food is very high in fat (cooking oils) and sodium (soy sauce and MSG). Many of the sauces use refined sugar and/or corn syrup. Each portion is roughly estimated to be around 1,100 calories, 37g fat.
KFC
Unhealthiest: KFC Zinger Tower Burger (920 calories).
Healthiest: Mini Fillet Burger (350 calories).
KFC fast food is high in fat but also contains lots of preservatives. Try a Mini Fillet Burger for a healthy fast food option that hits the spot but won’t do as much damage to your weight loss diet.
For further healthy living advice and weight loss tips, don’t forget to stay up to date with our blog.