Page 237 - How to Be a Conscious Eater - Making Food Choices That Are Good for You

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“HEALTHY” FAST FOOD

o dive into conscious eating away from home, let’s start
with the sticky business of picking a fast food or fast
Tcasual restaurant to optimize the health of you and your
family. Here are the main considerations:

Calories and portion size. Excessive portion size is the flip side of
the food waste coin. Consider posted calorie counts as one clue
for evaluating a given food establishment. Depending on the
day, the meal, the snack, or the beverage, and whether you’re
looking for a little or a lot calorie-wise, having the informa-
tion can at least ensure you’re making the choice intentionally,
rather than mindlessly.

Nutritious menu options. There’s no definitive “healthiest fast food
chains” ranking, but many lifestyle publications provide lists of
their own. As a general rule, I’m inclined to trust those backed
by registered dietitians, on staff or otherwise. From a culinary
standpoint, I tend to agree with the lists of healthiest fast food
chains provided by the Food Network and The Daily Meal. I also
mostly agree with the benchmark for “healthy” used by each
one, based purely on the anecdotal experience of having eaten
at most of the places on the lists.
The following regional and national chains—which admit-
tedly are all fast casual versus fast food and therefore not as
affordable as, say, a drive-thru burger chain—appear on one
or both of these lists: Asian Box, Cava Grill, Chopt, Freshii,
Modern Market, Noodles & Company, sweetgreen, Tender
Greens, Veggie Grill, and Zoë’s Kitchen.

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