A healthier choice can make fast food healthy too

Cheap, convenient, filling and mouth watering taste! Yes, these are the facts which often drive us closer to a fast food restaurant isn’t it? But unfortunately it’s not a healthy option. Eating just one fast food meal can pack enough calories, sodium and fat for an entire day or more.

Well not to lose hope, as an informed customer, you can still make healthier choices and still enjoy the price and convenience of fast food restaurants. Making healthier choices at fast food restaurants is easier if you prepare ahead by checking guides that show you the nutritional content of meal choices at your favourite restaurants. You can also choose to patronize restaurants that focus on natural, high quality food. If you don’t prepare ahead of time, common sense guidelines help to make your meal healthier. For example, a seemingly healthy salad can be a diet minefield when smothered in high-fat dressing and fried toppings, so choose a salad with fresh veggies, grilled toppings and a lighter dressing. Portion control is also important, as many fast food restaurants serve enough food for several meals in the guise of a single serving. Last but not the least, try to develop habits like drinking water with your meal instead of soda. Try adding a little lemon to your water or ordering unsweetened iced tea. Also eat mindfully that is pay attention to what you eat and savour each bite. Mindful eating relaxes you, so you digest better, and makes you feel more satisfied.

So, next time you eat out in a fast food corner don’t forget this golden tips :-)

Eating fat doesn’t make you fat

Do fatty foods make you fat? And the answer is NO. But it all comes down to the type of fat you eat. Eating the right kinds of fat can actually make you leaner. Got the last phrase, yes it’s true. Obviously the type of fats to avoid are the processed, hydrogenated fats found in junk foods, ready meals and processed foods etc. 

 

Naturally occurring fats in unprocessed foods boost your immune system and are actually vital if you want to slim down. Here is a very simple way to work out which fat sources are healthy, and which are unhealthy. Just ask yourself these questions before making your food choices: For fruit, vegetable, nut and all other plant based sources- “Is it natural, minimally processed and organic? Or has it been chemically altered and heavily processed?”; Animal based foods (dairy, meat, fish etc)- “Is it from a free range, wild or grass-fed animal? Or is it from a mass production, controlled farm environment?” In both cases, fats from natural, free range, organic sources are far healthier than those from man-altered, mass-produced food. Once you get used to asking yourself these questions you’ll find it easy to make healthy food choices and your lbs will start falling off :-)

Are you eating chemical-free?

Don’t you think shopping was easy and healthy when most food came from farms? Now, factory-made foods have made chemical additives a significant part of your diet. The longer manufacturers use these additives, the more you tend to learn about their impacts. While some additives are harmless, others cause everything from hives and asthma to nausea and headaches.

Well, its not too late, you may not be able to control everything, but you can control what you eat. There are many ways in which you can follow a chemical-free diet. Why not start with avoiding packaged foods as convenience foods are treated with chemicals and preservatives to prolong shelf life. You can also choose to eat only organic foods. Organic food refers to food grown the way nature intended, free from chemical pesticides, fertilizers and growth hormones. The result is nutritious food... 

However, if you can't afford to buy enough organic food to get your five portions of fruit and veg a day, you can consider growing some of your own. It's so convenient to walk out of your kitchen door to pick a few veg for dinner, and really satisfying to think that they are 'all your own work'. :-)