9 foods nutritionists never order at fast food restaurants

“Burritos are a humongous calorie bomb,” says registered dietitian Alicia Romano. “You’re not only eating an abundance of calories, but you’re pushing sodium that’s greater than half of your daily intake.” In fact, one burrito can have up to 5650 kilojoules and 2590 milligrams of sodium. And it’s not the ingredients themselves that are too terrible for you, it’s the large quantities of rice and meats like the carnitas drenched in salty seasonings that overload your meal with carbs, kilojoules, fat, and sodium. Instead, Romano swaps out the burrito for a burrito bowl with half a serving of brown rice, half a serving of beans, grilled chicken, and a small serving of tomato salsa, which cuts your kilojoules down to just 1675! And try to skip the guac, which adds an additional 960 kilojoules. Read on to discover more foods nutritionists never order at fast food restaurants.

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Nutritionists usually avoid selecting pastries and baked goods like muffins at fast food joints because they’re packed with bad fats like saturated fats and trans fats, a major contributor to obesity and diabetes. When registered dietitian Ilana Muhlstein needs a quick breakfast pick-me-up at Starbucks, she never orders the apple bran muffin. “Bran, matcha, and chai are buzzy words that people immediately associate as being healthy,” says Mulhstein. “It’s so deceiving because they’re typically not.” In fact, the apple bran muffin has more fat and kilojoules than the plain bagel at Starbucks.

Hazelnut frappuccinos may be your daily morning caffeine fix, but nutritionists make sure they stay away from any of the sugary, blended beverages. “If you buy a tall hazelnut frappuccino at Starbucks, you can drink it in under five minutes with the lack of satisfaction and satiation,” says Muhlstein. “It has 45 grams of carbohydrates, it’s purely added sugar and artificial ingredients.”

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“Be mindful of what you’re putting on your sub,” says Romano. “I steer clear of the spicy Italian sub at Subway because of its highly saturated meats like pepperoni and salami and I don’t do any of the premix mayo-based sauces or teriyaki sauce because those sauces can be high in sugar and fat.” But the ingredients aren’t the only things you should be conscious of; you should be wary of the portion size too. A foot-long sub can be kilojoule dense and packed with sodium pushing 1300 mg or more, so stick to eating six inches one day and save the other half for the next.

Another tip: ask them to scoop out the insides of the bread. “I personally like to ask them to scoop out the bread because it takes out an entire serving of carbs and lets you get more veggies in there,” says nutritionist Jenna Braddock. “This tip is particularly great for people who need to manage their carbs like diabetics.”

There’s nothing more satisfying than taking a big bite out of a juicy burger, but nutritionists agree that there’s no nutritional value in eating two burger patties on one bun. “It’s just a major salt and fat explosion, which tastes good, but doesn’t serve you well for energy throughout the day,” says Braddock. For instance, the Double Whopper at Burger King has 58 grams of fat, which includes 3 grams of trans fat and 20 grams of saturated fat. Consuming an abundant amount of fat will do nothing for you but zap your energy sources for the day and expand your waistline! If Braddock ever orders a burger, she gets one at a restaurant where the ingredients are fresh and homemade.

Nutritionists try not to waste their kilojoules or nutrition on a milkshake and fries for dinner. A small chocolate milkshake at McDonald’s has 74 grams of sugar, which is the equivalent to eating 18 teaspoons of sugar! And that high sugar count is when the shake is made with reduced fat vanilla ice cream and light whipped cream. “We get a lot more satisfaction from chewing than we get from sipping,” says Muhlstein. “For the same amount of calories, you could probably have a burger.”

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Braddock says that you’re better off making your own fruit and yoghurt parfait at home than purchasing one ready made because the plain yoghurts they use are sometimes high in added sugars, even if they’re low fat.

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You may think that ordering a chicken burger is a healthier option than ordering a burger at a fast food restaurant, but once you deep fry it, you can kiss its reputation for “lean, mean protein” goodbye. Nutritionist Caroline West Passerello recommends cutting off the breading for a healthier version.

“Never waste your time with a bun, it’s an easy way to reduce the fat and calories,” says Muhlstein. “If I eat a burger, I take off the top bun at least because an open face is a happy face!” Most buns you find at fast food places are made from nothing but flour, high fructose corn syrup, and tons of additives that you can’t pronounce. Muhlstein says that bread should only contain three key ingredients: flour, water and yeast, but the ingredients list for fast food buns can go on forever.

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Source: RD Canada