Fast food and convenience foods | Restaurants

Fast food, restaurant food, and convenience foods (such as packaged macaroni and cheese) often contain high amounts of fat and sodium. In moderation, these foods can be part of a healthy diet.

Follow these suggestions when eating these types of foods.

Fast food and convenience foods

• Don't make it a habit. Eat these foods in moderation; don't let them become a regular part of your diet.
• Eat "combination" foods, which contain many types of foods. When you have a pizza, for example, you may get protein from meat and cheese, grains from the crust, and vegetables from green peppers and onions (or whatever topping you choose). Other combination foods include tacos, chili, and burritos.
• Create combination foods. At a fast food restaurant, when buying a hamburger, bring along some raw carrots or order milk or water instead of a soft drink. When using a convenience food, check the label to see which nutrients are low. Then find a way to include these nutrients in your meal. Fast food and convenience food meals often contain few or no fruits or vegetables, so making sure you have some of these on the side will make the meal more nutritious.
• If you order a salad, don't use a lot of dressing. Doing this provides the fat content you may be trying to avoid.
• Vary what you eat. Don't have the triple hamburger every time; instead, try different meals. Get something with fewer calories or less fat than you usually do. For example, a grilled chicken sandwich will have fewer calories than your giant hamburger.
• Is it fast food? Although we don't think of "sit down" chain restaurants as fast food or convenience food, they have many of the same food choices, and the same care should be taken in choosing your meal.
• Think about it. Most of the time, people don't plan their fast food or convenience meal until they buy it. Think about how you want to make the meal more nutritious before you order or buy the food.

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Restaurants
The following will help you cut back on fat and calories in restaurants:

• Order foods that are broiled or poached rather than fried or breaded.
• Cut back on the amount of butter or margarine used on bread.
• Order sauces, gravies, and salad dressing on the side and use as little as possible.
• When ordering pasta dishes, choose tomato-based sauces rather than cream-based sauces.
• Share appetizers, desserts, and even entrées with your dining companion.
• Ask for salsa with a baked potato instead of sour cream, butter, cheese, or bacon.

Other restaurant tips include:

• Choosing whole-grain breads, cereals, pasta, rice, beans, and lentils; they will help you increase your fiber intake.
• Asking for flexibility. Restaurants recognize their customers' changing tastes and preferences and often will work with you to change portion sizes and modify menu choices. For example, it is often possible to substitute vegetables or a baked potato for french fries.
• Taking half of your meal home.

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