http://wbztv.com/health/economy.fat.food.2.870331.html
How will your waistline fare in this downturned economy? McDonald’s third quarter sales are way up, and if you’ve just lost your job, have an empty bank account and an empty tummy–chances are you may have fast food on your mind. It is well known that you can stretch a few bucks pretty far at a Wendy’s, McDonald’s or even Burger king. And when stress hits, many people throw all their healthy food rules out the window.
Stressed out at the end of the day–healthy, naughty? Green, greasy? Salad bar, Ketchup bar? Whole Grains, whole value meal? Hold the mayo, extra cheese please?
I can’t help you if you just want a fast food grease fix…but if you are just looking to save a little money there are indeed ‘fast food’ options that will keep your mind body and spirit happy and healthy.
#1 Subway. Now don’t go choosing the triple cheese meatball melt foot long….choose either a veggie delight, max veggie patty, lean turkey or chicken and hold back on the deadly sauces! The spicy mustard and oil/vinegar dressing make for an excellent addition to a healthy sandwich. And do get the wheat or oat bread–not white. More fiber will keep you fuller longer.
#2 Chipotle. Again..don’t go nuts on the bad stuff. You can order anything on the menu and hold the cheese and sour cream and end up with a pretty healthy and filling meal. Tips: hold the sour cream, hold or light on the cheese, switch to black beans, DO get guac and DO get lots of spicy salsa. Salsa has been shown to actually improve you mood by having an endorphin-charged effect–similar to that of coffee. And spicy foods have also been shown to increase ones metabolism.
#3 Papa Johns Pizza. Confused? How is PIZZA healthy, you say…. Well there are some strict rules to getting your healthy pizza fix… First, order the NEW whole wheat pizza crust. Get NO or very light cheese, add tons of fresh veggies, and choose only one ‘bonus’ topping (you know the topping that you really want but know isn’t THAT healthy for you…) And again…NO CHEESE or very light…. I promise it will still taste like pizza. But that cheese…its a killer on the body and packed with unsaturated fat.
#4Corner Deli. My tip here is to go very light on any mayo or cheese. Make sure to add a protein though. And instead of mayo add AVOCADO! It will keep your sandwich tasty, but offer you healthy fats. Also, you can try adding some olive oil to your sandwich. Just keep that cheese and mayo off the sandwich. And lean meats or even better, soy fake-meat or hummus.
So try not to let this dreary economy get to your body. When we are feeling a bit down–the best thing we can do to combat it is to TAKE CARE of our bodies.
