June 25, 2006
 
Smart Choices, Small Sizes in Fast Food Keep Fat Down
 
By Gail Ciampa
The Providence Journal
 
Stopping for fast food?
 
It happens to the best of us. Time is short, hunger is great and the golden arch just might be calling to save the day.
 
When faced with a roadway of choices and menus that go beyond burgers and fries, is there a selection that will not throw your Weight Watchers points off for the whole week?
 
That was the question asked by Fitness magazine in a story appearing in the July issue. The answers were almost shocking in some cases; rather predictable in others.
 
In 24 Surprisingly Healthy Fast Foods, Fitness suggests which burgers, pizza, tacos and side dishes are figure-friendly in moderation. There's that word we love to hate -- moderation. But it is key to staying out of the fat pit of fast-food land, said nutrition editor Melissa Baly in an interview about Fitness' findings.
 
"One of the easiest things to do is to order the smallest size you can," she said. If you have to have a burger, fries and soda, order the kids' size. At McDonald's for example, the difference between a small and large order of French fries is 320 calories and 17 grams of fat.
 
"Order the small size," Baly said. "You'll still be happy. You run out of ketchup anyway."
 
In looking at foods that weren't so bad on the regular menu, Fitness went not only to McDonald's but also to Burger King, Wendy's, Taco Bell, KFC and Pizza Hut.
 
"We know no one is going to give up fast food forever," Baly said in explaining why the magazine did the story.
 
The editors also wondered how the menu would rate with the addition of so-called healthy items, including salads.
 
The truth is that those salads are a lot less healthy than you'd think, because they come with fatty dressings. That explains one of the most surprising "Drive Thru Disasters" in the article. It's the Taco Bell Fiesta Taco Salad. It has 860 calories and 46 grams of fat, thanks to the salad dressing and the taco shell.
 
That's not good.
 
Most people take in a daily total of 1,800 calories, Baly said. It can be less for those who more sedentary and more for those who run or exercise daily. But if you start with 860 for a salad, it doesn't leave much room to have a moderate-calorie day.
 
Far better is the Taco Bell Fresco Style Crunchy Taco with 150 calories, 7 grams of fat. The Fresco style meals substitute fresh salsa for fattening cheese and sauce. Even the Gordita Nacho Cheese-Chicken is not bad, coming in at 270 calories with 10 grams of fat.
 
Other judicious choices include the small KFC Mashed Potatoes with 120 calories, 4.5 grams of fat, even with the gravy. Mashed is always healthier than fried. Gravy adds only a few calories and half a gram of fat, according to Fitness.
 
Or consider a small KFC Cole Slaw at 190 calories and 11 grams of fat. Cabbage is a source of vitamin C and fiber.
 
McDonald's Chicken McNuggets (4 pieces) are 220 calories and 10 grams of fat if you eat them with the low-cal, low-sodium Sweet 'n' Sour sauce. If a burger is what you must have, a McDonald's hamburger is 260 calories with 9 grams of fat. Being under two ounces makes for fewer calories. Wendy's hamburger also makes the good fast-food list with the same fat grams but 20 calories higher.
 
If you're counting calories, you might want to avoid the big burgers. A triple Whopper with cheese from Burger King has 1,230 calories and 82 grams of fat. A double Quarter-pounder at McDonald's is 730 calories with 40 grams of fat. A big Bacon Classic at Wendy's is 580 calories with 29 grams of fat. Also on the high calorie-count side, and a bit surprising, is the chicken pot pie at KFC, which has 770 calories and 40 grams of fat with all the cream used to make the sauce.
 
"You're better off having one piece of fried chicken," Baly said. In fact, KFC's Original recipe Drumstick is 140 calories with 8 fat grams. Avoid the Extra Crispy recipe, which Fitness said is "fast food speak" for high in fats.
 
Wendy's Ultimate Chicken Grill, with 360 calories and 7 grams of fat, has half the fat of Wendy's other non-burger sandwiches.
 
For breakfast, Fitness said the McDonald's Egg McMuffin comes in at 300 calories with 12 grams of fat. The lean Canadian bacon and English muffin sandwich is a better choice over the 500-calorie Sausage Biscuit with Egg.
 
As for pizza choices, Pizza Hut's Fit 'N' Delicious Pizza with diced chicken, red onion and green pepper is 340 calories and 9 grams of fat for two slices. It only has only half the cheese of other pizzas, and that is good for calorie counting. One slice of the Veggie Lover's Hand-Tossed Pizza is 220 calories and 6 grams of fat, still making it a better option than any of the deep-dish varieties.
 
If all these numbers scare you, you might need to eat at home more often. Just load up that fridge with fruits and vegetables and crunch to your heart's content.
 
But do it in moderation, of course.
 
Contact Gail Ciampa at gciampa@projo.com
 
Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service, www.scrippsnews.com.