For a lot of athletes, fast food restaurants provide a cheap and convenient option for a quick meal. Unfortunately, just one fast food meal can provide enough calories, sodium, sugar and fat to satisfy an entire day’s worth of requirements! Enlightened athletes can make healthier choices and still enjoy the convenience of fast food.
Here are a few tips for healthy eating at your local fast food restaurant:
1) Avoid meals labeled as deep-fried, fried, battered, breaded or crispy. This usually means they have been cooked in unhealthy fats. Instead, choose foods that are grilled, steamed or baked. Also avoid Alfredo and cream sauces which are very high in calories and unhealthy fats. Instead choose tomato sauces or small amounts of olive oil-based dressings.
2) Avoid soda. Regular soda is loaded with sugar and diet soda contains artificial sweeteners. Instead choose water. Athletes need to drink a lot of water every day.
3) Avoid dressings, spreads and cheese. Instead add your own condiments. Mustard is a good low calorie option and still adds some flavor. Ask for olive oil and vinegar or salad dressings on the side so that you can control how much is used.
4) Watch portion sizes. At a typical restaurant the serving size is enough for 2 meals. Get a side salad instead of fries and do not supersize anything!
5) Do not add extra salt. Most fast food is already very high in sodium so avoid adding any extra salt to your food.
6) Avoid buffets. It is very difficult to avoid the temptation to overeat at a buffet in order to sample all the foods and get your money’s worth.
7) Plan ahead. If you know that you will be splurging on a meal that is typically less than optimal then make sure you eat extra healthy that day. That way you can relax and enjoy your occasional splurge without guilt.
Here are some choices at a few different types of fast food restaurants:
| RESTAURANT TYPE | POOR CHOICE | BETTER CHOICE |
| Burger Chains | Hamburger with cheese + fries + soda | Grilled chicken sandwich + green salad + water |
| Fried Chicken Chains | Fried chicken + Caesar salad + soda | Skinless chicken breast + green salad + water |
| Taco Chains | Crispy shell chicken taco + refried beans + soda | Grilled chicken soft taco + black beans + water |
| Sub Sandwich Chains | Foot-long meatball sub with cheese + soda | Six-inch sub with chicken breast and/or veggies and mustard + water |
| Asian Food | Sweet and sour pork + fried rice + soda | Chop suey + brown rice + water |
| Italian Food | Thick-crust meat topping pizza with cheese + garlic bread + soda | Thin-crust vegetable topping pizza without cheese + green salad + water |
So the next time the team meal is at a fast food restaurant, try to be the first athlete to order a healthier meal. You will be surprised at how many of your teammates follow your healthy lead!
Dr. Chad Moreau is the President of HockeyOT.com, an online training site dedicated to improving the fitness level of hockey players of all levels. He was the former Strength & Conditioning/Nutrition Consultant for the Edmonton Oilers (NHL) and the Long Beach Ice Dogs (ECHL). For more information please visit hockeyot.com.
