Fast food drive-ins are going down the diet path along with the rest of the country. Seeing the writing on the wall, even fast food restaurants are getting their act together. No longer able to sit back and watch America’s children gain more and more weight, several of the companies are offering new low-calorie meals in 2010.
Here are some “rules of the road” to save hundreds of calories while keeping fat grams as low as possible.
No cheese, grilled, not fried, water or diet drinks, wheat bread, mustard without mayonnaise, low-fat salad dressing on the side, no additional sauces.
Underground: Leading the way is our regular favourite, Subway with their Fresh Fit Meals. By ordering a sub with apple slices, yogurt, or baked chips, all meals end up with 450 calories or less. For example, turkey breast with apple slices has 315, with baked fries 410 and with light yogurt 360 calories. Look for the lean meat sandwiches, keep the mayonnaise and oil. Always choose a bottle of water or a calorie-free soft drink. Subways sliced apples at 35 calories are always a nice addition. It’s quite a nice package.
Taco Bell: Taking a twist, this perennial favorite joins the low-calorie, low-fat crowd with its new Drive Thur-Diet trials. Test marketing has indicated a lot of interest in these products. Eating from the car is often limited because salads and other low-calorie foods are difficult to eat in the car. People end up with products they can pick up with their fingers one at a time. (Sound like French fries?) Their fresh menus include Tacos ranging from 150 to 180 calories, Burritos from 330 to 340 calories. All have 8 grams of fat or less and all can be eaten in the car. Few people will add rice or beans, the usual accompaniments, due to the difficulty of consuming them quickly. A great choice for mothers with small children who have to eat in the car. There are no fries at Taco Bell.
starbucks: Starbucks has always talked lip service about low-calorie, low-fat products while selling some of the highest-calorie, highest-fat products available. Its fashion stores with Internet, newspapers and music have served to divert attention from its high-calorie products. Imagine a coffee drink of 500 or more calories! Now Starbucks is following the example of the rest of the industry with its new Hot Panini sandwiches. They all have less than 400 calories with between 4 and 6 grams of fat. This includes a Santa Fe Chicken Panini with Chicken, Cheese and Sour Cream, to a Roasted Tomato and Mozzarella Panini, a combination of foaccia bread and roasted tomatoes, fresh spinach and mozzarella cheese. At the bottom of the line, my favorite ham and cheese is 370 calories and 4 grams of fat and the tuna melts are 340 calories and 4 grams of fat. All great options. They will add a new Vanilla Rooibos full leaf tea as part of the company’s transition to the new Tazo full leaf teas and herbal infusions. All Tazo teas have zero calories. Starbucks will also introduce Skinny Cinnamon Dolce Latte and Skinny VanillaLatte as part of the new menu. Both lattes are 90 calories for a tall (12 fl. oz.). Add a calorie-free drink, some sliced fruit, and you’ve got a great lunch on the run.
Dunkin ‘Donuts: How did that make it onto our list of New Year’s Resolutions? Well, they’re paying attention with their Wake-Up Wraps. Swapping eggs for whites cuts calories by more than 25%. The egg and cheese wrap with whole eggs is 170 calories, switching to the egg white wrap cuts the calories to 130. They’re small so you can even eat two.
It’s not new, but the best options in the big three burger joints:
mcdonald’s: Salads are still the best bet with Asian Chicken Salad at 290, Chicken Caesar at 220, but you need to use the low fat dressing. Even the regular burger is only 249 calories, while the grilled chicken sandwich is 310 calories. Need a side to replace the fries, I suggest the Carmel Apple Dips (105 cal) or the Fruit Yogurt Parfait at 140 calories. Add these foods to a zero-calorie drink that you can use as an entree and side dish and spend as little as 350 calories.
Burger King: Again, salads are the lowest, but you have to be careful with add-ins, especially dressings. The tender grilled chicken fillet sandwich has a decent 300 calories without mayonnaise. A veggie burger is 340 calories, even a Whopper Jr is only 290 calories. It’s the fries that can really add to the calories. There are fewer low-calorie options here than almost all other restaurants. The best option seems to be the garden salad (140 calories) with low-fat Kens dressing (40 calories). Complete meal that includes Jr Whopper, salad and dressing. mustard and diet drink equivalent to about 470 calories. However, you have to be careful here, as there are many other very attractive options that are much higher.
Wendy’s. They haven’t announced any new items for early January 2010. Stick to the Little Chili, Plain Baked Potatoes, Mandarin Chicken Salad (simple, low-fat dressing), and the 310 calorie chicken wrap.
If convenience, time and price force you to choose to eat hard, all of these new products are good alternatives. Remember the “rules of the road”: no mayonnaise, sauces, cheese, fried foods, low-fat dressings, no extra toppings for salads. We expect more from our fast food restaurants.
