Fast food is the most familiar alternative that people opt for when searching for a quick meal to seize while in a hurry. This explains why there are currently many fast food outlets distributed throughout the world, such as MacDonald’s, which has one of the largest fast food distribution chains globally. Junk food is the best choice for most of the people since it is relatively inexpensive, convenient and offered with efficient services. Although fast food is mostly unhealthy, it does not necessarily have to be so all the time (Horel, Dean, Johnson, & Sharkey, 2011). It is still possible for people to make good and healthy choices which allow them to enjoy having fast food.
The temptation to always eat food with high content of calories and bad fats is very high. Therefore, a person is supposed to eat these foods moderately (Horel, Dean, Johnson, & Sharkey, 2011). It is true that getting a healthy and fully balanced meal in many outlets that sell fast foods in urban areas is an uphill task. Nevertheless, by following simple and practical steps, making healthy choices at the fast food outlets becomes easier (Horel, Dean, Johnson, & Sharkey, 2011).
First, a person intending to eat at a fast food café should make preparations early enough before getting to the outlet. He should cross-check all the nutritional values of variety of meals available at the restaurant. This is because most of the fast foods are low in nutritional value and at the same time, they contain high content of saturated fats. After getting the meals with the highest nutritional value, focus on the outlets that sell the specific meals already chosen above. There is a need to pay attention to details on menu descriptions (Horel, Dean, Johnson, & Sharkey, 2011). The menu and recipe for specific type of meal indicates the method applied in cooking. The recipe also helps in calculating the nutritional content of the food. It is important to determine which food has highest nutritional value.
When taking the meal, it is advisable to avoid using sweetened drinks such as soda which has high content of calories. Instead, one can use water with a slice of lemon added in order to avoid taking too much sugar in the diet (Horel, Dean, Johnson, & Sharkey, 2011). Furthermore, one should be careful of the food dressing. For instance, it is important to avoid salad with high fat dressing and instead go for the one with fresh vegetables and a much less dressing. Vinegar or olive oil is recommended to use in the salad. Also, one should ask for special orders of meals. Request should be made for salads and main dishes that are not accompanied by sauces. Additionally, a person can opt for boiled foods rather than fried ones (Horel, Dean, Johnson, & Sharkey, 2011). Finally, after the meal is presented on table, one is advised to take time while eating. It is advisable to chew food carefully and eat mindfully so as to facilitate relaxation, digestion and a sense of satisfaction (Horel, Dean, Johnson, & Sharkey, 2011).
At the same time, there are several things that should be avoided while eating fast foods. First, a person should take just a little amount of these foods. This is because, they contain very high amounts of calories and, therefore, if a lot of them are eaten, they cause health complications. Second, one should avoid using high amounts of salt (Horel, Dean, Johnson, & Sharkey, 2011). It is a common practice to have people in the fast food outlets taking high amount of salt. Such amount of sodium is a threat to healthy lifestyle since it causes high blood pressure. Despite this, the study has shown that more than half of all meals taken at the fast food outlets surpass the recommended threshold for sodium intake per day. Therefore, there is no need to add salt while eating (Horel, Dean, Johnson, & Sharkey, 2011).