The 5 Worst Fast Food Traps – And How To Avoid Them!
Avoid fast food
Well it’s easier said than done, right?
You will hardly be surprised when we say that fast food rarely does anything good for you, your figure and your health. But what types of fast food are the biggest culprits, and what should you choose instead? Get smarter right here.
PIZZA
Pizza is perhaps the most common type of fast food. No matter where you are and what time of day it is, it entices under more or less exotic names on the takeaway menu. A pizza is easy to go for, often quite cheap and available in a myriad of variations with all sorts of and impossible fillings.
HOW BAD IS IT?
Usually pretty bad. The classic pizza base is made of chalk-white wheat flour – often even added sugar to make it crispy. The worst are deep-pan pizzas, which contain at least twice as many calories. Add to that lots of cheese and meat in the often very poorest quality. There are, of course, pizza restaurants that use Parma ham and healthy low-fat beef. But they are in the minority.
HOW TO CHOOSE HEALTHIER:
More and more pizza restaurants are offering whole grain or gluten-free pizzas. Start there. Then go for restaurants with meat in proper quality, and go far beyond the more curious versions with e.g. bearnaise sauce and spaghetti.
MAKE IT YOURSELF:
Try e.g. with a cauliflower base. Alternatively, use whole-grain tortillas, butter with pesto, sprinkle with good cheese and top up with good ingredients. And then eat a good salad.
BURGER
The hamburger is a fast food classic. It combines the sweet, salty, sour and bitter with the soft and crisp – and therefore we are drawn by the cut bun with filling in several layers.
HOW BAD IS IT?
Pretty bad. Chef Jamie Oliver has been fighting for several years to have fast-food chain burgers declared “unsuitable for human consumption”. The energy density is very high and in most versions, you get no fibre and virtually no vegetables. In return, white bread, fatty meat and way too much salt.
HOW TO CHOOSE HEALTHIER:
Several good cafés make burgers of significantly better quality than fast-food restaurants. Ie. with home-baked bread, proper meat and real salad. You still get lots of calories but of better quality.
MAKE THEM YOURSELF:
Bake your own coarse buns – preferably very thin, so you cut down on the carbohydrates. Choose good organic meat and fill the burger with fresh vegetables and avocado or guacamole. Drop the french fries and eat another salad instead.
SUSHI
Sushi goes for being healthy fast food. It’s fresh and light compared to burgers, french fries and pizza. And much more exotic. And then fish is healthy. Gradually, sushi restaurants have spread everywhere, and the competition pushes both price and quality.
HOW BAD IS IT?
Not at all as bad as the other fast food types. But also not as healthy as its reputation. The main ingredient is “chalk-white rice”. That contains lots of starch and refined carbohydrates. And quite a lot of calories. It’s actually only really good if you have to run a marathon the next day.
HOW TO CHOOSE HEALTHIER:
Some sushi places offer sushi with black rice, which is rich in B vitamins, antioxidants and minerals. At the same time, it is whole grain rice that is filled with satiating and healthy dietary fibre. You can also choose sashimi so you get the raw fish without rice.
DO IT YOURSELF:
Buy the black rice yourself and make your own healthy favourite sushi. Then you can also fill in more vegetables.
FRENCH FRIES/CHIPS
The combination of the crispy exterior, the soft interior and the salty taste has made the french fries a real world success. Unfortunately, there is actually not a single other good thing to say about the fried potatoes. It’s close to being the most unhealthy thing you can put in your mouth. At all.
HOW BAD IS IT?
Very bad. French fries are a veritable calorie bomb consisting of starch, salt and trans fatty acids. They increase the amount of free radicals in the body, which increases the risk of obesity, high cholesterol, diabetes 2, inflammation, premature ageing and cancer. One serving of french fries contains 550-600 calories and 6-8 grams of trans fat. And it’s noticeable before they are dipped in mayonnaise or ketchup.
HOW TO CHOOSE HEALTHIER:
Some cafes make french fries from coarse potato boats fried in rapeseed oil. They are still a calorie, fat and salt bomb, but better than the classic ones.
MAKE THEM YOURSELF:
If you can not live without fritters, make them yourself from root vegetables turned in olive oil and sea salt and baked in the oven.
SHAWARMA
Shawarma is durum rolls with salad and chicken falafel or beef. They originally come from Turkey but have largely given the burger chains competition.
HOW BAD IS IT?
It could be better, but also much worse. As a rule, the durum rolls are white and fibre-free, the meat is rarely of good quality and the dressing is often fatty. Also, iceberg lettuce, cucumber and tomato are not the most nutritious vegetables available.
HOW TO CHOOSE HEALTHIER:
Choose chicken and ask for extra vegetables. You can also ask for chilli sauce instead of the traditional sour cream dressing.
MAKE THEM YOURSELF:
Use wholemeal pancakes and quality meat, replace iceberg lettuce with scallions, and make your own dressing – e.g. a good tzatziki.