Eat THIS, Morgan Spurlock!!!

Eating Good at the Drive Thru.


What? Good fast food? Isn’t that an oxymoron? I mean, we all know that fast food can taste good, but can it actually be good for you?

Um, in a word, yes.

Here are four different fast food restaurants other than Subway (because, let's face it, you don't need help eating healthy there) and at least one complete, yummy, but balanced meal from each.

So, the next time you’re running late, or maybe just feel tired and don’t want to cook. Pick up one of these diet friendly and nutritious (yes, I said nutritious) meals at the drive thru.


1. Burger King

Burger King has some real gut busters on their menu. I mean, those stackers will sure stack on the pounds, but our favorite monarch still has a nice gut friendly meal to offer.

1 Whopper Jr. (hold the mayo)
1 Side Salad w/light Italian dressing
Water to drink
7 Weight Watcher points. (305 Calories, 12g Fat, 3g Dietary Fiber)

This meal is not only low in calories and fat but provides 16g of protein, 29% DV of Vitamin A, 16% Vitamin C, 10% Calcium and 20% Iron.

It’s a good idea to specifically ask for ketchup and mustard when you have them hold the mayo. Otherwise you can end up with a completely dry burger.

Maybe the best thing about this meal is that if you get the water from a fountain or faucet the entire meal will only cost you $2 plus tax!

2. McDonald’s

I know what you’re thinking, “Didn’t they make an entire documentary about how eating at Mickey D’s could kill you?” Yeah, but Mr. Spurlock was intentionally eating only the mainstream meals. If you eat pretty much any meal with a number assigned to it, you’re not doing yourself any favors; even most of their signature salads are loaded with fat and calories. However, a regular hamburger and a side salad with one of the many low fat Newman’s Own dressings can be surprisingly good for you.

1 Hamburger
1 Side Salad w/light Italian dressing
Water to drink
7 Weight Watcher points. (330 Calories, 11.5g Fat, 3g Dietary Fiber)

This meal is low in calories and fat like the BK version. While it offers a bit less protein (only 14 grams as apposed to 16) it provides more in the way of vitamins:
Vitamin A 45% (!), Vitamin C 27%, Calcium 12%, Iron 19%.

The difference in vitamin value is most likely because the Burger King salad is almost entirely ice berg lettuce with only a skimpy two baby carrots and usually a single halved tomato slice. The McDonald’s version actually resembles something that might be related to a true salad.

3. Wendy’s

Wendy’s actually offers several different mix and match options that can result in a well balanced meal. So, I’m going to list four meals for them.

First is the Chicken Caesar meal. You are generally given two packets of dressing and croutons but we are going to only use one dressing packet and skip the croutons.

First Meal:
1 Grilled Chicken Caesar Salad
1 package of dressing
Water to drink
7 Weight Watcher’s Points. (300 Calories, 17g Fat, 3g of Dietary Fiber)

Get this, the above meal gives you 29 grams of protein (!) and the vitamin breakdown is incredible:
190% Vitamin A, 90% Vitamin C, 20% Calcium and 10% Iron.

Second Meal:
1 Small Chili
1 Side Salad with ½ a package of Italian dressing
Water to drink
5 Weight Watcher’s Points! (225 Calories, 11.5g Fat, 7g Dietary Fiber)

This meal also provides a generous portion of protein (15g) as well as an impressive amount of vitamins.
94% Vitamin A, 31% Vitamin C, 12% Calcium, 21% Iron.

Third Meal:
1 Small Chili
1 Side Caesar Salad with ½ a package of Caesar dressing
Water to drink
7 Weight Watcher’s Point. (320 Calories, 16.5g Fat, 7g Dietary Fiber)

The creamy Caesar dressing adds 2 points to the total value but adds 6g of protein and raises the vitamin values as well.
104% Vitamin A (up 10%), 41% Vitamin C (up 10%), 20% Calcium (up 8%)
21% Iron (no change).

The Fourth and final meal will be a burger, because most of the time when you’re wanting fast food what you’re really wanting is a burger.
1 Jr. Hamburger
1 Side Salad with ½ a package of Italian dressing
Water to drink
8 Weight Watcher’s Points (385 Calories, 15g Fat, 3g Dietary Fiber)


Wendy’s appears to be the worst place to get a hamburger. However, though Wendy’s (like Burger King) serves it’s hamburgers with mayo, they don’t offer nutritional information for the burger without mayo. If you take the basic nutritional info that a serving size of mayo is 1 tbsp and that tbsp contains 110 calories and 12 grams of fat (yeah, that is how much a tbsp of mayo will cost you) and then you suppose that Wendy’s puts about half a tbsp on a burger (being conservative here). Then ordering the burger without mayo would reduce the total calories by 55 and the total fat by 6 grams. (330 Calories, 9g Fat, 3g Dietary Fiber) =7 WW Pts.

I am inclined to accept this estimation as it matches up to the nutritional value of other fast food burgers that do not have mayo on them.

Vitamin Time!

Protein 16g, 90% Vitamin A, 25% Vitamin C, 8% Calcium, 26% Iron.

4. Taco Bell

Taco Bell isn’t doing us any favors by encouraging late night feasting with their fourth meal campaign but they are doing us the favor of offering the fresco menu. Now, you can get a slimmer version of old favorites without having to give them a customized do’s and don’t’s list. Because of this, and their extremely varied menu, I’m presenting four different Taco Bell meals ranging from 5 to 8 weight watcher’s points.

Remember all of these meals are the fresco versions!

First Meal:
1 7 Layer Burrito
Water to drink
5 Weight Watchers points! (248 Calories, 8g Fat, 9g Dietary Fiber)

Compared to some of the other meals mentioned the protein and vitamins offered seem a bit skimpy but it has the second highest Iron value thus far. This is also the only vegetarian fast food meal that doesn't require me to eat several side salads. So, you can guess where I go for fast food, =).

13g Protein, 6% Vitamin A, 10% Vitamin C, 15% Calcium, 25% Iron.

A single 7 layer burrito is plenty for me but I know that some others want a bit more. And by more, I mean meat. =)

Second Meal:
1 7 Layer Burrito
1 Spicy Chicken Soft Taco
Water to drink
8 Weight Watcher points. (383 Calories, 14g Fat, 11g Dietary Fiber)

Ouch! An extra 3 points for a chicken taco? However, did you see that dietary fiber go off the charts! Unfortunately, the burrito maxes out the dietary fiber values and it doesn’t do much good in the points arena, but Taco Bell looks like a good place to be a regular.
Vitamins and protein go up!
Protein 23g (!), Vitamin A 15%, Vitamin C 20%, Calcium 25%, Iron 35% (!).


Third Meal:
1 Grilled Stuffed Burrito (Chicken)
Water to drink
7 Weight Watchers Points. (318 Calories, 13g Fat, 8g Dietary Fiber)

I know that there are some carnivores out there scoffing at the vegetarian 7 layer burrito. Well, this one’s for you! The fresco version of this very large burrito is filling and fit.

Vitamins!

Protein 30g (!), Vitamin A 10%, Vitamin C 10%, Calcium 20%, Iron 35% (!)


Fourth Meal:
2 Spicy Chicken Soft Tacos
Water to drink
7 Weight Watchers points. (360 Calories, 12g Fat, 8g Dietary Fiber)

The highest Iron value we’d seen prior to visiting the Bell was 21% and this fourth and final meal is the only one to not exceed that benchmark. Taco Bell definitely seems to be one of the best drive thrus for Iron and Protein.

This meal has 20% Iron, 20% Calcium, 15% Vitamin C, 20% Vitamin A and 21g of Protein.


Conclusion:

It looks like if you’re feeling a bit scurvy-ish (I know that’s not a word) then you’re better off getting a salad at one of the burger joints. But if you’re low on fiber, iron or protein and need to pick up some fast food, Taco Bell is your one stop shopping super center.

So, you see? You can grab some fast food on the way home without going off your diet or breaking the calorie piggy bank! More importantly, you can go to a fast food restaurant and get a well balanced and nutritious meal for yourself just by making a few informed choices.

Take that, Morgan Spurlock!