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By Melissa Tennen, HealthAtoZ writer
It's been a hard day. The last thing you want to do tonight is slave over a hot stove. How about some take-out or fast food? This is where it gets tricky.
Even though take-out may seem better than what you make at home, it may not be. In fact, it may be loaded with calories, fat and sodium. The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) has researched popular types of restaurant fare to give you a better idea of healthy choices. CSPI is a consumer watchdog group that advocates better nutrition choices.
Mexican food
Go with chicken fajitas, as long as you skip the beans, sour cream and guacamole. You may think beans are OK, but at Mexican restaurants, they tend to be cooked with a lot of fat, such as lard and bacon. Chicken fajitas are often baked, not fried, and the chicken is grilled.
Fast food
Usually your best bet is a salad with dressing used sparingly - preferably low-fat - and grilled chicken.
- Wendy's Mandarin Chicken Salad, with its mixed greens, chicken, mandarin oranges and almonds, ranks well with CSPI. Use about half the package of dressing that comes with it. Better yet, go with the reduced-fat or low-fat dressings.
- Burger King's Veggie Burger is a meatless burger sandwich with only 2 grams of saturated fat and 330 calories. Burger King also has a grilled chicken sandwich that is low in fat and calories - about 400. Skip the mayo on both of these sandwiches - it can add about 100 calories.
- McDonald's Fruit 'n Yogurt Parfait is another healthy choice. You get real berries, low-fat yogurt and heart-healthy granola with a calorie count of 380.
- The famous Subway Low-fat Sub is one of the healthiest of fast food fares. Subway delivers on its 7-inch subs at 6 grams of fat or less.
Pizza
Although a take-out favorite, pizza can give you a large dose of saturated fats and calories. Skip toppings like pepperoni and ham and opt for the veggies, which will give you some antioxidants and fiber. Also, ask for half the cheese they would normally put on your pizza. It will taste just as good. Go with hand-tossed pizza rather than pan pizza. Limit the number of slices you eat.
Chinese
First, skip the fried and white rice and ask for brown. Share your portions with someone else or put away half of it for lunch the next day. Choose steamed vegetables. Opting for a vegetable-rich dish like chicken chow mein or shrimp with garlic sauce is probably your best bet.
Because take-out food may have a higher sodium content than what you would make at home, try to limit how much of it you eat in a week. Look for quick and easy meals you can make after work. A good idea may be to cook a large meal on Sunday and stash leftovers in the freezer so you can eat them later in the week.
Many restaurants have yet to reduce or eliminate the number of trans fats in their foods. Trans fats are dangerous for your heart because of their role in jacking up your cholesterol. The majority of take-out items have high-fat and high-sodium content. So consider your choices carefully and plan your meals.
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External Source
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Center for Science in the Public Interest
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This article was reviewed and updated June 2007.
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