Is it possible to eat healthy fast food? The busier we get the more it seems there just isn’t enough time in the day.  How many times have you gotten to the end of the day and thought, “what’s for dinner?”  It’s in that moment we choose between grabbing something fast, or making something at home. More and more grabbing something fast is winning out.

If you have to choose fast food you can still make some choices to make healthy fast food choices.  Here are some tips to help you make healthy choices when eating at fast food restaurants.

Watch Your Portion Sizes

In this super sized world you can still find healthy portions. Remember a healthy hamburger portion is that of a regular child size hamburger. You know there’s nothing wrong with grown ups eating a happy meal. If you choose apples and milk you have a perfect portion sized and somewhat healthy meal.

Watch the Salt

Fast food is always made heavy with salt.  Don’t make it worse by adding more at the table.

Choose Carefully

Choose grilled foods over fried, mustard over mayo. Leave off extra fattening sauces. Even when ordering salads you need to be careful, and aware of the dressing and toppings on your salad. You can end up with a higher calorie meal with a salad than with a burger if you’re not careful.

Do Your Homework

If you know you are going to be eating at a fast food restaurant do some homework. Check out their websites. You can find all the nutritional information available for all the choices online. Look up your favorites and see if they are within the calories and fat levels you should be eating. If they aren’t look through and find something that is.  Armed with a healthy decision you can order a good choice when you get there, instead of ordering on impulse because you are hungry.

Don’t Be Afraid to Special Order

You can always ask for sauces to be left off or substituted for something else. You can also at certain places ask for grilled meat instead of fried. Don’t be afraid to ask for healthier options.

Avoid the Buffet

Even the salad bar.  The buffet is an invitation to overeat, even if it is salad, you can end up eating more calories than you expected or wanted. There is something about “all you can eat” that makes you feel like you should eat ALL you can eat. It’s something about “getting your money’s worth”. If you must eat at the buffet, take small portions, and stick to grilled or steamed items.  Once you have finished your first plate resist the temptation to go back for more. If you feel like you want more food, wait at least 15 minutes and see if you are still hungry.

Eat Mindfully

This means simply enjoy your food. Think about eating as you eat. Be aware of what you are eating, and how you feel while you are eating it. Stop eating when you are satisfied, instead of mindlessly finishing all of your food and feeling stuffed.

If you must eat on the run there are ways to eat healthy fast food. Armed with these tips you can make better choices and choose healthier options for fast food.