A 'terror chart' for fast food

South Florida Sun-Sentinel

Eating fast food is a fact of life. Now a new book, The Stop & Go Fast Food Nutrition Guide (Maple Mountain Press, $6.95), can help you make sound nutritional choices when eating out.

The author is Steven Aldana, professor of lifestyle medicine in the department of exercise sciences at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah.

He lives what he writes and so do his five kids, he says. He insists they're not hungry for a McDonald's fix.

The book, available in May, gives the nutritional breakdown of more than 3,500 fast foods from 80 restaurants. Items are rated red, yellow or green. For healthy eating, avoid the red foods. Go easy on the yellow and enjoy sensible portions of those coded green.

Q. So where can we grab a quick bite and still be kind to our bodies?

A. Lots of places, actually. Boston Market serves all kinds of vegetables, salads and whole-grain breads. Sandwich shops -- Subway, Blimpie, Panera Bread -- offer whole-grain breads, vegetables and lean meats, including turkey.

Chick-Fil-A doesn't use products with trans fat in frying, which is important. You want to avoid trans fat and saturated fat because they're associated with an increased risk of heart disease.

Q. Where shouldn't we chow down, at least not frequently?

A. Breakfast specialty places such as Denny's. Think about it. Sausage. Bacon. Hash browns. Too much fat and too many calories. If you're going to eat there, go for the vegetables. They have green beans, baked potatoes, corn. Create a vegetable plate or order a salad.

Q. Can you give examples of red, yellow and green foods?

A. Processed meats, such as sausage, or a double hamburger, cheese and bacon sandwich are red. Too much saturated fat. We also know that processed meats appear to have some link with colorectal cancer.

A cheese pizza gets a yellow. It doesn't have trans fat or processed meat, but it also doesn't contain vegetables or whole grains. It's kind of in the middle.

Green foods include dishes made with whole grains, fruits and vegetables. Vegetable-based sandwiches, salads, eggs and entrees made with vegetables, such as a stir-fry, all qualify. They're low in saturated and trans fat and relatively low in calories compared to yellow and red foods.

Q. Do you eat fast food?

A. I eat very little of it, but I'll go to Wendy's occasionally. Take their chili. It's fine. It has beans, tomatoes, onions and a little meat. I'll eat their French fries occasionally, too. Wendy's, unlike a lot of fast food restaurants, has eliminated trans fat. Most all food that's fried commercially contains trans fat, and you want to avoid that.

Q. Do your kids crave fast food?

A. They don't have any desire for it. We mainly eat at home and take turns cooking. We have fruit and vegetables at almost every meal. We do lots of stir-fry and Thai dishes.

Q. So what's today's menu?

A. This morning we had multigrain cereal and juice for breakfast. Then the kids pack their own lunches, usually peanut butter on whole grain bread, an apple or orange and maybe a treat, like a granola bar.

Q. Any other advice on eating out?

A. Watch the portion sizes. I'm a big guy. Six feet, 210 pounds. But when I eat out at restaurants, I take half the serving home. There's too much food.

Liz Doup can be reached at ldoup@sun-sentinel.com or 954-356-4722.

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