# Fast Food



## TallAdam85 (Sep 4, 2003)

Just wondering if any one is like me See I have no time to eat at home cause the time my parents are eating dinner is the time i am at karate so I often eat bad stuff like fast food and pizza's


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## OULobo (Sep 4, 2003)

My girl got me interested in some new ways to cook and some new ingredients. I think the trick is making time, finding a routine and enjoying cooking. Those things (and a girl who loves to cook) allow me to get a good meal instead of resorting to fastfood or prepackaged stuff, not that I don't enjoy a 1/4lb.er or two (or three) every so often. Its still very hard to come home tired and know you have to cook if your want healthy and tasty; as opposed to not healthy, but very easy and very tasty. I sympathize.


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## pknox (Sep 4, 2003)

> _Originally posted by TallAdam85 _
> *Just wondering if any one is like me See I have no time to eat at home cause the time my parents are eating dinner is the time i am at karate so I often eat bad stuff like fast food and pizza's *



That is a tough situation, but if you think ahead, you can even eat healthy at a fast food place or pizza joint.  Get your pizza with some veggies on it -- even better would be to also ask the guy to only use 1/2 the cheese.  Most fast food places have something healthy on the menu - you just have to look.  Try a grilled chicken sandwich (or two if you're really hungry - tell them to hold the mayo), and get a salad instead of the fries.  If you're at Taco Bell, get a grilled chicken burrito.  Even fast food breakfast (my personal beast) can be made better -- of all the bad breakfast sandwiches at McDonald's, the egg mcmuffin is probably the least harmful.  You could also get hotcakes (watch the butter and syrup), OJ and milk.  Just take a minute to think before you order.  By the way, that doesn't mean you can never have a Whopper of a Big Mac -- I love 'em as much as the next guy -- just use moderation, bro.  That's the key.

If you're at home, try making a pizza bagel or pizza muffin, or cook some pasta or something when you do have time -- leave it in the fridge, and when you get hungry, eat it.  A can of tuna with some tomato sauce is an almost instant, healthy meal.  You can also now buy bags of pre-cooked chicken breasts that you just have to throw in the microwave for a minute or two, and they even come in flavors like honey mustard and teriyaki.  It's out there - you just have to look.

Good luck!


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## Ender (Sep 4, 2003)

> _Originally posted by TallAdam85 _
> *Just wondering if any one is like me See I have no time to eat at home cause the time my parents are eating dinner is the time i am at karate so I often eat bad stuff like fast food and pizza's *



I try to frequent places like Yoshinoya.....not as mush grease..I think anyway.


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## FiveSwords (Sep 4, 2003)

Most sandwich places (Subway, Blimpies, Quiznos) have some pretty healthy and tasty choices.  Even McDonalds is starting to serve pretty decent salads now.

I've also been into frozen dinners lately.  Uncle Ben's rice bowls are really good and fairly high protein with low fat.  There's some pretty good selections from Healthy Choice and Lean Cuisine, too.


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## OULobo (Sep 4, 2003)

> _Originally posted by FiveSwords _
> *Most sandwich places (Subway, Blimpies, Quiznos) have some pretty healthy and tasty choices.  Even McDonalds is starting to serve pretty decent salads now.
> 
> I've also been into frozen dinners lately.  Uncle Ben's rice bowls are really good and fairly high protein with low fat.  There's some pretty good selections from Healthy Choice and Lean Cuisine, too. *



Aren't those frozen dinners saturated with sodium?


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## pknox (Sep 4, 2003)

> _Originally posted by OULobo _
> *Aren't those frozen dinners saturated with sodium? *



Absolutely.  If you're not sodium sensitive, or have high blood pressure that might be OK -- if not, stay away.  But to be fair, if he's been eating a ton of fast food, they are most likely lower in sodium than what he's been eating.


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## FiveSwords (Sep 4, 2003)

> _Originally posted by pknox _
> *Absolutely.  If you're not sodium sensitive, or have high blood pressure that might be OK -- if not, stay away.*



Agreed.  And for me, the sodium is not really an issue.  My main concern is protein and calorie intake, so the dinners I choose have a pretty good balance and are quick and easy enough to fit into my schedule.


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## pknox (Sep 4, 2003)

TallAdam85 - even though I'm responding to FiveSwords, this would all apply to you as well (actually, it pretty much is for you - FiveSwords, you seem to have everything under control).  Just figure out what your goals are first, and plan accordingly.  That's basically the point I'm trying to make...



> _Originally posted by FiveSwords _
> *Agreed.  And for me, the sodium is not really an issue.  My main concern is protein and calorie intake, so the dinners I choose have a pretty good balance and are quick and easy enough to fit into my schedule. *



Excellent.  Are you looking to keep calories up, or cut them down?

If you're looking to keep them down, the Healthy Choice dinners seemed to work for me.  Most of the dishes have a pretty decent amount of protein (20 g or more), with a minimum amount of fat.  Usually they're about 300-400 calories a piece.  Any fewer  than that, and I end up eating again in an hour.

If you're looking to keep the calories up, believe it or not _some_ of the Hungry Man dinners aren't too bad.  They have plenty of protein, and a moderate amount of fat.  Notice I said some, not all.  Check the boxes - some of the chicken dinners, the salisbury steak, and the turkey seem to be OK.  I'm not talking about the XXL fat boy sandwiches - that stuff will kill you.  Usually the good ones have 500-800 calories, as much as 50g of protein, and about 20g of fat or less.  I wouldn't recommend eating them every day, but a few times a week should be OK.  They're VERY high in sodium, but as you said, that's not a problem for you.


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## FiveSwords (Sep 4, 2003)

> Excellent. Are you looking to keep calories up, or cut them down?



I'm trying to go high protein/low calorie.  But, like you said, too few and I get hungry again too quickly.  I was using jerky as an in-between snack, but that stuff is just way too expensive.  So right now I munch a granola bar if I get hungry between meals.

The biggest problem I have is breakfast.  I work out in the morning, so I usually don't feel like eating much when I get home after the workout, but then about an hour later at work I'm completely starving.  I need to find some kind of relatively healthy and easy morning meal.


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## Elfan (Sep 4, 2003)

PB&J is faster than waiting in line at McDonnals.


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## OULobo (Sep 4, 2003)

> _Originally posted by FiveSwords _
> *
> The biggest problem I have is breakfast.  I work out in the morning, so I usually don't feel like eating much when I get home after the workout, but then about an hour later at work I'm completely starving.  I need to find some kind of relatively healthy and easy morning meal. *



This is what used to happen to me a lot. I think I wasn't hungry after the workout because I was full of water. I started eating dinner and then working out in the evening. This allowed me to be asleep when that post workout hunger hits. If you have to work out in the morning try choking down a protien shake after the work out. It usually staves off the hunger until late afternoon. 

On a side note. Has anyone seen the Mayo clinic diet? This is the one that is a lot like the Atkins, but the Mayo assigns it to all the heart patients to get them in shape for surgury. I was batting around the idea of giving it a try. My parents both tried it and lost a decent amount of weight.


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## pknox (Sep 4, 2003)

> _Originally posted by FiveSwords _
> *I need to find some kind of relatively healthy and easy morning meal. *



A smoothie, with skim milk, fruit, and whey protein usually does it for me.  Granola with fruit and milk is also good and fast, as is a bagel with peanut butter.  Instant oatmeal is quick and you can add almost anything to it (including the whey protein). Most of those meals take longer to eat then they do to make - very quick.


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## pknox (Sep 4, 2003)

> _Originally posted by OULobo _
> *On a side note. Has anyone seen the Mayo clinic diet? This is the one that is a lot like the Atkins, but the Mayo assigns it to all the heart patients to get them in shape for surgury. I was batting around the idea of giving it a try. My parents both tried it and lost a decent amount of weight. *



I have seen it, and it seems great - instead of prescribing or forbidding certain foods, they educate you on proper nutrition.  I think this is just a better approach, and makes more sense in the long run.  Give people plenty of healthy options, and base strategies around common sense.  The Mayo Clinic is also pretty well respected, so I would trust what they do.  Here's a link about it:

http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthinfo/mayoclinicdiet.html


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## Kroy (Sep 21, 2003)

I have a very busy schedule as well and what I usually do is once a week (mostly Sundays) is prepare a bunch of food like chicken/rice/veggies and freeze them. When I'm on the run I just dig in the freezer and grab what I need.


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## pknox (Sep 21, 2003)

> _Originally posted by Kroy _
> *I have a very busy schedule as well and what I usually do is once a week (mostly Sundays) is prepare a bunch of food like chicken/rice/veggies and freeze them. When I'm on the run I just dig in the freezer and grab what I need. *



Excellent!  You are making things easier on yourself, which is great, because your chances of success are much higher that way.


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## RachelK (Dec 4, 2003)

Fast food doesn't have to be purchased but can be eaten at home or on the go. Even quicker than a smoothie is a sugar free, low-carb, high protein energy bar like Atkins or Doctor's Diet. At about $2 each these are relatively affordable even for teenagers and are a great substitute for breakfast or even lunch, depending on how active you are. Just steer clear of the energy bars that are loaded with sugar and carbs.
For dinner, I agree with the previous post, Do It Yourself is the best way to get the right nutrition. But if you don't have time to cook and have to stop for food, if there's a health food store in your neck of the woods, many of them have refrigerator cases with pretty good sandwiches and cold food. Some of these are not very tasty, granted, and it does take some experimentation, but you'd be surprised. Among my favorite health food store treats are Mock Duck (Chinese) and Spiced Chick Peas (Indian). You can usually get a good meal at a health food store for less than $5 and you can ask the store clerks which of the sandwiches are edible since most of them eat the food for lunch, they have probably tried everything. 
Pizza is considered to be one of the better fast foods, but a cheese slice may not have enough protein for a young person who is physically active. A slice with a meat topping and a side salad with oil and vinegar dressing is not a totally unhealthy meal, in fact, it's probably nutritionally superior than what is served for dinner in many American homes. Though pizza is a little high in fat so should not be an every day thing, but certainly it's better than McDonald's.
Just my $0.02 but you should follow your instincts. 
Good luck,
Rachel


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