Stay healthy with fast food

The habit of depending on fast food is rapidly increasing. People are finding it difficult to avoid fast foods due to lack of time or the variety and taste offered. But the damage it is doing to your arteries and kidneys are terrible. People are forced to fast foods when they are away from home or lack of time. Choosing the right fat is necessary when eating at fast food. There should be a way to go around this to keep the safety of your health and life.

You can have a better nutritious diet from fast food if you can follow some simple rules.

• Avoiding non vegetarian fast food dishes can be a better solution.

• It is irresistible to have cheese with pizza or burger but you can choose less fatty cheese or single cheese burger rather than double cheese burger with more calories.

• Chicken or fish products are better to health than beef or pork.

• Satisfy yourself with plain salads instead of fries or onion rings for your side dishes.

• Avoid deserts altogether or keep a strict limit if tempted.

• Completely replace carbonated drinks such as cola with low fat milk, iced tea, or fruit juice. Actually some pure water is the best choice.

• Replacing coffee with green tea will be better.

• Blot all fried dishes on paper towels.

• Prefer fresh fruits over packages fruit juices as they contain lots of preservatives. Use fresh-frozen fruit without added sugar if fresh fruit is not available.

• Choose baked and grilled sandwiches instead of fried ones.

• Ordering foods early helps you to avoid choosing less nutritious and higher calorie fast foods.

• Eat food in a relaxed manner enjoying every bite. This digests food rapidly and gives more satisfaction.

• Buffets promote overeating, so avoid it otherwise you will be tempted.

• Fast food restaurants now offer a wider range of healthy choices and most will provide nutritional information, so choose you menu wisely. If nutrition information is available pay attention to the sodium, fat, saturated fat, and calorie content in food items.

Fatty acids are essential for the building of cell membranes and functioning of brain, eyes and lungs. Fats from raw foods like nuts, seeds avocados and olives are ideal for your health. Avoid using processed oil and always use pure oil for cooking. Partially hydrogenated oils and deep fried fast foods are harmful. Avoid using animal fat. Always try to include Omega 3 fats in your diet.

You can take care of unnecessary fat not only at the time of eating but also when cooking. Reducing the quantity of oil when you cook is the best method to keep fat away. Cooking sprays instead of oil will reduce fat to a large extent. Using broth instead of oil for cooking also reduces fat. Try to boil, broil or bake foods rather than frying. Removal of skin from meat eliminates fat. Marinades like red wine vinegar, soy sauce, crushed garlic, lime and ginger can be used to tenderize lean meat as it contains less fat.