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| Screening Saves Lives |  |
Surgical Spotlight | |
What’s New |
| Patient Perspective | Healthy Fast Foods |
Healthy Fast Foods
Eating right is important for everyone, but even more so for people who have had colorectal cancer or who have a strong family history of it. To reduce the risk of cancer, your daily diet should be high in fiber and low in fat. This means eating lots of fruits, vegetables and complex carbohydrates (whole grain/wheat breads and cereals, pasta, rice, lentils, beans); and less of fried foods and heavy sauces, which are typically loaded with fat. No problem when you’re at home. But what about when you have to eat on the run? You’ll be glad to hear that it is possible to eat healthy fast foods.
Get Your Fiber’s Worth
To increase your fiber intake, order sandwiches on whole wheat breads. Many pizza shops now offer whole wheat crust. Be careful though. The bread must be whole wheat, as opposed to refined wheat. Unlike refined grains, whole wheat grains have not been stripped of their outer covering, which is what gives the food its fiber.
Recognize Calorie Landmines
One way to make healthier choices at fast-food restaurants is to learn to recognize the landmines – those hidden sources of fats and calories: fried foods, cheeses, mayonnaise or butter toppings, and most salad dressings. For example, a chicken breast that is breaded and fried can have nearly five times the amount of fat and almost twice as many calories as one that is broiled (see Arby’s chart on page 5).
When you order a sandwich or burger, ask for extra tomatoes, lettuce and onion instead of sauces and cheese (mustard is OK). Instead of fries as a side dish, choose steamed vegetables or a salad with low-fat dressing. At deli restaurants, butter and mayonnaise are two often overlooked calorie sources and are routinely spread on all sandwiches. One tablespoon of mayonnaise (average amount on a deli sandwich) can be more than 20 grams of fat and 200 calories.
Below are partial menus from some popular fast-food restaurants. When you eat at a fast-food restaurant, try to limit fat to around 15 grams.
| Nutrition in the Fast Lane | ||||
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| ARBY’S | ||||
| lighter menu |
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| Lt. Roast beef deluxe |
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| Lt. Roast chicken deluxe |
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| Cream of broccoli soup |
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| Roasted chicken salad |
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| Baked potato (plain) |
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| Arby’s sauce |
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| heavier menu |
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| Philly beef & Swiss sub |
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| Giant roast beef |
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| Breaded chicken fillet |
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| Beef ‘n cheddar |
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| Regular roast beef |
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| BOSTON MARKET | ||||
| lighter menu |
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| 1/4 chicken dark, no skin |
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| 1/4 chicken white, no skin |
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| Skinless rotisserie turkey breast |
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| Mashed potatoes |
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| Steamed vegetables |
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| Fruit salad |
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| Green been casserole |
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| BBQ Baked beans |
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| heavier menu |
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| Ham & turkey club sandwich with cheese & sauce |
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| (compare: no cheese or sauce) |
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| Chicken pot pie |
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| 1/2 chicken with skin |
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| Caesar salad |
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| Creamed spinach |
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| Meatloaf & brown gravy |
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| BURGER KING | ||||
| lighter menu |
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| Hamburger |
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| Broiled chicken salad |
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| Garden salad with Lite Italian dressing |
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| heavier menu |
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| Whopper sandwich |
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| Chicken sandwich |
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| Medium french fries |
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| Cheeseburger |
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| Ranch salad dressing |
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| DOMINO’S PIZZA | ||||
| lighter menu |
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| Hand tossed: |
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| Cheese (2 of 8 slices) |
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| Veggie (2 of 8 slices) |
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| Thin crust: |
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| Cheese (2 of 8 slices) |
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| Veggie (2 of 8 slices) |
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| Bread sticks (1) |
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| heavier menu |
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| Deep dish: |
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| Pepperoni (2 of 8 slices) |
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| Italian sausage (2 of 8) |
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| Cheese (one 6" pizza) |
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| Pepperoni (one 6" pizza) |
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| SUBWAY | ||||
| lighter menu (6" subs)* |
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| Veggie delite |
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| Turkey sub |
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| Roast beef |
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| Subway club |
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| Roasted chicken |
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| BLT |
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| Steak & cheese |
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| *includes standard toppings |
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| heavier menu |
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| Tuna with mayo |
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| Spicy Italian |
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| Pizza sub |
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| Seafood & crab with mayo |
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| WENDY’S | ||||
| lighter menu |
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| Grilled chicken sandwich |
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| Grilled chicken salad |
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| Jr. Hamburger |
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| Chili, small |
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| Baked potato (plain) |
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| with sour cream & chives |
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| All salad bar items are 0 to 7 fat grams for an average single serving size. | ||||
| heavier menu | ||||
| Single with everything |
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| Plain single |
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| Big bacon classic |
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| Breaded chicken sandwich |
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| Fresh stuffed Greek pita with dressing |
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The above information is from the booklet Nutrition in the Fast Lane provided by the Cleveland Clinic’s Department of Nutrition Therapy. This booklet lists the nutritional content of each food item at 40 fast-food restaurants. For a copy ($5), please call 216/445-1144 or 800/223-2273, ext. 51144.
Two great Internet websites for nutritional information are The American Dietetic Association and Tufts Nutrition Navigator.
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