Don't supersize me follow up...

Yesterday, just after we posted on the potential pitfalls of eating too much fast food, a new study came out supporting the very point we were making: the more often you eat out, the greater the likelihood you'll be overweight. The study was done at Temple University and showed that people who ate fast food 3-6 times per week had significantly higher BMIs (body mass index) than those who ate fast food 0-2 times per week. BMI is a measure of your weight relative to height or in simple terms, the higher your BMI, the more overweight you are.
The study also looked at whether people would be willing to pay more for healthier items and the answer was basically no. Luckily, some chains, like Wendy's, have healthier items available on the combo deal without any extra charges. So you can get a salad, baked potato, chili, or yogurt + granola rather than fries with your meal for no extra money. You can even get a bottle of water instead of a fountain soda, no charge. After doing a nutrition analysis with the same grilled chicken meal with yogurt + granola and water, you can save 220 calories, 10 grams of fat and 250 mg of sodium over the small French fry, small Coke version.
Since Americans eat out an average of 5 times per week -- and with our hectic schedules we know that's not going to change -- every fast food chain needs to offer healthier choices without the customer having to pay more for it. Because we all know it's hard enough passing up those greasy, salty fries for a salad, you don't need cost to be a factor also. So, stick to the restaurants that offer healthier choices without having to make a dent in your wallet. It's all about balance, and Wendy's is one place helping make that a little easier. (Hey, that could be their tagline.) Who knows? If every fast food place got on board with offering healthier choices at no extra charge, maybe the next time they do the study, they'll find that people who eat at fast food joints are no heavier than people who avoid them. At least that's this dietitian's/mom's/crazy-busy-person-who-eats-fast food-too's pipedream.

The mental factor

We all know there's a big psychological component to weight loss, right? I find this field fascinating. New research from a Cornell lab that studies why we eat what we do in the quantities that we do, showed that people ate more calories when they thought of the restaurant as healthy than if they thought of it as a typical fattening fast food joint (ie. Subway vs McDonalds). Surprised? I was, until I realized that it's a version of the Snackwells syndrome all over again. You know where you eat bigger portions because it's "lowfat" and end up taking in more calories than with a normal portion of the regular version. People in the study also rewarded themselves with dessert more when they thought they were being "good" during the meal.
You know as a busy mom, you're going to have to grab food on the go or takeout to feed your family sometimes. So should you just forget trying to eat at the "healthy joints"? No, of course not. Just keep in mind the mental factor of eating is as important as the nutrition you put in your body. And stop thinking of foods as being "good" or "bad." Tune into what your body needs and wants - hey, it may just tell you that some spinach is what it craves - and make the portion reasonable no matter what it is.

The Baby Fat Dieter's Guide to Fast Food

In the midst of a pretty stressful week that involved more than usual amounts of takeout, I ran across this press release talking about the dissatisfaction consumers have with the healthy selections at chain restaurants, including fast food joints. It got me thinking about the choices we've had as we ordered, took out or drove through this week. I think the main problem is that the healthy selections aren't always as appealing as the less healthy choices (think carrot sticks vs french fries). Restaurants can definitely stand to offer more equally tasty yet healthier choices and I do believe it can be done. To me, a grilled chicken sandwich is a great example of a healthier choice that I find just as, if not more, tasty than the greasy, deep-fried version. It may take some time for restaurants to heed the call, so in the meanwhile some of the tactics I use to keep my family's selections reasonable:

• Choose the must have item on the menu and have a small portion (cheeseburger or Whopper Jr not a bacon double cheeseburger)
• Balance the choice with something healthy, like nonfat milk or water rather than soda or a milkshake
• Avoid the "value meal" - it isn't such a value if you wouldn't have ordered the side dishes in the first place
• If you must have fries, get one order that everyone can share
• Most often visit restaurants with healthier selections that you enjoy, limiting those with hard to resist fatty foods to once a month
• VERY IMPORTANT: when your kids are done with their food either wrap up the rest or throw it away; eating their leftovers doesn't do anyone any good

After one of those weeks when I'm just glad everyone got fed at all, TGIF!