Have you seen the commercials for Taco Bell's "Drive-Thru Diet"? They feature this svelte woman named Christine who loves Taco Bell -- and lost more than 50 pounds without giving up her beloved tacos. So at first glance, it sounds like Taco Bell is suggesting you can "diet" on their fast food menu.
Which would be rather ridiculous. Because last time I checked, nachos and stuffed burritos are not low in calories or fat. And if I were that Jared guy, I'd have gone batty eating so many Subway subs day after day after day.
But there are nuggets of wisdom in the Drive-Thru Diet campaign and in the old Subway Jared campaign. See, even at a seemingly unhealthy fast food chain or restaurant, good food choices exist. That's what they are saying.
Taco Bell and Subway and the others have lots of high-calorie, high-fat foods. But they also have menu items that will not leave a bunch of junk in your trunk. A turkey sub vs. a tuna sub packed with fatty mayonnaise. A regular chicken soft taco vs. the soft taco stuffed with cheese sauce, then wrapped in a hard shell and deep fried.
The challenge for you, Badasses, is to make the right choices as you sit in your car staring at the menu while the cashier's voice blares from the speaker, "Would you like to SuperSize that order?" Do you order the basic hamburger, or do you go for a double with bacon and cheese? Do you order a side salad instead of fries?
Taco Bell is touting seven "fresco" menu items that have less than 9 grams of fat and are under 350 calories each. The lower fat and calories are mostly the result of nixing the shredded cheese for salsa and leaving off sour cream and other cheese sauces. Well, it doesn't take a rocket scientist or nutritionist to know that you're way better off ordering one of those fresco items than the Baja Beef Chalupa, which has over 400 calories and a whopping 27 grams of fat.
Even the seemingly innocuous Chicken Fiesta Taco Salad is a calorie-buster when you eat the shell. Almost 800 calories and 41 grams of fat! But skip the shell and you save 370 calories and 20 grams of fat. You are Badasses, so you know the right choice. SKIP THE SHELL!
Many of us are headed back to work this week after the holidays, and our harried schedules can make those eat-healthy resolutions all the more challenging to keep. There will be days when you only have 20 minutes to grab lunch or breakfast -- and if you neglected to bring along a healthy lunch from home, that drive thru is the closest and most convenient place to fuel up.
Don't make fast food a habit. But when you are pondering the 99-cent or dollar value menu, make smart choices, Badasses.
Here is a quick breakdown of some choices to be made, with info from the Eat This Not That! book by Men's Health editor in chief David Zinczenko. If you haven't read this book, do so. Heck, buy it and keep it in your car for those times when you're tempted at the drive thru. Some of the calorie and fat counts will shock you. And you'll see that just because it says "smoothie" or "multigrain," doesn't mean it's the best nutritional choice...
This vs. That
Pizza Hut
Choose 2 slices Thin n Crispy pepperoni and mushroom (380 cals, 16 gr fat) instead of two slices Supreme Pan pizza (620 cals, 32 gr fat)
McDonald's
Choose Egg McMuffin (300 cals, 12 gr fat) instead of Hotcakes (610 cals, 18 gr fat). Choose 6 Chicken McNuggets (280 cals, 17 gr fat) instead of Filet of Fish sandwich (380 cals, 18 gr fat)
KFC
Choose 3 Crispy Strips with green beans and corn on the cob (470 cals, 22 gr fat) instead of KFC Famous Bowl (740 cals, 35 gr fat)
Five Guys Burgers and Fries
Choose Little Hamburger with shrooms, onions and steak sauce (578 cals, 28 gr fat) instead of Bacon Cheeseburger with BBQ sauce, mayo and regular fries (1,750 cals, 82 gr fat)
Dunkin Donuts
Choose Ham Egg and Cheese English Muffin (310 cals, 10 gr fat) instead of Multigrain bagel with lite cream cheese (500 cals, 15 gr fat)
Chik-fil-A
Choose Chargrilled Chicken Sandwich (270 cals, 4 gr fat) instead of Chicken Caesar Cool Wrap (480 cals, 16 gr fat) or Chik-fil-A Chicken Sandwich (breaded fried chicken, 420 cals, 16 gr fat)
Wendy's
Choose Sour Cream n Chives Potato (320 cals, 4 gr fat) instead of medium fries (420 cals, 20 gr fat). Choose single burger with everything (430 cals, 20 gr fat) over 2 junior cheeseburgers (720 cals, 32 gr fat) or Chicken Club Sandwich (610 cals, 31 gr fat)
Jamba Juice
Choose Peach Perfection Smoothie (320 cals, 0.5 gr fat, zero processed sugars for 24-oz size) instead of Peanut Butter Moo'd (840 cals, 21 gr fat) or Aloha Pineapple Smoothie (500 cals, 1.5 gr fat, and over 100 gr sugar)