Five simple habits to change when going to a fast food restaurant.  

Eliminating fast food just may be too overwhelming, however, here are  five habits that will get you started or lessen the impact of a fast food diet.

 

• No to super size

• Substitute iced tea for coke

• Substitute salad for french fries

• No to drive thru

• No eating in your car

 

No to super size

Let’s start saying “no” to supersize.  If you haven’t seen the documentary on “Super Size Me” by Morgan Spurlock this is a must see.  Watch the documentary to see what happens to Morgan, when he eats at McDonald’s for an entire month, you will be surprised.

Consumers want more value for their money; however, American portion size and serving size are not equal.  To get the perceived value of getting more for less means losing the health benefit of a balanced portion.  

Change your thinking to “less is” more by decreasing your serving size while increasing your benefits. Eating less will decrease your clothing size while increase your chances for a healthier life.

Substitute  Ice Tea for Coke

According to an article on livestrong.com a can of coke contains 9 ⅓ teaspoons of sugar in a 12 oz can of coke.  I enjoy drinking something refreshing other than water with my meal; so I have switched from drinking coke to unsweetened iced tea. Some may choose to drink diet coke has  an alternative but there is research to support that diet soda is not always a healthy choice. Drinking one diet soda a day was associated with a 36 percent increased risk of metabolic syndrome and diabetes in a University of Minnesota study (Oct 29, 2013).  Check out the article “10 reasons to give up diet soda” on Fox news  for further research.

Do you order a drink with your meal?  If you are not ready switch to iced tea opt for a smaller size of your regular drink.

Remember you must crawl before you walk. One small change will lead to another.

Substitute salad for french fries

Many fast food restaurants are adding healthy alternatives to their menu’s.  If you want more than just a hamburger, add a small side salad instead of ordering french fries.  

Make an attempt to try something new with a lower calorie count.  Most menus display the calorie count for each item.

Take the time to add up the calories of your meal. When you total it you may choose to reconsider your choice if one meal blows your caloric intake for the day. Check out calorieking.com to see what your ideal daily calorie count should be.

No drive-thru

If fast food is your only option, then make it a habit to never use the drive-thru.  When ordering at the drive-thru we have a tendency to order on  autopilot the same thing just because it’s familiar. Just the thought of getting out of your car and going in may cause you to rethink whether you really want that meal or drink.  

When you are standing in line take a good look at the menu. Thoughtful consideration may show a healthier choice.  

No eating while driving

Don’t eat while driving.  Daily News reports that a staggering 80% of all car accidents and 65% of near misses are caused by distracted drivers more focused on their burgers than on the road.

There have been times when I used the drive thru, order a burger, fries and drink on my way to work. Before I got to the office (it is only two blocks from the drive thru) the hamburger, fries and half my coke was gone. I was driving and not aware of what or how much I ate.  I have frequently blamed my near empty bag on not getting a full bag of fries or I ordered a small hamburger.

I was lying to myself. The truth was I ate it so fast I didn’t even taste it–and I could have been in an accident.

The next habit I am going to break is eating while I drive.  This will reduce my risk of an accident and potentially help with my weight gain since weight gain is linked to eating on the run.

No eating in your car

Now that you have stopped eating when you drive,  let’s take it one more step and develop the habit of not eating in the car.  I cannot tell you how many times I have gone into work with ketchup stains on my blouse because I was eating in the car.  

The first time Rick cleaned my car when we were dating he came back from the car wash scratching his head wondering why there was a chicken bone under my seat. I just shrugged being too embarrassed to respond.

I also have to admit driving a car that smells like onions or garlic is not my most favorite thing to do. This is common in cars of people who eat and drive–and it is a rude and possibly unpleasant odor, very much like stale tobacco, for others who are riding with the driver.

Summary

The goal at Dr SheLution’s  is to give simple solutions to help you transform your life. These five tips will serve as a step forward in helping you eliminate fast food from your diet.

I was surprised that by just saying no to the drive thru decreased my consumption of fast food. Now I am starting to make tea at home, and it saves me a couple dollars each week.

Until next time embrace change by finding simple solutions. You, and everyone else, will benefit from your new solutions to old problems.

Roxanne Wilkening M.S. Ed