Fast Food Nutrition - Part 1

I've decided to compile a list of fast food places and their healthier "vegetarian" menu options. I'm trying to keep them under 400 calories, with minimal grams of fat and low in sugar. I've listed the nutritional info I always keep in mind: calories, fat, sodium, carbs/sugars. I put bold font on some things to watch for, such as high sugar or fat content. Personally, I try my best to stay away from items that have 15 grams of sugar or above. If they contain more, than I think of it more as a "treat".

I decided to leave in some egg sandwich options, even though I've been trying to stay away from eating eggs as a main part of a meal. There is no "perfect" fast food meal. The best of the bunch here is Starbuck's Perfect Oatmeal, if you hold back a little on the toppings. These are just some meals to keep in mind when you're hungry on-the-go. This took me a lot of time and research, so I'm going to break it up into parts, doing as many chains as I can deal with at a time.

Starbucks
I've hated on Starbucks for quite some time. I still don't like the idea of selling yourself as "your local coffee shop" when it's not, at all. It tries to give the feel of your quirky downtown coffee joint, but has millions of locations worldwide. However, it seems they are finally making a real effort to provide foods with few additives and better ingredients. I love that they have Soy Milk as an option. They are becoming my favorite for to-go foods, I just wish some of their items had less sugar.

Orange Mango Banana Vivanno Smoothie (made with Soy Milk)*:
270 cal, 4g fat, 135mg sodium, 50g carbs, 30g sugar, 17g protein

Strawberry Banana Vivanno Smoothie (made with Soy Milk)*:
280 cal, 2g fat, 115mg sodium, 54g carbs, 39g sugar, 15g protein
*Just a heads up, even though I calculated these smoothies with soy milk, the smoothies contain whey protein so they are not vegan.

Perfect Oatmeal:
140 cal, 2.5g fat, 105mg sodium, 25g carbs, 0g sugar, 5g protein

Oatmeal Toppings:
Brown Sugar: 50 cal, 0g fat, 0mg sodium, 13g carbs/sugar, 0g protein
Dried Fruit: 100 cal, 0g fat, 10mg sodium, 24g carbs, 20g sugar, 1g protein
Nut Medley: 100 cal, 9g fat, 0mg sodium, 2g carbs, 1g sugar, 2g protein
(When I got a Perfect Oatmeal recently, I sprinkled on less than a quarter of the brown sugar packet, and the whole packet of dried fruit. It was really good!)

Multigrain Bagel:
320 cal, 4g fat, 220 sodium, 62g carbs, 8g sugar, 12g protein

Dark Cherry Yogurt Parfait:
320 cal, 5g fat, 140 sodium, 58g carbs, 40g sugar, 11g protein

Strawberry Blueberry Yogurt Parfait:
350 cal, 4.5g fat, 100mg sodium, 66g carbs, 35g sugar, 10g protein

Dunkin Donuts
I've always been partial to Dunkin Donuts. A brand started in my home state of Massachusetts, it's the coffee joint for the "Regular Joe". They are trying to promote healthy eating with their DD Smart menu, but at the same time still pandering to America's gluttonous ways with a Waffle Breakfast Sandwich that has a whopping 23g of fat! I looked it up, that's 3 grams MORE fat than a McDonald's Double Cheeseburger! Still if you're on the go, these are easy to find in the Northeast where we have one approximately every 100 feet.

Multi Grain Bagel
400 cal, 9g fat, 600mg sodium, 65g carbs, 2g sugar, 18g protein

Reduced Fat Cream Cheese:
100 cal, 8g fat, 250mg sodium, 5g carbs, 2g sugar, 4g protein
(I usually use half a container or less, but here is the the info for a full one)

Egg White Veggie Flatbread Sandwich
290 cal, 9g fat, 680mg sodium, 39g carbs, 4g sugar, 11g protein

English Muffin:
160 cal, 1.5g fat, 340mg sodium, 31g carbs, 2g sugar, 6g protein

Egg & Cheese on English Muffin:
350 cal, 13g fat, 730mg sodium, 34g carbs, 3g sugar, 14g protein

Brueggars
Relatively small chain compared to the previous two. There are a few in the area, and I enjoy going to them from time to time. I love that they have hummus as an option for bagel/sandwich topping. They have a "build your own salad" option, which is great. Their Mandarin Salad sounds great, but is loaded with fat and sugars.

Multi Grain "Fortified" Bagel:
350 cal, 4g fat, 550mg sodium, 69g carbs, 10g sugar, 13g protein
Add jelly for 50 cal

Garden Veggie Deli Sandwich:
400 cal, 2.5g fat, 620mg sodium, 82g carbs, 14g sugar, 16g protein

McDonalds
Do I even need to go into my qualms with McDonalds? I haven't been to one in over a year. I don't know when the last time I was there was. I think it was 4:30 am in NYC waiting for the next train to New Haven and decided fries were the only thing that could console me after using the hobo bathroom

Premium Caesar Salad (without chicken)*
90 cal, 4g fat, 180mg sodium, 9g carbs, 4g sugar, 7g protein
*I don't think this included dressing, as always, use sparingly.

Snack Size Fruit & Walnut Salad
210 cal, 12g fat, 60mg sodium, 31g carbs, 25g sugar, 4g protein

Fruit 'n Yogurt Parfait
160 cal, 2g fat, 85mg sodium, 31g carbs, 21g sugar, 4g protein

Fruit 'n Yogurt Parfait without Granola
130 cal, 2g fat, 55mg sodium, 25g carbs, 19g sugar, 4g protein

Egg McMuffin no meat, no cheese
240 cal, 9g fat, 350mg sodium, 28g carbs, 2g sugar, 12g protein

English Muffin with Strawberry Preserves
190 cal, 3g fat, 280mg sodium, 36g carbs, 11g sugar, 5g protein

Read more...

What I Eat

I've been meaning to write about my diet for some time now. I think it's a very important part of my training and lifestyle. With thousands of different diets out there with their sponsors, books, commercials, claims, websites and general media nonsense it's hard to focus on what's right for you. I have no idea what's right for you. I'm still trying to figure out what's right for me. I have developed over the past couple of years a pretty balanced diet that's been easy to follow. I have no real strict regimen, and I make changes to it as I see fit. The most influential book I've read that has shaped my attitude towards nutrition is Brendan Brazier's 'The Thrive Diet'. Brazier is a vegan triathlete who eats a mostly raw diet. I found out about Brazier through reading about my favorite UFC fighter Mac Danzig. Mac is also a vegan athlete, he puts to rest the stereotype that vegans are scrawny! (Not to mention he is the most intelligent and articulate UFC fighter!)

Speaking of scrawny... Self-indulgent gun show warning.

Proof you can be strong and not eat meat.

Although my diet isn't vegan, I find their diets to be a thoughtful, well-balanced approach. (A general overview of Mac Danzig's diet can be found here. Scroll down a ways to "6. UFC Fighter Mac Danzig's Vegan Diet". Sorry there's no better way to link to it.) Technically I am not a vegetarian. I'm an ovo-lacto-pescatarian. That's too much to say most of the time so I stick to "vegetarian". I eat eggs sometimes, but after a trip to Vietnam and reading 'Vegan with a Vengeance', I don't care for them as much as I used to. More often, I end up eating products that contain eggs.

I drink milk rarely, again I usually eat products that contain milk. I need yogurt and cottage cheese in my diet because of the live cultures they contain. I've found live cultures help my stomach issues, as well as my allergies and immune system. There are dairy alternatives with live cultures in them, but I find most soy products to be heavily processed. I feel it's a lot more natural to just stick to the real thing. I try to avoid cheese most of the time, and sometimes go weeks without eating it. Fish is another rarity in my diet. Because my motivation for going vegetarian was health, I see fish as a very healthy food option. Yes, there are issues with fish and mercury, but for the most part fish is a very good source of protein and omega-3 fatty acids.

A majority of my diet is plant based. Here's a sample of what I eat on a typical day:

Breakfast: Smoothie made with Unsweetened Soy Milk, Banana, Optimum Nutrition 100% Gold Standard Natural Whey Protein Chocolate, Chocolate Brown Rice Protein
Post-Workout: Fluid Recovery Drink
Mid-Morning: Oatmeal/ Post-Workout Chocolate Whey Protein mixed with water
Lunch: Brown Rice with Frozen Vegetables and Black Beans with seasoning
Mid-Afternoon: 2 Whole Wheat Fig Newtons or Chobani Yogurt with Fruit
Dinner: Salad of mixed baby greens with craisins, walnuts, apple and a little bit of dressing. Almond Butter and Jelly on an Arnold Whole Wheat Sandwich Thin

Basically I choose simple, nutritious foods. I find foods I like and stick with them. I'm definitely not a perfect eater by any means. My work barrages me with a constant onslaught of poor food options. People will randomly make cookies and brownies or buy Munchkins. I have a sugar addiction and it's so hard to say no! Once I eat a confectionery treat my body goes haywire. It wants more! I can't just eat a little piece and be satisfied. I sit there and think about eating more until I eventually do. They say sugar sends off dopamine, and thus it's like a drug. Also, vigorous studies and research on my own part show that sugar is also freaking DELICIOUS. Fortunately/unfortunately my stomach issues have made another excuse for me to pass on treats.

Some sources of monthly inspiration for me are Shape and Fitness Magazine. Growing up in rural Massachusetts, with limited female friends and with no clue about makeup or how girls be girly, I decided to get with the program and subscribe to YM and Teen Magazine. In general I hate those magazines, but the actual beauty and fashion advice were extremely helpful. I had no clue how to do my makeup or even what concealer was until I got those magazines. Same thing with fitness, I started out not having a clue. Shape and Fitness give me exercise and diet ideas that help get me out of ruts. Every now and then when I'm in an especially bored food rut I'll buy Vegetarian Times.

Here are some other sites I've found helpful:
World's Healthiest Foods - Lists every beneficial whole food, and then breaks them down into extensive articles. They include the food's benefits, history and preparation tips. Great way to find out about new foods and how the heck you use them.

Active.com - Nutrition - Basically Active.com is like the Associated Press of fitness and nutrition articles. Their articles can usually be found in various magazines like Prevention and Women's Health.

I also check out magazine sites online. Shape, Fitness, Women's Health and many more have a lot of stuff up on their sites. Check them out!

Read more...