Quick-Look Fast Food Guide

No, I haven't lost my mind. I don't actually want you to eat fast food. It's terrible for you. It makes you fat. If you're really serious about getting or staying in shape, fast food restaurants are not on your path to success.

However, sometimes fast food is the only option other than starvation. Long road trips, coworker lunches, the only place your child or childish companion will eat—these are all situations where you may be forced to enter one of these fluorescent dens of gluttony and decide which of their evilly delicious menu items you'll be naming your newly enlarged buttocks.

While the fast food companies have generally shown an appalling disregard for their customers' health, they have lately been shamed by our nation's obesity epidemic into offering some menu items that have some nutritional value. They still can't resist adding a little unneeded fat or extra high-fructose corn syrup just to spice things up, so it's wise to take a buyer-beware approach when ordering your meal. Here are some tips to make healthier choices and some suggestions about the healthiest (relatively speaking) things to order at some of the major fast food chains.

All hope isn't lost, though. You can almost find something healthy to eat anywhere. Here are the best bets at some of the most popular fast food chains. (Unless specified, salad calorie counts do not include dressing.)

McDonald's

• Hamburger (250 calories)
• Premium Asian Salad with Grilled Chicken (300 calories)
• Premium Caesar Salad with Grilled Chicken (220 calories)
• Newman's Own® Low Fat Balsamic Vinaigrette (40 calories)
• Fruit 'n Yogurt Parfait (160 calories)
  
  Most misleading item: Chicken Selects® Premium Breast Strips. Premium chicken breast sounds good on the surface, certainly better than the mysterious McNuggets, but the 5-piece version will run you 660 calories (360 from fat!), and that's before you dip them in the sauce! You could eat a Big Mac and get fewer calories, and fewer calories from fat.

Burger King

• Chicken Tenders®, 4 pieces (180 calories)
• TENDERGRILL™ Chicken Garden Salad (220 calories)
  Note: This salad is without dressing. The KEN'S® Light Italian Dressing will add 120 calories, and the Garlic Parmesan Croutons will add another 60 calories.
• WHOPPER JR.® Sandwich (without mayo) (290 calories)
• BK VEGGIE® Burger (420 calories)
  
  Most misleading item: TENDERCRISP® Chicken Sandwich. At 800 calories, and 46 total grams of fat, don't think you're cutting calories with this batter-fried, mayo-slathered doozy.

Wendy's

• Mandarin Chicken Salad, with Crispy Noodles and Roasted Almonds (380 calories)
• Chicken Caesar Salad, with Homestyle Garlic Croutons (250 calories)
• Mandarin Orange Cup (80 calories)
• Small Chili (220 calories)
• Plain Baked Potato (270 calories)
• Ultimate Chicken Grill Sandwich (320 calories)
  
  Most misleading item: Chicken Club Sandwich. You don't want to belong to this "club." At 540 calories, you're better off with the more decadent-sounding, but healthier, Ultimate Chicken Grill.

Taco Bell

• Fresco Crunchy Taco (150 calories)
• Fresco Grilled Steak Soft Taco (160 calories)
• Fresco Ranchero Chicken Soft Taco (170 calories)
• Spicy Chicken Soft Taco (170 calories)
  
  Most misleading item: Fiesta Taco Salad. At 820 calories, this is the most highly caloric item on Taco Bell's menu. You can shave off over 300 calories by not eating the deep-fried tostada shell it's served in, but still, that's a pretty hefty calorie count for a "salad."

Subway

• 6'' Veggie Delite® sandwich (230 calories)
• 6'' Turkey Breast sandwich (280 calories)
• 6'' Roast Beef sandwich (290 calories)
• 6'' Ham (Black Forest, without cheese) sandwich (290 calories)
• 6'' Subway Club® sandwich (320 calories)
  
  Most misleading item: Meatball Marinara. What's in these meatballs? A 6-inch sub is 560 calories; a 12-inch sub has 1,120 calories; and if you double the meat, you can get a single 12-inch sandwich with 1,920 calories and 84 grams of fat. On the bright side, I believe the defibrillation is complimentary.

Again don't eat fast foods unless you have to.

Christmas health-busters

You have been told this before and you will be told again. As the festive season beckons, it's easy to lose sight of the health goals that you've been trying to achieve all year. Rich food, plentiful alcohol and lack of exercise all contribute to a sluggish system, not to mention the family hazards that might fly your way. Try following these tips to minimize the damage to your body (and soul) beautiful.

Stay off the snacks
Around Christmas time, many of the kilos packed on are due to snacks that lie around the house. Go easy on the chocolates and nuts, they are full of joules and are unnecessary when you are also enjoying large meals! As a substitute, have bowls of fruit available (grapes and berries are good) and help fill kids' stockings with an orange or apple, too.

Plan a walk
Just because it's Christmas doesn't mean normal life has to stop completely! Build some time into your day to take some exercise, even if it's a simple walk or a swim. Taking time out is also helpful for avoiding family tension: if there's a storm brewing, calm yourself down by getting out and about for 30 minutes or so.

Bulk up on fiber
Whatever your chosen Christmas meal, max out on veggies and cut back on the meat. It doesn't have to be dull — look up inventive ways to make a splendid salad or dress up those sprouts. As long as your vegies aren't covered in butter or rich salad dressing, you can scoff lots without packing on too many kilos.

Be sensitive to others
Not everybody finds Christmas a pleasant time — be sensitive to the feelings of those around you, especially if there's been a recent bereavement or loss. Even happy events such as the birth of a child can cause emotional havoc, so stay aware and steer clear of potentially hazardous topics.

Don't start on the booze too early
Tempting though it can be to crack open the bubbly as soon as you're dressed, save it for later in the day. When eventually you do have a drink, remember to space alcoholic beverages with soft ones, allowing your liver a chance to fight back. Don't forget that it's harder for your liver to metabolise alcohol when your sugar intake has been high: it prioritises the absorption of sugar over alcohol, so if you've been on the chocolates all day, any alcohol will remain in your system for longer.

Get organised!
If you leave all your preparations to the last minute, things can get stressful. Financially, too, leaving everything until last can create a big hole in your wallet. Space everything out by writing lists and buying presents ahead of time (this will also save you cash). Buy foods that won't go off in advance, too, such as Christmas puddings and so on.

Choose your drinks carefully
If you're watching your weight, some drinks will kill your diet. Obvious ones to look out for are creamy cocktails, but keep an eye on your intake of premixed drinks and cocktails in general. Stick to straight spirits, mixed with low-joule drinks, or wine.

Set out expectations
Christmas can be a very happy time, but it can also be stressful. If your parents are separated or if you're planning to spend the holidays with your partner's family, make sure the other set know in good time. Disappointment often breeds resentment and the last thing you need on your hands at Christmas is a family feud. As at any other time of the year, communication is of paramount importance — hiding away from telling somebody something they won't want to hear will only prolong the issue.

All the best Terrance B & Family

Water Water Water

Did you know that most of what you drink (coffee, tea, and soft drinks) are all diuretics. They actually make you more thirsty, not less. As if that weren’t bad enough, all the sugar in those drinks lowers your immune system and causes you to gain weight.

Did you know that it’s impossible to tell the difference between a feeling of hunger and a feeling of thirst? Oftentimes, when you eat, you’re really not hungry at all. You’re just thirsty but didn’t know it. The only way to tell the difference is drink a glass of water and wait a few minutes. You may find that’s all you needed.

Only water has the pure, cleansing properties necessary to sustain life and restore your good health.

So today, do yourself a favor and drink only water. It’s only for 1 day. It’ll be over before you know it. But you will have proved to yourself that you are in fact committed to losing that extra weight that’s been holding you back and gaining all the health you deserve.

What a great way to start the day! I’m challenging you to drink only water today.

Water Facts

1. 75% of North Americans are chronically dehydrated. (Likely applies to half the world population.)
2. In 37% of North Americans, the thirst mechanism is so weak that it is mistaken for hunger.
3. Even MILD dehydration will slow down one's metabolism as 3%.
4. One glass of water will shut down midnight hunger pangs for almost 100% of the dieters studied in a University of Washington study.
5. Lack of water, the #1 trigger of daytime fatigue.
6. Preliminary research indicates that 8-10 glasses of water a day could significantly ease back and joint pain or up to 80% of sufferers.
7. A mere 2% drop in body water can trigger fuzzy short-term memory, trouble with basic math, and difficulty focusing on the computer screen or on a ! printed page.
8. Drinking 5 glasses of water daily decreases the risk of colon cancer by 45%, plus it can slash the risk of breast cancer by 79%., and one is 50% less likely to develop bladder cancer.

Are you drinking the amount of water you should drink every day?