It seems we are all running in the fast lane; there never seems to be enough hours in the day to do all we need to do. Our jobs, families, and social lives consume our every waking minute. Who has time to cook a real meal anymore? It’s just easier to drive through and pick up dinner on the way home from work.

Who has time to slave over a hot stove making a meal for the family when you work an 8-10 hour day? Although the convenience of fast food restaurants is definitely appealing, they’re not the best choices for nutritious meals. Let’s explore some facts about the fast food meals you might order for your family’s dinner:

McDonald’s - Juicy hamburgers with a side of fries sound delicious. But if you take a regular Double Quarter Pound Cheeseburger with a side of medium sized fries, you’ll see that you’re consuming approximately 60g of fat and 1,100 calories total for the fries and the cheeseburger (not to mention whatever you wash it down with). If you’re on a 2,000 calorie diet, you would have met over half of that with only one meal.

Another favorite fast food restaurant is KFC. A lot of people think because it is chicken, it is healthier for you. But there are 21 grams of fat and over 300 calories in one chicken breast cooked in the original recipe. Most people won’t eat just one piece of chicken, so you can do the math; that’s a lot of calories and fat, not to mention the side orders that go along with it. Doesn’t look so healthy after all, does it?

Pick up the phone, order a pizza from Pizza Hut and have them deliver a large pepperoni pan pizza to your door, along with 14 grams of fat and 270 calories a slice. It’s easy and tastes so good, but not a healthy choice.

If you eat 2 slices of that pizza, you will have consumed around 28g of fat and about 540 calories total. Add extra cheese or other toppings and you’ll cost yourself even more fat and calories.

Subway offers a variety of menu options, some low fat and low calorie choices. However, if you choose a sub from the regular menu, such as chicken parmesan (6 inch) you’ll be getting close to 18 grams of fat and some 500 calories. You think this restaurant is a healthy choice, and it can be, if you choose correctly, but regular menu items are still high in fat and calories.

Fast cars, fast lives, and fast foods; that’s what we live in these days. Our careers and our families are always so busy; nobody has time to relax with a good, home cooked meal. The convenience of the drive-through window is our ticket to an easy dinner.

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