Would You Like That Super-Sized?

If you must eat fast food, the next time they ask, "Would you like to Super Size that meal?" Say NO THANK YOU! Now is a great time to practice the habit of saying no! We as parents often struggle with the "NO" word and our kids know it! But No is often the best way to say, "I love you!" But this is not just about teaching your children better eating habits, you don't need that super sized meal of fat, carbohydrates, and chemical preservatives either!

Did you know that the bread from a regular hamburger at a very popular kid friendly fast food place will not spoil with mold even if you leave it out for months! The hamburger will become very hard, but to look at it, you would never know that it is not a fresh hamburger! To me that is very scary! There are so many chemical preservatives in that junk we call food, it not only is scary, it is dangerous!

Like I said, if you find yourself in a pinch and must fast food your meal, at least down size that portion and try to make some wiser choices. Skip the fries and soda altogether. Why not choose a side salad and order plain water. Water they will give for free! Not only saving yourself and your kids from all of that unnecessary sugar, and calories, you will also be saving some money. Just to buy soda for a family of four, usually comes to $10.00 or more!

I went to lunch with a friend last week and she had a bag of fries. I took one, ate it and got nothing from it. So I decided to try another, this time I examined the flavors more closely to decide, "are these fries really that delicious?" Do you know what I tasted? Salt and Grease! There was no real flavor! My salad actually had flavors I could taste that were delicious in comparison.

Most of why we eat the way we do is habit, not flavor! I think we have found ourselves so addicted to habits, that we have forgotten what real flavor is! My conclusion over the fries: probably what was most satisfying to those taste buds, was the salt. Have you noticed that without the salt, french fries are pretty bland and boring! Not that you need the salt, but if it is salt that your body is truly craving, then why not add a little extra salt on your salad or a piece of fruit!

Check this out! If you are at a healthy weight, let say your age is 35, you are 5'6", and you weight 150 pounds. To maintain that weight, your daily calorie intake should be 1743 calories, that is based on moderate activity, such as an office job with no other extra activity.

One trip to McDonald's at lunch ... you order a Big Mac, 540 calories. You order a large fry, 570 calories, and you order a large Coca Cola to get all of that down... 310 calories! You have just consumed 1420 calories, leaving you with a total of 323 calories to use for the rest of the day! Yikes, one refill of that soda takes care of what was left over. Lets face it, if you or your children eat like this without working it off or cutting calories some where else during the week, weight is going to be gained, in other words, it will turn to fat!

So let's say you are in a crunch, you need to eat, and there is no time. What do you do? Let us look at your choices! Grilled Snack Wrap with Honey Mustard, 260 calories. Need that salt? Skip the fries, order instead Apple Dippers (without the Caramel Dip) 35 calories and salt as desired. Instead of a sugar drink, try diet or better yet, order a free water, 0 calories. This total calorie intake is ... 295 calories! I bet you will be satisfied, probably even more so! But if you are thinking, "that will not fill me up," then add a side salad for an additional 20 calories. Just keep in mind the dressing you choose makes a huge difference. If you have a salad with Low Fat Balsamic Vinaigrette, that is 40 calories, verses the Creamy Caesar Dressing, a whopping 190! Not in the mood for a salad, but want a treat? Then go ahead, treat yourself to a Fruit'n Yogurt Parfait, 160 calories. You are still looking at 455 calories verses your original 1420, a difference of 965 calories, Yes, you can still eat dinner!

Resources:

McDonald's Corporation

About the Author:

Joie Lehman, Certified Christian Life Coach is the owner and moderator of “The Power House,” offering free online weight loss coaching to those who are ready to make healthy changes. New membership applications are currently being accepted. Joie is also a distributor for GBG Health and Wellness Products, offering incredible products, Free Business Opportunities and a Free website! If you would like to contact Joie personally, her e-mail address is: ourpowerhouse@gmail.com.