Healthy Fast Food

Diets and fast food - two words that are becoming more synonymous as our eating habits evolve to reflect our on-the-go lifestyles. As the American people become increasingly aware of the negative effects fast food, or unhealthy food in general, can have on our overall health, it only makes sense that the fast food industry would adjust their menu to include healthy choices. Evolution, after all, is part of any ongoing business.

January is typically the month when most fast food restaurants see a significant slide in sales and the motive for so many of them to move forward with healthy selection menus. New Year's resolutions play a huge role in the downslide of fast food sales. According to a poll by NPD Group, approximately 61% of people set a 20 pound weight loss goal at the first of the year. In addition to the desire to lose weight, 64% of Americans say they are taking steps to improve the "healthiness" of their diets. This takes a toll on fast food which is why large chains like Taco Bell, Starbucks, and Dunkin' Donuts have rolled out new, low-calorie, menus.

January's slide of foodservice industry consumer sales is not, by any means, limited to fast food establishments. Applebee's just rolled out a menu with five entrees under 550 calories. Unfortunately, however, fast food is what most consumers associate with the high caloric intake.

The real question is, if I'm dieting, should I even go out for fast food? One nutritionist, Alice Lichtenstein, at Tufts University, was quoted in a USA Today article saying maybe, but this maybe was delivered with a hint of caution. She warns "Just because something is 'low-cal' doesn't mean it's good for you." She goes on to say that with the obesity crisis sweeping the nation, "it doesn't really matter where you get your food from. What's most important, in the long run, is the total number of calories you consume." (USAToday.com)

I've previously mentioned a few fast food chains that are making changes to their menus. Taco Bell is nationally rolling out a Diet Drive-Thru Menu which they tested last January in Omaha and Tucson. This menu has seven items with 9 or fewer grams of fat and all of the items are less than 200 calories. Starbucks, today, rolled out four hot Panini sandwiches, all of which are less than 400 calories. Starbucks has also been promoting "skinny" lattes made with fat-free milk and are sugar-free. Starbucks touts that simply switching from a Vanilla Latte to a Skinny Latte will save you 100 calories. Dunkin' Donuts recently announced that customers can order any breakfast sandwich or Wake-p Wrap made with egg whites instead of eggs. This simple change will reduce the calorie count by at least 25%, says their executive chef.

I certainly could not finish this blog without mentioning Subway. According to Tony Pace, the overseer of Subway's consumer marketing, "People adjust their behavior post-holiday." For this reason, Subway is hyping its already well-known Fresh Fit low-fat menu. (USA Today) This gives us, as consumers, several more alternatives to choose from, making our trek down the road of health a little bit easier. Keeping track of what we put into our bodies is a huge step in our goal to maintain a healthy weight and lifestyle; it's nice to know that some of our favorite establishments are going out of their way to assist us with this.(USAToday.com)

Horovitz, Bruce. "Dieters have a new place to eat: Fast-food joints" USAToday.com 6 Jan 2010 http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/food/2010-01-05-diet-fast-food_N.htm?CFID=989550&CFTOKEN=98481057