Fast food chains say no to posting calorie counts

When you work in a city and you are grabbing lunch (or breakfast, a snack and dinner) on the go, it’s not always easy to know what the best choice is. You may think you know what to eat as part of a healthy diet, but unless you’re really paying attention, you could be eating a baguette that is putting all that hard work on the treadmill to waste.

Nutrition To make matters worse, The Independent revealed today “that fast food chains and restaurants have quietly sunk a plan by Britain’s food watchdog to display calorie counts in eating outlets across the country.”

Since they won’t post it right in front of you, surfing the web to look up the nutritional content for every single sandwich shop is probably not something you have time for in your day. Luckily for you, it is something that I find fascinating and in return for my hours of research I always know what the best choice will be, whether I’m looking for a ‘morning-after breakfast’ or a fast, healthy lunch.

What should you eat when you’re feeling the effects of the previous night’s martinis but don’t want to ruin your diet before 9 am? The first thing you might grab on the way to work is a bacon or sausage bap. Your metabolism has already been slowed down dramatically from the alcohol the night before, so a greasy bacon sarnie on white bread is the worst thing you can do to yourself. Instead, go to Pret A Manger and get a smoked salmon and egg baguette. At about 350 calories, this sandwich will satisfy your salt and carbohydrate craving without the guilt. Plus, the main ingredient – salmon- is good for you as it is high in protein and omega 3s. (As a side note, Pret is the only one of the fast food outlets posting nutritional informaiton directly on the shelves – so pay attention people!)

It’s a hot day and you’re sitting in the park when you spot the ice cream van and all your friends are buying that infamous 99flake ice cream cone. You don’t have to miss out on a cold and sweet treat just because you’re on a diet. Instead of the 99flake, which comes in at about 250 kcal (and that’s sans chocolate sauce) get a Calippo and you will save yourself about 150 calories (and 20 minutes on your bike).

A “superfood” salad can’t be too bad for you, right? Well, that depends. I love Leon restaurants and their Superfood Salads are delicious, but some of them can rack in the calories if you’re not careful. The grilled chicken Superfood Salad is really tasty and full of protein, but if you have it with the dressing and aioli, it comes in at more than 600 calories for just one salad. Here’s one of my tricks: order the Leon chicken salad without the dressing and aioli and share the hummus and bread with a friend (or save half of it for later). Use the hummus and a fresh lemon wedge as your dressing and voila: you’re eating just about the same amount of calories but you get to eat more food.

Keep an eye out for more posts like this in the future – hopefully it will help you make better choices when eating out.