That's Fit

Here's a small diet tip from none other than mega popstar Beyonce: Skip the drive-thrus. The sensational singer was recently quoted as saying, "I love all the greasy stuff even though I know it's not good for me. I have to be very careful for months on end about what I eat. And then suddenly I will have a moment of weakness and have junk food. I just try and whiz straight past the drive-thrus now because it can be so dangerous."

Maybe too many visits to the drive-thru is the reason she resorted to the lemon juice diet a while ago? Regardless, this is good advice -- drive-thrus are way too convenient and way too unhealthy. Keeping your fast food indulgences to a minimum is an effective, easy and inexpensive way to keep the numbers on the scale down.

Over at AOL Health, they're talking about fast food. But it's not what you think -- while most health fiends will tell you to avoid fast food at all costs, they're giving you the downlow on what the best fast food choices are. Check them out -- maybe your favourite on-the-go meal made the list. In the meantime, we're wondering ...

According to General Mills, sales are up significantly on some popular brands, including baking goods, yogurt, soups, cereal and snack products. Some experts think this is a strong indicator that people are eating out less and opting to enjoy their meals at home instead.

Why do you think this is? If you ask me, there are a couple of factors at play:

• A drop in the economy coupled with rising fuel costs leaves less money in the bank for luxuries like eating out, OR
  
• Perhaps people are wising up and realizing that picking up their meals from a fast food restaurant is doing them no favours health-wise.

I have nothing against the occasional meal out with family or friends, but let's be honest -- cooking your meals at home is the only way to ensure that you're getting the healthiest, most nutritious meals possible. Your thoughts?

(via Diet Blog)

Everyone knows breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Not only does a well-rounded breakfast give you the fuel you need to start the day, it'll also help you keep your daily calorie load down. But breakfast, especially if it's fast food, can be especially sinful.

The authors of Eat This, Not That recently lined up the worst of the worst when it comes to breakfast food. There aren't too many surprises; did anyone actually think that McDonald's deluxe breakfast was a healthy choice for any meal of the day? But looking over the fat, salt, and calorie content is a good reminder that one meal can equal nearly all the calories you should take in in an entire day if you aren't careful.



So what should you be eating for breakfast? According to a recent study, there's no reason to skimp. Obese women who ate a hearty, well-rounded breakfast of high-quality protein and whole grains lost significantly more weight than women who ate a smaller breakfast. Whatever you choose, avoid refined grains and added sugars.

What's your favorite healthy breakfast?

Think about it: What form of technology has made the single biggest impact in the lives of children over the past 100 years? Computers have revolutionized the world, but I suspect television has made the biggest impact on young people, particularly because they are a captive audience subjected to clever and manipulative advertising that is targeted specifically at them. As such, it's believed that TV advertising is one of the top causes of ever-rising childhood obesity.

This revelation has caused Mark Scott, the Managing Director of the Australian Broadcasting Corp, to push back against kid-targeted advertising, and he's calling for a commercial-free Children's channel to be developed down under.

At any kind of restaurant or fast food chain where you have a choice of what size beverage to order, what do you usually end up choosing? According to statistics, most people land right in the middle, not the largest option but not the smallest either. Everything in moderation, right?

Not if the fast food chains can help it! They want you to order the biggest, baddest of everything and they're don't have any scruples against using tricks to get you to do it. For example they've figured out that by simply calling a medium a "small," a large a "medium," and creating a new, even bigger "large" size they get people to order more -- i.e. they keep ordering the middle size, which is of course, bigger (and more expensive).

Ugh, I'm so sick of fast food chain games.

Via psfk

I remember back when I was in high school (what my son would call the "olden days"). When my friends and I finally scored drivers licenses and cheap used cars, we smelled freedom. Almost every day we'd escape the school's cafeteria and go out to lunch. We wouldn't go home or bring healthy, packed lunches to an off-campus spot to eat. Instead, we'd hit one of the fast-food joints downtown. It was a terrible habit to get into -- unhealthy and expensive.

Not too many years from now, my son will have the same freedom. We live practically next door to the local junior high and high school. I hope, when he has the freedom to leave school grounds at lunch, he opts to come home more often than not. I'd rather have him leave fast-food as an occasional treat, and choose healthful foods more regularly. (Though, if he brings home several teenage friends for lunch, my grocery bills will skyrocket!)

I just read an article which proves that students going out to lunch is a health decision parents and schools worry about around the globe. Short of preventing high school students from leaving the school campus, all we can do is teach our kids the importance of good nutrition from a young age. Then, hopefully, when they're old enough to do so, they make good choices.

Healthy fast food? Could there really be such a thing? A West Hollywood restaurant in California called O!burger seems to think so, and they're not talking cold sub sandwiches either. Burgers, fries, and shakes make up a good part of their menu, along with veggie burgers, yogurt smoothies, and salads.

Their main claim to fame (and health) is that they're 100% organic and striving to be eco-friendly in every way they can. They do have a healthy sounding veggie burger made of spinach and corn, but no mention of fat grams or calories. Is being organic enough to make such a broad claim like "healthy?" Unfortunately I don't live in the area and can't go try it for myself but if you do then give it a shot and let us know what you think!

There are many reasons that fast food isn't exactly a healthy choice. Most items are high in fat. The calorie count is certainly up there, too. But, there's a new reason to avoid fast food -- sometimes the sense of humor of the staff is a little off.

OK. So it's not fair to generalize. But this one Burger King restaurant in Ohio has some employees with a seriously strange sense of humor. An employee thought it would be funny to take a bubble bath in the restaurant's large, stainless steel sink. Another employee filmed the soapy caper and other employees -- including a manager -- looked on. The video was posted on MySpace.com, but has since been deleted.

Burger King released the following statement: "Burger King Corp. was just notified of this incident and is cooperating fully with the health department. We have sanitized the sink and have disposed of all other kitchen tools and utensils that were used during the incident. We have also taken appropriate correction action on the employees that were involved in this video. Additionally, the remaining staff at this restaurant is being retrained in health and sanitation procedures."

I should hope so. After all, I don't think this is quite what was meant by the "employees are required to wash hands" policy.

A recent report reveals that fast-food kid's meals have too many calories. This would be the point that you say "No, duh!"

Quite unsurprisingly, nearly every combination of the kid's meals at KFC, Taco Bell, Sonic, and Chick-fil-A are too fattening. Restaurants -- like McDonald's and Burger King that offer apple slices or other options instead of fries fared a little better. Subway came out on top, with 12 of its 18 possible kid's meal combinations under a reasonable amount of calories.

The study deemed a reasonable amount of calories as 430 -- based on the fact that the average 8-year-old should eat 1,200-1,300 calories a day.

Check out your knowledge about fast food and calories -- take this AOL Health quiz!

We now know that a city the size of New York can ban trans fats altogether. But is it possible for a city the size of Los Angeles to ban fast foods? The LA City Council thinks so, and they plan on doing just that for a whole year according to recent news.

OK, they're not banning all fast foods. Rather, it's a ban that will keep new fast foods restaurants from opening up in the LA area for a year. But just what defines a fast food restaurant? Here's the criteria: "any establishment which dispenses food for consumption on or off the premises, and which has the following characteristics: a limited menu, items prepared in advance or prepared or heated quickly, no table orders and food served in disposable wrapping or containers."

It's thought this move will help reduce rising obesity levels in the LA region. That and help independent sit-down restaurants establish roots. What do you think of the move? Will it work?

I know that every time that I make an effort to lose a few pounds, the first thing I think is usually not, "Hmmm, maybe Taco Bell for lunch." Fast food restaurants are often trying to change that unhealthy image, and Taco Bell is no exception. They have their "fresco" menu, nine items with nine grams of fat or less. And in Oklahoma City, they're giving away one free taco to residents as a reward for their weight loss efforts.

The restaurant teamed up with the local mayor in a city-wide weight loss challenge. When residents reached 100,000 pounds lost, Taco Bell decided to give everyone one free taco. I initially wanted to be critical of this partnership, since fast food is often loaded with fat, salt, and excessive calories. But I'm starting to think that Oklahoma City residents may have found that happy balance between eating right and enjoying a healthy indulgence now and then... even a free taco.

What do you think?

After dragging their feet for months, McDonald's has finally caught up with their competitors. The fast food restaurant has changed the oil they use for cooking their French fries to one that's trans fat-free. Though other restaurants had already made the switch, McDonald's was worried that the change would affect the taste of their trademark fries.

A few weeks ago, my husband told me that McDonald's now offers a salt-free Big Mac. I can't find any evidence that he's right about that one, but, in any case, my response was "Why would you want to eat something like that anyway?" It's ingredients like salt, fat, and sugar that make McDonald's meals taste the way they do, and those same ingredients disguise the fact that what you're eating is ultimately junk. I can see why McDonald's was worried about the change.

Any improvement is a good one, so now when you do indulge in an order of McDonald's fries, you won't have to worry about the trans fats. But keep in mind that you do still need to worry about the fat, sodium, and calories. Learn more about healthy fast food picks with AOL Body's slide show about diet-friendly fast foods. And don't forget to sign up for our Summer Quick Fix challenge!

When you're grabbing a meal on the run, most of us know better than to order our meal with fries. Why? They're loaded with fat and sodium, and will make a big caloric dent in our daily intake.

But when a sandwich isn't enough, what can we get to go with our fast food entree? Most places now offer sides of stuff like salad, fruit or other healthy fare. And at Wendy's, you can even enjoy potatoes without having to order them deep-fried and covered in salt -- you can order a baked potato on the side.

But are baked potatoes a healthier option than fries? One would think so, based on the fact that they're cooked in the oven instead of the deep fryer. But what baked potatoes lack in deep-fried goodness, they make up for with add-ons like sour cream, bacon bits, butter and cheese. Still, how bad can it be? You tell me.

You've been going strong with your healthy eating plan, but then -- from reasons unbeknownst even to you -- you suddenly find yourself in line at a fast food restaurant. Don't panic. Everything is going to be just fine.

As you make your way up to the counter, look confident. Don't show any signs to other customers or staff that you don't belong there. Just breathe normally and smile. You may be tempted to protect your cover by keeping things simple; that is, ordering by number. Resist this temptation. Instead, look the person at the counter in the eye and tell them that you'd like a grilled chicken sandwich. Plain. Ooooh ... what temerity. How dare you walk into their joint and order something plain. Well, you just did, and judging by the stone cold look on your face, they'll know not to question you. But then, just when they think you can't possibly turn their world any more upside-down, you're going to ask for a side of mustard. Since mayo and ketchup have a fair amount of either fat or sugar, you're going with the yellow stuff. Again, don't flinch or show any signs of disquietude.

Next, they'll probably ask you if you want a meal or just the sandwich. This is probably a test to see if you're the real deal or just some health narc working the fast food circuit. Look them dead in the eye and say, "Yeah, make it a meal. Only, I don't want fries. Give me a side salad." Now, at this point, don't be surprised if people start dialing friends and family on their cell phones, telling them that they think something's going down and that this may be the last time they ever speak with them. Good, now you have them scared.