Fast Food Vegetarian?
Is this really possible to find a healthy fast food option thatĄ¯s vegetarian? Anything is possible, my friends, you just have to make smart selections. Some fast-food restaurants have made revisions to their menus to accommodate vegetarians, adding veggie burgers and more exciting salads. Here are some great tips to eat healthy vegetarian meals at fast food joints:
- Pick grilled options over fried (if available)
- Skip the special sauces, cheese, and mayonnaise
- Order regular-sized or junior meals instead of paying extra and getting large meals (portions matter).
- Go for the salad but ask for low fat or fat free dressing.
- If you can handle it, avoid the dressing altogether and enjoy a dessert instead (dressings have more calories than cookies).
- DonĄ¯t get soft drinks, ask for skim milk or unsweetened iced tea instead.
Fast-Food Restaurants
Many fast-food restaurants now offer vegetarian options, but if you find yourself stuck, simply order a cheeseburger, minus the burger (if you eat cheese). You could also try a tomato sandwich on a bun.
Quick Breakfast Fix
IĄ¯m sure that someone probably told you when you were growing up that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Guess what? They werenĄ¯t lying to you. ItĄ¯s important to get that first meal in. And, the good news for vegetarians is that breakfast is the easiest meal to find healthy meatless options for, even healthy fast food options that are meatless. If you want a vegetarian breakfast thatĄ¯s low in fat and fast, here are some great tips:
- Take your breakfast with you; pack a whole-grain bagel or muffin, a hard-boiled egg, yogurt or a small jar of peanut butter and some fruit in your bag and take it with you to work.
- Make a weekly trip to the grocery store and buy things like fresh juices in individual bottles, whole-grain cereal (unsweetened) and eggs that you can hard-boil at home.
- Stop at a caf¨Ļ on the way out in the morning. However, skip the sweet sugary stuff like doughnuts and pastries and stay away from the fried stuff too. Try to find things that are whole wheat or have no added sugars.
- Low-sugar and high-fiber and high-protein choices are the way to go. Get something like a bagel w/ light cream cheese or a piece of quiche.
- Read the labels on breakfast bars (many are high in sugar).
- In a pinch, grab a piece of fruit.
Quick and Healthy
Looking for some healthy fast food to take on the go? Preparing easy vegetarian meals to enjoy on the go is simple, try these fantastic Mexican meals that you can easily prepare in minutes:
- Quick Quesadillas: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Put some whole-wheat tortillas on a cookie sheet. Put heaping spoonfuls of canned black beans on top followed by salsa, scallions, and fat-free cheese (or vegan cheese). Bake for 10 minutes.
- Fast Veggie Chili: Heat up some low-fat canned vegetarian chili and pour over a plain baked potato or cooked brown rice. Sprinkle some fat-free cheese (or vegan cheese) on top and add low fat sour cream and scallions.
New Options
Guess what, "fast food" doesn't have to mean McDonald's or Burger King. However, for some reason establishments like these have claimed the term "fast food" for themselves. The truth is that Americans don't need fast food joints to eat fast foods, especially healthy fast foods. The best kinds of fast foods are ones that are good for you. If you need good food quick be smart about it. Invest in some prepackaged meals that you can carry with you. Here are some delicious ideas that are readily available on most grocery shelves:
- Tuscan mushroom risotto
- ?Thai lemongrass with rice noodles
- Spanish paella
- Pad Thai with rice noodles
- 3-Bean chili
Beware of Cheese
A vegetarian diet is commonly thought of as a healthy diet and it often is. However, finding a healthy fast food choice thatĄ¯s vegetarian can be difficult. Often times the vegetarian options at fast food establishments are loaded with fat. If you're a vegetarian or are thinking about becoming one, watch out for a common fat trapcommonly found in fast foodsĄĒdairy.
Milk, cheese and yogurt are excellent sources of protein, calcium and vitamin D (things you need while adhering to a vegetarian diet, or any diet). However, these types of foods are regularly made with whole milk, which we all know to contain a lot of fat. While vegetarians do need some fat in their diet this fat is the saturated kind, which can clog arteries and lead to heart disease.
*Most cheeses contain 7 to 9 grams of fat in each ounce (an ounce is about the size of a peanut in its shell).
Healthy Fast Food
There are many organic convenience foods now available. You will find cold and hot cereals, canned beans and tomatoes, pasta sauces, eggless mayonnaise, salsa, frozen vegetables and fruits, entrees, jams, vegetable broths, and sauerkraut, to name a few. Packaged whole wheat bread, pita bread and tortillas can also save you lots of time in the kitchen.