MCDONALD'S
With more than 970 restaurants across
Australia and close to 2 million people
dining there every day, it’s fair to say
McDonald’s won’t be disappearing
any time soon.
• (^) Avoid: If you do choose to dine
at the ubiquitous burger joint, then
at the very least avoid the Double
Quarter Pounder and the BBQ Bacon
Lovers Burger. For each of these
burgers you would be consuming
more than 3500kJ, at least 50g fat,
with almost 50 per cent of that being
saturated (bad) fat, and almost 75 per
cent of your daily sodium allowance.
And, if you choose to add in a side of
Gravy Loaded Fries, expect to add
another 1320kJ, 15g fat, 30g carbs
and 500mg sodium (bringing you up
to 100 per cent of your suggested
daily target for sodium).
And, don’t be fooled into thinking
all salads are a healthy option! The
Crispy Chicken Caesar Salad has
more kilojoules, fat and sodium than
the traditional Big Mac Burger.
- Choose: Opt for a Fillet-o-Fish
burger, which will curb your
burger craving but be
far less damaging to
your waistline and
health, containing
1420kJ, 15g fat (of
which only 3g is
saturated), 32g
carbs and 613mg
sodium. Up your fibre intake to
make it a more satisfying meal
by adding a garden salad.
If you must choose a dessert, stick
to a Soft Serve cone, but remember
to count the carbs, because this little
30-cent cone contains 22g carbs
(1½ exchanges), 612kJ and 5g fat.
Don't be fooled
into thinking
all salads are healthy
GUZMAN & GOMEZ
Unfortunately, many options here are
laden with fats and sodium and are
also often quite high in carbs.• (^) Avoid: The worst is the Enchilada
range, which contains upwards of
4670kJ, about 50g of total fat
(20g saturated fat), at least 108g
carbs (7 exchanges) and 2700mg
sodium (more than your daily
allowance in one meal!). Although
the Taco and Quesadilla ranges are
a lighter option, they also tend to
be very low in fibre, so won’t keep
you feeling full for very long.
- Choose: The pick of the menu items
here would have to be the Spicy-
Sautéed Vegetables with Guacamole.
This would make an ideal lunch option
containing only 1070kJ, about 15g fat
(only 3g saturated fat), 20g carbs
(1½ exchanges), 7.5g fibre and only
485mg sodium. However, it is best
to skip the Mexican dressing that is
offered, as this would add on an extra
550kJ and a whooping 14g fat! If you
are looking for a larger meal option,
then team this salad with a Mild
Seared Barramundi Soft Taco to
bring your total meal up to
approximately 1800kJ, 21g fat
(less than 5g saturated fat), 35g carbs
(2½ exchanges), more than 8g fibre
and about 880mg sodium.KFC
Hmmmm, deep fried chicken.... Where do we begin?! Obviously,
anything deep fried is going to be high in fat, and it seems the
Colonel’s secret recipe contains a fair hit of salt (sodium) as well.- Avoid: Definitely steer clear of the Zinger Stacker Combo, which has
more than 3900kJ, 45g fat, a whooping 88g of carbs (6 exchanges)
and 2500mg sodium. And the desserts are a meal in themselves! - Choose: The Honey Mustard Twister is your safest bet. The chicken is
baked, not fried, and it includes some salad in the tortilla wrap, offering
about 1700kJ, 11g fat ( 1 / 3 of which is saturated fat), 50g of carbs
(3½ exchanges) and just over 530mg sodium.
diabetic living MAY/JUNE 2019 105eat smart