Is there any such thing as Healthy Fast Food?

"Recently, the New York Times food columnist Mark Bittman examined the nutritional merits of McDonald's Fruit & Maple Oatmeal, an apparently "healthy" breakfast item that actually contains more sugar than a Snickers bar and only 10 fewer calories than an Egg McMuffin. Yikes. But while it's easy to supersize our scorn for McDonald's, it's also worth noting that Mickey D's isn't playing the only shell game in town.

"Many other fast-food joints offer healthy-sounding options that aren't exactly health food. What follows are a few examples of health-washing: items that appear wholesome, but don't quite deliver on the nutrition front. The problems with the meals may vary, but the takeaway is the same: always scope out the nutrition information on a fast-food restaurant's website before you show up and order. You may be surprised by what you learn." (from Healthland, a component of Time magazine's online presence)

CLICK ON this link to read what's really in the fast-food dishes that sound like healthy choices when they are anything but. For instance, the piece on Time Magazine's website dissects such entrees as the McDonald's grilled chicken Caesar salad (22 fillers and additives in the chicken); the Jamba Juice "light" mango smoothie (85 grams of sugar in a regular size) and Applebee's sirloin with garlic herb shrimp (only 500 calories, but laden with 21 grams of fat and over 2,000 grams of sodium). It's enough to make you want to eat at home, all the time!

Read more: http://healthland.time.com/2011/03/07/health-washing-is-healthy-fast-food-for-real/#ixzz1G235rHSY