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"Hey, Not So Fast!"
"Well, they don’t call it fast food for nothing. Fast business
for fast people equals fast bucks in the pocket for these
whopping franchises. Believe me, they know the scenario all
to well. "
It is a safe assumption that Ronald McDonald is too busy tallying
up how many trillion hamburgers he’s served up. The Wendy’s
guy, Dave what’s-his-name, would rather help the old lady
at the drive-thru find the beef. And the short, chubby guy
with the apron? He’s somewhere out back, no doubt, making
the early-morning doughnuts, the dark circles forming under
his eyes.
Well, they don’t call it fast food for nothing. Fast business
for fast people equals fast bucks in the pocket for these
whopping franchises. Believe me, they know the scenario all
to well.
You’re whipping down that busy highway, late for an appointment
or in a hurry to get to work. Or maybe you’re on your way
home, knowing well that your refrigerator is as empty as your
stomach. Maybe you just don’t have the energy to even twist
the oven knob.
Nonetheless, you can’t help but become drawn to that sign
like a horseshoe magnet. Your car dips over the break in the
road and your eyes are instantly mesmerized by the golden
arches that seem to stretch halfway toward heaven.
You know that Ronald and Grimace and the Hamburgler and those
fuzzy, little creatures could care less about the diet your
on or the aspirations you hold to deflate the spare tire around
your waist.
No, they could give a McNugget. But at times like these, neither
do we, as we sharply cut the wheel and screech into the parking
lot.
Sometimes theres just no other choice.
But before you go making Big Macs out of doughnut holes, remember,
not everything you take out of these tiled establishments
has to turn out as a Whopper-sized indulgence. Here’s what
we mean:
McDONALD’S: The home of the Big Mac and the Filet of Fish
has flown the coop. The chicken  coop,
that is. That’s because the relatively new Grilled Chicken
Deluxe, without the fattening mayonnaise, stores only – get
this – five grams of fat! And it’s delicious!
Other wise choices on the menu would be the Grilled Chicken
Salad Deluxe with Red French Dressing and an 8-ounce container
of Low Fat Milk (12 grams of total fat). Or maybe a four-piece
order of Chicken McNuggets, a garden salad with fat-free vinaigrette
dressing, and an iced tea (11 grams of total fat). For the
breakfast crowd, the low-fat apple bran muffin or the hotcakes
(without butter, obviously) are wise choices.
BURGER KING: “Have it your way.”
Fine, then gimme a BK Broiler with no mayo (just 9 grams of
fat), a BK Side Salad (3 grams of fat) and a strawberry shake
(6 grams of fat). Next time, I’ll give the BK Broiled Chicken
Salad (10 grams of fat) a shot or maybe the BK Garden Salad
(5 grams of fat).
WENDY’S: What other fast-food joint sells baked potatoes?
‘Nuff said. Hold the butter and the sour cream and you have
yourself a wonderful, fat-free source for carbohydrates. Wendy’s
also has a grilled chicken sandwich that is healthy if you
specify the “no mayo, please.”
Also, if you have time to unfasten the seatbelt and take a
stroll inside, many Wendy’s establishments offer a fabulous
salad bar, where you can put your healthy diet into your own
hands.
DUNKIN’ DONUTS: Slam dunk the jelly doughnuts and try some
of DD’s new low-fat muffins. The low-fat version of Blueberry,
Cherry, Apple & Spice, Banana, and Cranberry Orange pack only
a gram and a half of fat each, while the Bran Low-fat Muffin
holds just one. Even the Low-fat Chocolate Muffin stores a
mere 2.5 grams of the fatty stuff. If muffins aren’t your
thing, most bagels served at DD’s range between a gram or
two per fat for each bagel. Dunkin’s also offers low-fat cream
cheese if you can’t bear to eat it plain.
DOMINO’S PIZZA: Okay. So maybe you’re home now from a brutal
day at the office and into the company of your fridge, your
stove, and your oven. But really, the last thing you feel
like hearing is the clanging of pots and pans. You just slipped
off that heavy coat or out of those uncomfortable heels and
now you’ve sunk into the sofa. The telephone is an arm’s length
away. Your mind says ‘no’ but you’re tummy is definitely saying
‘yes’.
Well, Domino’s isn’t that bad. It could be worse.
Two slices from a large cheese pizza total 9.88 grams of fat.
Not the end of the world. Two average pieces of their delicious
buffalo wings combine for 4.78 grams of fat. Not the end of
the world. Two of their crispy, delicious breadsticks total
6.68 grams of fat. Not the end of the world.
As for a large, thick-pan, four-topping pizza? Well, that’s
the end of this story.
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