Chowing down
     Use common sense when eating on the run
By Melanie Kalmar

Healthy eating on the go may sound like a contradiction of terms. 

For many, the thought of eating healthy is sure to conjure up images of drive-through windows at fast food restaurants and vending machines loaded with high fat snacks. 

Still, there are ways to eat at fast food dives and pick up snacks from vending machines without jeopardizing your health, according to Dietitian Cari Rivas, who is certain it can be done, as long as nutrition information is available.

“It’s difficult if the nutrition information is not available,” says Rivas, an outpatient dietitian at Alexian Brothers Medical Center in Elk Grove Village.  “But many fast food restaurants have nutrition information on their websites or at the restaurants.  They may have pamphlets or it’s posted.” 

So what exactly do you need to know before placing a fast food order?  Basically, you need to know what to avoid ordering.  Rivas steers clients away from foods with high sodium and high fat contents. 

     The biggest pitfall, she says, is sodium content.  Ingesting large quantities of sodium can aggravate already high blood pressure.  It hasn’t been confirmed but Rivas says that there may also be a link between high sodium intake and stomach cancer. 

The best defense is to know how much salt is in food before consuming it. 

“For general health, the American Heart Association recommends 2,400 milligrams of sodium per day,” says Rivas.  “When you think of it, a teaspoon of table salt has 2,300 milligrams of sodium in it.  If you’re using salt, it doesn’t leave much room for the food itself.”

Rivas advises skipping the mayonnaise and special sauces at fast food restaurants, which boost fat content.  To fill the void, you can ask that the sandwich be topped with extra lettuce and tomato.
Fat content ranks right up there with sodium content at fast food restaurants.  Even the healthy choices, like salads, can be fat traps. A salad topped with fried chicken, bacon and cheddar cheese is not a healthy choice because all three of those toppings are high in fat. 

Rivas suggests ordering salads that are topped with grilled items.  She says to avoid ordering regular sodas, which are high in calories.  A good alternative, but not necessarily a great one, is fruit juice.  Although it may contain the same amount of calories as soda, it contains healthy sugar and vitamins or at the very least, a vitamin.  In her opinion, the smartest beverage choice is water or low-fat milk.
Desserts may be the perfect ending to a delicious meal but the sweet treats at fast food restaurants can pack a high fat punch.  Rivas recommends eating fresh fruit for dessert, but she realizes that it’s not always available on fast food menus.

Vending machines, conveniently located in most larger business buildings and on most college campuses, carry few healthy snacks.  When dining from a vending machine seems to be the only option, Rivas recommends choosing pretzels (low-fat content but still high in sodium), peanuts (a high protein food that contains healthy fat), and the “light” version of microwave popcorn.
She is certain that it’s possible to avoid the vending machine altogether by carrying healthy snacks with you.

“Fresh fruit is kind of like an instant fast food, because it’s quick,” she says.  “You don’t have to keep it in the refrigerator.  And it’s filling because of the fiber content.” 
Another take-along snack, trail-mix (a home-made combination of dried fruits and nuts), is a healthy alternative to the vending machine version, which contains preservatives and high fat ingredients such as chocolate and coconut, says Rivas. 

Peanut butter on whole grain bread is yet another healthy snack that ranks high on Rivas’ list of vending machine alternatives.  She is partial to natural peanut butter because it lacks added sugars and hydrogenated oil.  It can be found among the processed peanut butters at the grocery store. 
Once you know how to order at a fast food restaurant and choose somewhat healthy snacks from a vending machine, it’s important to understand why proper nutrition is necessary.

     A variety of foods from the five basic food groups (carbohydrates, proteins, fruits and vegetables, and fats) should be consumed each day, says Rivas.  Each food group plays an important role in a person’s overall health. 

Carbohydrates serve as the body’s primary energy source, all the while fueling the brain and nervous system, says Rivas.  Protein helps the body build and repair muscle tissue.  Fruits and vegetables provide the body with vitamins, minerals, fiber, and plant compounds that help prevent or fight off chronic diseases, such as cancer, diabetes and heart disease.  And fats are an essential aid in certain metabolic processes. 

Exactly how many calories a man or woman should consume each day depends on height, weight and level of physical activity, says Rivas.  The bottom line for anyone who wants to lose weight is to expend more energy than you consume.

As for college students who want to avoid gaining the infamous “freshmen 15,” Rivas’ advice is to balance healthy eating with physical activity.