Photo: Caleb Oquendo / Pexels
A restaurant can be bad not only because of its service or the taste of its food, it can also be because its food options are the least healthy.
We know that among pizzas, burritos, hamburgers and nuggets, fast food restaurant chains will hardly be the best choice if you are looking to control your weight or if you want to try a healthy diet. We will see which of the restaurants is the worst option according to a nutritionist.
One of the ways in which you can get away with going to these fast food restaurants is to choose dishes that can be balanced and healthier, trying to avoid excess saturated fat, excess sodium and added sugar. You would be surprised to know that there are slices of pizza that can have more calories than a full meal and almost the recommended sodium limit per day , Yes, in a single slice!
For Ilyse Schapiro , dietitian and nutritionist from New York University, the worst fast food restaurant is Burger King.
Although there are also other restaurants with very unhealthy hamburgers, hello double quarter pound with McDonald’s cheese , according to Schapiro, the BK’s problem is that it only has unhealthy options, without leaving you alternatives that allow you to eat a healthy and slightly balanced meal. As published Eat This, Not That, the classics are exceptionally high in calories, saturated fat, sodium and carbohydrates.
They not only affect your weight, but also your heart
There are options like the Texas Double Whopper that has 1876. 6 calories, 136. 3 grams of fat and 3079. 9 milligrams of sodium.
It far exceeds the sodium limits. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends consuming less than 2 grams of sodium per day , which is equivalent to 5 grams of salt. Excess sodium is associated with hypertension and an increased risk of heart disease and stroke.
Not to mention calories, only in the hamburger, not counting potatoes and not soda, you have almost all the calories used per day (2. 000 calories) as general nutritional advice.
If you go for a classic Impossible Whopper, have 628, 9 kcal and it is also high in sodium with 1077, 9 mg.
In addition to sodium may lead you to crave more salty foods and overeat, ” Saturated fat and trans fat are terrible for the heart, ”says Schapiro. What the dietitian said is endorsed by the American Heart Association (AHA ) which indicates that the consumption of foods containing saturated fats raises the level of cholesterol in the blood.
While trans fats that give food a desirable taste and texture, increase levels of bad cholesterol (LDL) and lower levels of good cholesterol (HDL) . Eating trans fat increases the risk of developing heart disease and stroke. It is also associated with an increased risk of developing type diabetes 2.
What about salads?
You may believe that a salad is a healthy option, but in BK some burgers may be a better option. Crispy Chicken Salad has 870 calories, 70, 5 g fat (14 g of saturated fat) and 1605 mg of sodium.
In case of If BK is your only option, Schapiro suggests ordering the grilled chicken sandwich.
You may be interested in:
