For people who want to catch news about new offerings, deals and promotions from fast food restaurants across the United States, this website is here for you.
Fast Food Restaurants Near Me: Deals and Food News
Firehouse Subs Brings Back Name of the Day Promo
Panda Express Offers 25 Percent Off Purchase
Panera Offers $5 Off Promo Code and 20% Off Gift Card
Sonic Offers Half Price SuperSONIC Double Cheeseburger Deal
Chipotle Offers Free Burritos for NBA Competition
7-Eleven Introduces English Muffin with Sausage, Egg & Cheese
Subway Offers Buy One Get 50% Off Another
7 Eleven Offers Maple Flavored Sausage, Egg & Cheese Taquito for a Limited Time
Bojangles Breakfast Menu
Chick Fil A Breakfast Menu
Starbucks Breakfast Menu
Sonic Breakfast Menu
Wawa Breakfast Menu (100+ Options)
Arby’s Breakfast Menu Prices and Calories
Taco Bell Breakfast Menu and Prices
Hardee’s Breakfast Menu (10 Options)
Fast Food Restaurants Near Me: Menu Calories
For people that are mindful of their daily calories intake, this section will serve as a guide. You will find the menu of each restaurants and the estimated calories of each menu item.
Nearby Restaurants
Can I find some fast food restaurants near me that is open now? Where are the places to eat near me? Those may be the questions you are about to ask. This page contains some of the top restaurants you can find in the United States.
You will not only find top restaurants in USA, you will be provided information about their menu and calories. You can also find out the recent fast food promotions and offers from our food deals page. The food deals page keeps you updated about different offers and promotions by various restaurants across the united States. Our blog section contains more food deals and other promotions that might interest you. We also provide you information about the latest news in the food industry.
Top Fast Food Restaurant Chains in USA
In case you have a specific restaurants in mind as your choice place to eat food, below are some top selected top fast food restaurants in USA where you can enjoy good food. By following the specific restaurant link, you will be able to restrict your search to the restaurant’s nearest location to the place where you are. Besides, you will be able to find out their menu and calories. For instance, if you click on Domino’s Near Me, you will find its menu and calories. Although the list of the top restaurant chain here is not exhaustive, if you are in the United States and you search for food places near me, don’t be surprised that the results you may likely get are the following restaurants.
Food Places to Eat Near Me
Around the world, food is a basic need that people cannot do without. You may choose not to buy cloth for some months as long as you still have some you can wear. But you cannot say because you ate yesterday that you will not eat today. That is why food will always be in demand at all times whether the economy is in boom or recession. However, during economic boom, people tend to have more disposable income. Instead of cooking, they may choose to find top brand restaurants or other good places to eat near them. If you live in a city, finding good places to eat cannot be a challenge. There are many fast food restaurant chains almost in every major cities selling chicken, pizza, burger, sandwich, desserts, beverages and other menu. Some of them even serve kid’s meals, family meals and catering. However, the restaurants may seems to be selling the same thing, but the quality of their services will largely determine whether people will continue to patronize them or not. That is why some people will not mind going beyond looking for nearby restaurants. Instead, they are looking for good places where they can have good meal. So, what makes a good meal or good restaurant? Find out below:
Quality of A Good Fast Food Restaurant
When you enter a restaurant, the quality of their services will determine whether you will return to the same place at your next visit. If you are like me, the following are some of the things I look forward to see or enjoy in any restaurant I visit.
High quality food: When I walk through the fast food restaurant doors, I am expecting to enjoy their meal. I can’t endure restaurants that compromise the quality of the food they serve. It is the quality of the food I am served that will encourage me to patronize them the next time. If the food is not up to the standard I expected, I will continue to try other restaurants near me until I finally settle for one. A good restaurant should be able to set high standards when it comes to the food quality. And there should be consistency in such that customers enjoy the same quality every time. If you look at great restaurants around today, they didn’t become great by accident. Ability to serve quality and tasty food is what that has earned them a good reputation thereby causing customers to make return visits. All good restaurants ensure that they recruit and retain highly experienced chef, who prepares meals using the best, high quality ingredients to ensure consistency. The truth is that, the facts that I have many restaurants near me does not mean they are all qualified to have me as their customer. When it comes to quality, I don’t mind leaving all the restaurants near me for the one that serves quality food even though it seems farther.
Quality Service: Good food is what thing. Quality service is another thing. Fast food restaurants should be customer centric. For any company to continue to enjoy an increase in customer lifetime value and a reduction in churn, it must know how to put customers at heart. Subway, McDonald’s, Starbucks and KFC are good examples of brands that are customer centric and have spent years creating a culture around the customer and their needs. A great fast food restaurant will ensure that the wait staff help to enhance the guest experience through being courteous and maintaining a great attitude. The servers should have a good knowledge about the cuisine. At times, customers may not actually know what to order that will meet their needs. They should be able to advise customers about the available options and flavour available. Ability to address issues promptly and ensure that the food and drinks get to the customers in a timely manner is very important.
The restaurant environment: There is a good reason why successful restaurants invest vast resources to create the perfect atmosphere. The fact is that the atmospheric condition of a restaurant can be a determining factor whether customers will continue to patronize or stay away. Customers usually look beyond serving good food. They also look forward to having good overall experience when they visit a restaurant. When customers go out, they want to know that they are eating in a clean environment and getting the best service. Customers like to have enjoyable dining experience. This includes a great location, the best character, the right mood and the right atmosphere. The factors that affect the ambience of a restaurant include the decor, background music, comfortable seating, openness, and the lighting. Being unique or different is actually good as this helps in distinguishing restaurant from the rest. Some of the leading fast food restaurants have a standard way of arranging their seats. This is part of branding.
Menu: Although there are fast food restaurants that concentrate on just few items as their menu, I like to have options. Even, if what a restaurant sells is just chicken, it is good that chicken of different flavors are available so that customers can have a choice. Besides chicken, it will be great to find Hamburger, Sandwiches, Cakes, Pizza, Sauce, Donuts and Biscuits. More menu may draw more customers.
Cleanliness: How would you feel if you see flies perching on your food while eating. This can be disgusting. For customers to really have good and memorable dining experience, the restaurant must be clean. No one wants to eat in a place that is dirty. Dirty environment reflects badly on the overall service delivery of any fast food restaurant. Unsanitary restrooms, dirty floors and tables, unpleasant smells are some of those things that can easily drive guests away from a restaurant. Management should not compromise on keeping the restaurant clean. The consequences of not having a good environment are not good on any restaurant. If a restaurant is able to maintain a clean environment, customers will be able to sit down in a relaxed mood waiting for their meal to be served. Besides, healthy environment can help avoid potential issues such as illness. Places like front and back of the restaurant, restrooms and employee areas must be kept clean at all times.
Uniqueness: Most people are looking for something different when they decide to dine out. A great fast food restaurant promises to offer something that is not available elsewhere. That is why you see people searching for a specific fast food brand instead of just searching for restaurants near me. Being unique will always set a restaurant apart from others. That may be what will draw customers to a particular restaurant and keep them coming to the same place over and over. Provision of good food and service is not enough. Other restaurants also offer good meal. If customers can get the same experience from dozens of other restaurants nearby, they are bound to overlook the restaurant. A great restaurant will have one or several unique features that will different them from others. This is what will create a competitive advantage for the restaurant.
Pricing: The price is an important consideration when people are dining out and it takes into account different characteristics of the restaurant. Have you ever wondered why some restaurants charge much more than others? Restaurants actually charge for the overall experience provided to customers and not just the food. Restaurant customers expect the prices to reflect the type of food, overall atmosphere of the restaurant and the level of service provided. Customers will always complain if they feel that they are not getting value for their money. A good restaurant will always strive to set a balanced price. Prices that seem not to reflect the value that customers enjoy will upset them. This will discourage repeat business. On the other hand, if a restaurant charges unreasonably low prices, this can raise suspicion about the food and service quality.
In every region, you find many fast food restaurants. However, you may discover that while some are virtually almost empty while some are always filled to capacity every time. some people usually prefer popular restaurants because they know that they have been tested and proved over time. If you are looking for places to eat for a special occasion, make sure that you do some research. Thanks to the internet, you can always find out the good restaurants near me without even leaving your home. How do I recognize good restaurants near me when I have not tasted their food? That question is expected. Well, by reading reviews and restaurant ratings, you will be able to make the best choice.
Popular Fast Food Restaurants By Menu Category
If you are searching for places to eat based on the menu category, we have grouped some of the restaurants in the United States according to their menu category. This will guide you when searching for nearby restaurants.
Bojangles’, Boston Market, Guthrie’s, Brown’s Chicken & Pasta, Church’s / Texas Chicken, Roy Rogers, Chester’s, Chick-fil-A, Smithfield’s, Chicken Express, Chicken Salad Chick, Cluck-U, Golden Skillet, El Pollo Loco, Golden Chick, Hartz Chicken, Popeyes, KFC, Mrs. Winner’s, Raising Cane’s, Bush’s Chicken, Louisiana Famous Fried Chicken, Zankou Chicken and Zaxby’s.
Asian
Panda Express, L&L Hawaiian Barbecue, Pei Wei Asian Diner, Manchu Wok, P. F. Chang’s China Bistro and Pick Up Stix
Smoothie King, Caribou Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, Argo Tea, Planet Smoothie, Coffee Beanery, Juice It Up!, Dunkin’ Donuts, Gloria Jean’s, Heine Brothers’, Intelligentsia Coffee & Tea, Starbucks, Jamba Juice, Orange Julius, Peet’s, Biggby Coffee, Robeks, Seattle’s Best Coffee, Dunn Bros, Tropical Smoothie Cafe and Tully’s.
Baked goods
Auntie Anne’s, Au Bon Pain, Bruegger’s, Cinnabon, Cheesecake Factory, Corner Bakery Café, Duck Donuts, Daylight Donuts, Einstein Bros., T.J. Cinnamons, Honey Dew Donuts, Great American Cookies, Insomnia Cookies, Mrs. Fields, Krispy Kreme, Nestlé Toll House, Panera Bread, Shipley Do-Nuts, Pretzelmaker/Pretzel Time, Tim Hortons, Wetzel’s and Winchell’s.
Wendy’s, Fatburger, A&W, Shake Shack, Back Yard, Burger King, Burgerville, Carl’s Jr., Hwy 55, Cheeburger Cheeburger, Culver’s, Dairy Queen, Five Guys, Fuddruckers, The Habit, Big Boy, Hardee’s, In-N-Out, Jack in the Box, Cook Out, Sonic, Johnny Rockets, Krystal, Checkers/Rally’s, McDonald’s, Red Robin, BurgerFi, Smashburger, Freddy’s, Steak ‘n Shake, Wayback, Arctic Circle, Roy Rogers, Whataburger and White Castle.
Frozen desserts
Pinkberry, Graeter’s, Dairy Queen, Rita’s Sweet Frog, MaggieMoo’s, Baskin-Robbins, Carvel, Cold Stone Creamery, Dippin’ Dots, Friendly’s, Golden Spoon, Häagen-Dazs, Handel’s, Marble Slab, Oberweis, Red Mango, Bruster’s Tastee-Freez, TCBY, Braum’s, Tutti Frutti, Fosters Freeze, Ben & Jerry’s, Tropical Sno, Yogen Früz Menchie’s and Yogurtland.
Taco Time, Baja Fresh, Taco Cabana, Del Taco, Freebirds, Fuzzy’s, Green/Red Burrito, Taco Bueno, Moe’s, Rubio’s, Rusty Taco, Chipotle, Salsarita’s, Taco Bell, Pancheros, Taco del Mar, Cafe Rio, El Pollo Loco, Taco John’s, Qdoba, Taco Mayo, La Salsa, Tijuana Flats and Wahoo’s Fish Taco.
Lee’s Sandwiches, Subway, Jerry’s Subs, Arby’s, Daphne’s, Blimpie, Steak Escape, Capriotti’s, Togo’s, Erbert & Gerbert’s, Great Wraps, Jason’s, Jersey Mike’s, Penn Station, D’Angelo, Jimmy John’s, Lenny’s Sub, McAlister’s Deli, Atlanta Bread, Miami Subs, Port of Subs, Cousins, Potbelly, Rax, Sandella’s, Firehouse Subs, Newk’s Eatery, Schlotzsky’s, Charley’s, Quiznos, Così, Tubby’s, Primo Hoagies,Tudor’s Biscuit World and Which Wich?
Hot dogs
Portillo’s, Wienerschnitzel, Nathan’s Famous and Hot Dog on a Stick
Seafood
California Fish Grill, Arthur Treacher’s, Captain D’s, Skippers Seafood & Chowder House, H. Salt Esquire, Ivar’s and Long John Silver’s
Domino’s, Pizza Hut, Little Caesars. Papa John’s, Papa Murphy’s Pizza. Marco’s Pizza, Round Table Pizza, Hungry Howie’s Pizza, MOD Pizza, Chunk E. Cheese’s, Jet’s Pizza, Cicis, Blaze Pizza, Pizza Ranch, Godfather’s Pizza, Sbarro, Donatos Pizza, Mountain Mike’s Pizza, Pizza Pro and Rosati’s Pizza.
Texas Roadhouse, Outback Steakhouse, Longhorn Steakhouse, Ruth’s Chris Steak House, Logan’s Roadhouse, The Capital Grille, Saltgrass Steak House, Texas de Brazil Churrascaria, Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar, Fogo de Chao, Morton’s The Steakhouse, Mastro’s Restaurants, Del Frisco’s Double Eagle Steak House, Black Angus Steakhouse and STK.
Sports Bar
Buffalo Wind Wings, Hooters, Dave & Buster’s, Miller’s Ale House, Twin Peaks, Beef ‘O‘ Brady’s, Hurricane Grill & Wings, Duffy’s Sports Grill and The Brass Tap.
Specialties
Krispy Kreme, Tropical Smoothie Café, Auntie Anne’s, Smoothie King, Captain D’s Seafood Kitchen, Jamba Juice, Long John Silver’s, Fazoli’s, Dickey’s Barbecue Pit, Cinnabon, Wetzel’s Pretzels and Sweetgreen, Great American Cookies and L&L Hawaiian Berbecue.
IHOP, Denny’s, Cracker Barrel, Waffle House, Bob Evans, Perkins Restaurant & Bakery, First Watch, Village Inn, Black Bear Dinner, Big Boy/Frisch’s Big Boy, Friendly’s, Huddle House, Shoney’s The Original Pancake House, Shari’s Café and Pies, Eat’n Park and Metro Diner.
Applebee’s, Chili’s Grill & Bar, Ninety Nine Restaurants, The Cheesecake Factory, Red Robin Gourmet Burgers and Brew, TGI Fridays, BJ’s Restaurant & Brewhouse, Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen, Ruby Tuesday, Yard House, O’Charley’s, Bar Louie, Cooper’s Hawk Winery & Restaurants, Season 52, Bahama Breeze Island Grille, Hard Rock Café, Johnny Rockets, Claim Jumper, Mimi’s Café, Houlihan’s, J. Alexander’s, The Melting Pot, Firebirds Wood Fired Grill, Lazy Dog Restaurant & Bar, Island Fine Burgers & Drinks, Old Chicago Pizza & Taproom, True Food Kitchen, Roosters, Grand Lux Café, Rainforest and 54th Street Restaurant & Drafthouse.
Others
Sbarro, Fazoli’s, The Halal Guys, Hooters, Denny’s, IHOP, Skyline Chili, Noodles & Company and Zippy’s.
Kindly note that the restaurants above are not the only good places to eat in the United States. There are other great and smaller brands that serve good food. Besides, there are other restaurants such as Chinese restaurants, Italian restaurants, Indian restaurants, Caribbean restaurants and Japanese restaurants and Greek restaurants. The restaurants are named after a specific country not necessarily because the owners come from the country. They are named after the food they serve their quests. Essentially, they serve regional cuisines. For examples, Chinese restaurants serve Chinese food; Italian restaurants serve Italian food; Indian restaurants serve Indian food while Caribbean restaurants serve Caribbean food. Therefore, the type of cuisine you want to eat will determine the restaurant you go to.
Popular Restaurants Search Terms
Let me further guide you on how to ensure you find a good place to eat near you. You can use different search terms. The popular search term for people looking for restaurants are:
- Nearby restaurants
- Restaurants open near me
- Food open near me
- Fast food near me
- Places to eat near me
But if you want to eat a specific regional cuisine, you can try search terms like the following depending on your preference.
- Chinese restaurants near me
- Italian restaurants near me
- Indian restaurants near me
- Caribbean restaurants near me
- Japanese restaurants near me
- Greek restaurants near me
I believe that before you finish using all the above restaurants search terms, you should be able to locate some nearby restaurants.
Read Also: Chinese Food Near Me – Chinese Restaurant
Relevance of Fast Food Restaurants
Despite the comments by some people that fast food restaurants serve unhealthy foods, the industry still continues to grow. The truth is that, there are several restaurants in USA that offer a variety of fast food which will not have unhealthy effects on the health. The growth of fast food restaurants in USA and around the world can be attributable to the following:
It saves time: There is no gainsaying that Americans are very busy. No time to do all the necessary things including cooking at home. At the same time, we know that man must eat. With fast food restaurants almost everywhere, you can just dash in and pick the food of your choice and within few minutes, you are done. Imagine if a busy executive need to wake up in the morning and start preparing for her kids before setting out for her job. With early morning heavy traffic, she might possibly get late to work. Instead, dashing into a restaurant on her way to work or looking for a nearby restaurant at her working place to eat will definitely save her time. In today economy, the reality is that many people need to take up two jobs before they can make ends meet. Where will such people have time to cook? The option may be for them to depend on nearby restaurants for their meals.
It is convenient: In USA, top restaurants like McDonalds and Starbucks have their branches in almost every street in major cities. So, you don’t need to stress yourself before you locate restaurants nearby. Even now, some of the restaurants that only focus on sales of one menu now offer varieties. So, you can be sure of getting a nice meal from restaurants just across the street. Even, most restaurants now have platforms that allow customers to order for food online. They offer home delivery service.
It is affordable: The average cost of a meal at a fast food restaurant is considerably low in most locations. You can choose a combo meal from some of top restaurants nearby for less than five dollars. For instance, at Checkers, you can order two spicy chicken sandwiches for $3.00. Top brands like McDonald’s and Burger King offer value meals and menu items that can have you pay less than $4 for some food products. However, the fact that a meal is cheap does not mean you must buy them. You may need to check all the nutritional information about the food.
Healthy Choices: Just as I said, restaurants are now responding to the needs of customers who are health conscious. They now offer healthy foods option. But you need to note that healthier options like grilled chicken, salads, fish and wraps can be a bit more expensive. Nevertheless, you can be sure of getting your choice. Top brands usually provide calories information about their menu. So, customers can control their calories intake. If you visit the websites of the top brands in the industry, you will see the list of their menu and you can review the nutritional information about each menu. This is in line with the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 which requires chain restaurants to post calorie counts on menu boards. Some exceptions apply to small chains, family-owned establishments or individual restaurants. If you prepare your own meal, you may not be able to determine the level of calories you consume per time.
Consistent Quality Services: If you want to enjoy great meal consistently, the best place to turn to may be restaurants. If you enter any of the top restaurants, you can be sure of getting consistent services and taste of the food you are buying. For instance, KFC in New York will offer you the same quality service you enjoy in California. Their staffs are well trained and their food products are often ship from similar vendors. All locations of the same brand of restaurant maintain the same formula for preparing their menu.
Job Opportunities: A lot of many job opportunities are attributable to many restaurants that we have spread all over the country and around the world. Take out restaurants from USA, the economy may likely collapse. Millions of Americans earn their living from restaurants either as an employees or entrepreneurs operating a franchise. Any time you eat from any of the nearby restaurants, you are actually supporting local jobs and businesses.
How to Save Money at Restaurants
Many personal financial experts will tell you that if you want to save money on food, that you should not patronize restaurants. They will tell you that it is cheaper to make your own meal at home. I totally agree with them. Anytime you buy food from restaurant, you are not just paying for the food. You are also paying for their services and the nice environment they create for you to enjoy. But the truth is that, how many of us have the time to prepare our food at home? If you work on 9 – 5 pm job, you will need to leave home early and possibly return home late. In fact, there are instances where both parents work in a corporate world. This situation makes it almost impossible for people like that not to patronize restaurants. Besides, there are people who have the time but they just hate cooking. On the other hand, there are other class of people who would have loved to cook their own meals but they don’t know how to cook. Whatever might be your reason for buying food from restaurants, you don’t need to spend all your money on food. There are creative ways you can employ to save few bucks. These are discussed below:
Go for self service: Eating at fine-dining restaurants costs money. Instead of going to fine-dining restaurants, you will save money buying food from casual dining restaurants. You will even save more money if you go to restaurants where you can do your own service. This is because, the restaurants will not charge you for waiters.
Order takeout: A lot of people have a misconception about eating at home. Eating at home does not necessarily mean that you should prepare your own meal. You can order takeout from a restaurant and eat the food at home. At home, you can decide to add other extras which would have cost your much money if you ate at the restaurant.
Don’t order drinks: You should order just water at the restaurants. Even if possible, you may not buy bottled water. You can opt for tap water. Drinks are very expensive at restaurants. Any time you buy drinks at restaurant, you are actually paying as high as four times the price of the drink. Soda can even be sold as much as eight times the amount that the restaurant paid for it. Since you go there to eat, you can buy soda and other beverages elsewhere and possibly take them home to drink. However, if you must take a glass of wine to enjoy your meal, there are restaurants that will allow you to bring your own bottle. What you will need to pay as a corkage fee cannot be compared to your savings on the drinks.
Check for deals: Restaurants usually advertise food deals. Taking advantage of such deals can save you money. You can follow your favorite restaurants on social media. This will help you have first time information on their food deals.
Use reward credit card: There are credit card companies that issue cash back reward cards. Using such card to pay for your food can help you accumulate enough points which you can redeem. Even if you are not paid back the cash, you can use the credit to buy other things.
Sign up for freebies: If you sign up for newsletters on freebies, you will constantly be receiving mails about promos and coupons which you can use to order food at discounts. However, your inbox may be flooded by series of mails.
Join loyalty club: If you are the type that buy regularly from a particular restaurants, it is good that you join a loyalty club of your favorite restaurant. Members do enjoy free meals, Buy One Get One Offers and free chips some times.
Join birthday club: Many restaurants have birthday club. You can sign up for this on their websites. Of course, birthday comes once in a year. But imagine receiving birthday coupons from couples of restaurants. And you don’t necessarily need to use your coupons on your birthday. Some will arrive early. Imagine the amount you can save on birthday coupons in a year especially if you have a large family and all of you enroll in birthday club.
Share your meal: Why do you need to leave food on the table? In most cases, restaurants will serve you more than you can eat. Instead of wasting food, why can’t you share your food with your partner if that will be okay for both of you?
Carry the Leftovers: Any time you are served with oversized meal, you don’t need to overeat nor do you need to waste the leftovers. You can take tome the leftovers either for yourself or pets. Even though you may not be saving money on the meal as you still need to pay the real menu price, you will save money from not having to buy additional food for your pet.
You don’t need to tip: I understand that tipping is an American culture. But the truth is that, you can avoid tipping by patronizing restaurants where you are not expected to tip.
Attend Happy Hour: If you know that you are the type that can’t do without drinking, then it is cheaper to buy drinks during Happy Hour. Go to your favorite restaurant during happy hour. This will save you some money over time.
Avoid appetizers and desserts: Buying snacks on your way to the restaurants may be a good way to avoid appetizers. In like manner, you can buy your desserts from a store after your meal. It is far cheaper when you buy from stores.
Buy discounted gift cards: You can save between 5 – 20% on discounted gift certificates. However, you need to read the terms and conditions. Some will require that you should make minimum purchase of $50 at the restaurant. You can search for discounted gift cards from Cardpool.
Research Online: Just type “restaurants near me” or “food places near me” in your search engine, you will see all the nearby restaurants. A lot of restaurants post their menu and prices on their websites. You can compare menu prices online to determine where you can be getting a particular menu at cheap rate. Without comparing prices, you may not know if you are paying too much for your food.
Buy Lunch: If you patronize restaurants regularly, you must have observed that dinners are more expensive than lunch even when both are the same menu. Instead of waiting for dinner, you can buy late lunch. Some restaurants sell their lunch till 4.00 pm. If you still feel like eating later, you can just take light food that is less expensive. Even, there are some restaurants that offer early bird specials for diners that arrive before a specific time say like 6pm.
Guide to Healthy Eating at Fast Food Restaurants
If you seek for advice on how to live a healthy lifestyle, you may probably be told not to eat fast food. The reason is that, some of the fast food you see around are full of sodium, calories and unhealthy fat. But if you live in a city where you have to hustle for almost everything, there is tendency that you don’t have time to prepare your meal at home. This makes eating at fast food restaurants inevitable. Since you cannot avoid eating fast food, then it is important to learn how to make choices that will help you live a healthy lifestyle. Below will serve as a guide:
Choose healthier menu: Each fast food restaurant has list of their menu items. The menu items come with different amount of calories and sodium. Also, each menu has a price tag. Instead of focusing on price or on how to make some savings, it is more important to choose menu that are healthier which can provide you balance diet that you need. For instance, you can choose food that are high in protein, fiber and wheat instead of the food that are loaded with unhealthy fat. On the other hand, going for salad or soup may be a better option than fries. The American Heart Association warns against excessive consumption of salt especially if you are an adult. The recommended intake of salt intake is set below 1500 mg per day. It is expected that salt intake should not exceed 2300 mg per day. Ordering salty items like fried chicken and fries from fast food restaurants can make you exceed the daily salt intake.
Avoid Super-sized portions: Have you ever been served supersized burgers, sandwiches and sides? If you look at the meal, you will agree with me that single serving may sometimes be enough for two meals. The problem is not just about the size. The problem is that, the more of these burgers, sandwiches and sides that you take, the more calories you consume. Instead of ordering supersized, you can opt for small portion. In case you are served supersized, you don’t have to finish it. If you don’t want to waste the food, you can share the meal with a friend or take the remaining home for your dog.
Limit your fast food restaurants visits: Eating at fast food restaurants should not be a daily affairs. Instead, it should be a treat that you do occasionally. With this, it may not matter as such the choice you make any time you eat fast food. Eating supersized burgers or sandwiches once a while will not have as much impact on your health as somebody that makes fast food restaurants a daily habit.
Maintain Personal Hygiene: In most cases, people tend to focus only on the cleanliness of fast food restaurant environment without taking their own personal hygiene into consideration. It is possible to contact diseases eating fast food even when the food had been prepared under good hygiene if you don’t wash your hands before eating. Also, it is better to eat fast food when it is still hot. In case you order drive through and need to take the food home to eat, it is advisable to warm it before eating. This will ensure that any bacteria that might found its way to the food is killed.
Check menu nutrition facts: It is good to know the nutrition facts of the menu you want to order. All fast food restaurants are expected to have their nutrition facts available. Some of them publish it on their website. You should feel free to ask the employee of the fast food restaurant you visit for a copy of their nutrition facts. At least, this will help you know the amount of calories in their menu. But how do you know how much calories you should eat? The amount of calories to eat is determined by many factors such as your gender, age, weight, height and your activity level. You don’t just consume calories just because you see others doing so. What is considered as a healthy choice for one person may be considered unhealthy for you. If you know your statistics, you can use calorie calculator to estimate what your daily calories intake should be. Alternatively, you can follow the recommendation of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2015-2020 (Eighth Edition), Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion). What is significant about calorie? You should understand that a calorie is a measure of the energy in food. If you want to lose weight, you need to eat fewer calories than you burn. On the other hand, if you eat more calories than you burn, you will gain weight. This means, if you want to maintain your weight, your calories intake must equal the energy you burn. How do you burn energy? You burn energy based on the level of activity you engage in. Level of activity is categorized into three namely; sedentary, moderately active, and active. The more active you are, the faster you burn calories.