by Megan Preston

Created on: July 22, 2008   Last Updated: July 23, 2008

Just because you are eating at a fast food restaurant doesn't necessarily mean that you must order a greasy cheeseburger, or deep fried fish, or even extra salty french fries. Nowadays, most fast food chains are converting their menu to healthier items such as salads, fruits, and some vegetables.

Drinks have also been a leading cause in bad choices at fast food places. Some people believe that in order to have a good burger, you must also have a good soda. Not true. It's a scientific fact that soda can bloat a person. This causes a person to feel uneasy and their attire to feel tight, which cause immense drainage of self-esteem, sometimes leading to depression, which can lead to ending back at the fast food joint for another burger.

Some people only eat at fast food places simply because they're cheap, quick, and easy to get on the run. Even so, this doesn't mean that the person must order the greasiest burger in the place, or the largest sized soda you can think of so it holds you over till lunch or dinner. Most fast food places offer salads and water, which is much wiser to order than a burger.

Just because you're on the go doesn't mean you can't make healthy choices in the restaurants. Instead of ordering that greasy heart attack waiting to happen, order a salad with grilled chicken, or a fruit salad with non fat yogurt. And instead of ordering that extra large soda, order a bottle of water, or orange juice.

Simply by stopping for a few seconds and actually reading the menu to see what healthy choices the place or your choice has, you can cut calories, fat content, and bloating down to a minimum. And if you're in a diner, or some other type of franchise, don't be scared to ask the waiter to give you half portions, this will usually decrease the price of your meal which gives you extra spending money for shoes, or clothes, or even souvenirs.Also instead of getting the whole egg in an omelet or egg sandwich, ask for only the whites of the eggs. By doing this you can assure yourself that you won't need to spend an extra hour in the gym.

So in conclusion, it's always wiser to just sit down and take a good look at the menu to see what healthy alternatives are there, than to simply say you want a number six combo with extra cheese and bacon, extra salty fries, and extra large soda, light on the ice so you can get more soda than usual, and while your at it, get the extra hour lost at the gym because someone went back for seconds.

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