Good fast foods ?

[Louno]

Well since im training im avoinding junk food as much as possible .
I dont bring lunch and my office is surrounded by junk food restaurants, for the past week and a few days ive only been eating either a grilled chicken sub at subway , or very lean smoked meat sandwich( its really lean, makes it hard to eat almost but its sooooo good , montreal has the best smoked meats )

Are there any other stuff i can get from fast food that are good ?

hamburgers ? McChicken? i dunno...

 

[Manic]

You should ALWAYS avoid junk food anyway. Not enough vitamins and minerals, to much saturated and trans fatty acids, and a lot of salt and sugar.

Smoked meat is not that bad. Just get LEAN smoke meat, and a good salad with it...

Subway stuff is not that bad either, especially if you choose a whole wheat bread and chicken breast. Some of their sauce might be a bit unhealthy though.

Basically : anything that's NOT too much refined and transformed (like white bread, white sugar, oil, precooked stuff, etc. : this is BAD) should be okay.

A lot of vegetables (greens especially: spinach, broccoli, lettuce, arugula, etc.), fruits (tomatoes, peppers, kiwis, etc.) and good meat (FISH -- especially Atlantic wild salmon, sardines, lean chicken and red meat, etc.), whole cereals, one or two multivitamin a day, maybe one or two teaspoon of flaxseed oil (or even better : real flax seeds), and you're set.

Forget coke and all that stuff. Once in a while, they won't kill you, but don't make them the basis of your nutrition.

You could use fitday.com to track down your vitamins intake, calories, protein, fat, etc.

 

[mdz0739]

Hello Louno,
If you want to avoid junk foods, take your lunch to work and stay away from the fast food joints. Subway would be the exception. The roasted chicken sandwich on wheat with mustard is pretty good and healthy.
You can eat much more healthy by taking your lunch to work. I work in an office setting myself. I eat breakfast, lunch, and two other meals while I'm at work (10 hour work day). My meals are spaced approx. 3 hours apart. Here is what I may eat at work that requires nothing more than hot water (for oatmeal) and a refrigerator:
Meal 1: Oatmeal (2 packets of regular) with 1 tbsp flaxseed oil, whey protein with 1% milk, banana. (641 cal, 22g fat, 70g carb, 40g protein)
Meal 2: 1 cup low fat Cottage cheese with a couple of small cans of Mandarin oranges. (300 cal, 2g fat, 44g carb, 26g protein)
Meal 3: Salad with a 6 oz. can of tuna, 1 tbsp flaxseed oil and balsamic vinegar for dressing, whole wheat crackers, apple. (570 cal, 15g fat, 68g carb, 38g protein)
Meal 4: 1 cup low fat cottage cheese with can of sliced peaches (light syrup), orange. (366 cal, 2g fat, 28g protein)
(meals 5 and 6 are at home in the evening)
I started eating low fat cottage cheese only last week. It is packed with protein! I mix fruit with it. At first, I didn't like the taste of it too much. Almost made me gag. I eat it because of the nutritional content, not the taste. Now, I like it and look forward to eating it every day. Tastes GREAT and it makes good "fast food"!
The lean smoked meat sandwiches sound OK. (No white bread or mayo).
As manic said, you can use the fitday.com to track your diet. I have been using it for about 3 weeks now. Tracking my diet has helped me tweak my diet to get the proper amount of calories, proteins, fats, and carbs.
regards,
mdz

 

[Baoh]

This depends upon your metabolism.
Simply saying "You should ALWAYS avoid junk food anyway." is highly ignorant of the differences between different metabolisms.
For a person with a extremely poor appetite coupled with an extremely fast metabolism, supplementing with Calorically dense foods in addition to better rounded foods can really help them take muscle gains further if insufficient Calorie intake has become a problem. Taking extra micronutrients with extra fiber can help avoid problems when doing this.
Not saying that this is your situation at all, but for some of us, it is. I once wasted about 8 months on a "clean bulk" until I realized that my original methods for MY body were highly superior for MY body, compared to the advice of those who were speaking only from what they could observe from their bodies, which are not like MY body.
Just something to keep in mind.

 

[Manic]

Quote[/b] ] Simply saying "You should ALWAYS avoid junk food anyway." is highly ignorant of the differences between different metabolisms

hummmm… I also said : “Once in a while, they won't kill you, but don't make them the basis of your nutrition.” I might have been exaggerating a bit by saying “always”, but is that a reason to call others (me) ignorant?

I’d also like to say that (without going into technical stuff – which I would do if I had the extra time):

1- vitamins and antioxidants are essential, and you won’t find many in McDonalds hamburgers or French fries. ALSO : Extra “artificial” vitamins won’t exactly make up for the lack of vitamins found in there natural context : fruits and vegetables, mainly, but also liver and whole cereals. They are suppose to be SUPPLEMENTS.

2- “Artificial” vitamins and extra fiber are just one aspect of the whole nutritional picture. They won’t get rid of trans fatty acids, they won’t replace important phytochemicals, other oligo elements and antioxidants, they won’t help balance the acidity generated by a high consumption of protein, and they won’t remove the salt most fast food contain.

3- your “calorically dense” argument (pro fast food) to make up for poor appetite and fast metabolism isn’t that great either (don't worry : I understand the metabolism concept) : there are a lot of “natural” Calorically dense food : all nuts, peanuts, avocados, honey, olives, rice, potatoes, to name only a few and not to mention high quality oils which you could add to your food (extra virgin olive oil, flaxseed oil, etc., full of goog monounsaturated fats and omega3 fatty acids). You don’t need a big Mac for extra calories. Also, fast food is exactly the combination one wants to avoid : high saturated fat + high sugar. The perfect path towards heart attack and oxidation (of course, I’m not the one inventing that).

4- and… I was respecting Louno’s premise : “Well since im training im avoinding junk food as much as possible”. So instead of saying “no man, junk food is the way to go”, I rather said “Yeah man, good move. I encourage you. In the long term, it will be a good investment, by preventing cancer, hearth problems, brain malfunctions, etc.”.

But, once again, I also said : “Once in a while, they won't kill you, but don't make them the basis of your nutrition.”

And please, don’t call people ignorant… It’s just not very nice – you don’t need that to make your point. Also, for a lot of people, like me, English beeing a foreign language, it’s sometimes hard to transmit our thoughts with the same clarity and precision our native language would allow.

Thanks

P.S. : I gained 25 lbs in 2 cycles on what you'd call a "clean bulk". And that with a very fast metabolism (the "Calkid type" metabolism... ).

 

[Mindwraith]

My advice:

Go to the fast food restaraunt's website and pick out the foods with the best stats. i.e. low sat etc.. Most fast food places have websites with the info. If you're using fitday you can pretty much plan your meals for the day and now and then if you do it just right you can come out good for the day and still manage to fit in a big mac.

 

[Louno]

PS: why do i often see ppl saying to avoid white bread ?
white bread stats arent so bad ? high card , medium protein , low fat ....

anyways, whenever i can i replace white bread with brown bread.But ive never saw a smoked meat on brown bread...


The main reason why i would go eat fast food is because im trying to keep a social life too, i used to go eat lunch all the time with co-worker(but they dont like subway)... now i go pick up a sub and a yogourt, and bring them back to the office to eat alone.

Yesterday i went to eat at a fast food with a friend after we went to a movie, and i only ate half, all the greasy fries and hotdog/burger was kinda grossing me out...( I never though i would say this one day lol )
While eating i was constantly thinking about how low in protein and high in fat this food must have been...


I have another question... fast food are usualy high in trans fat and saturated fat, but there are other fats, like monosaturated and polysaturated... are these kind of fat ok to eat ?

Ive been avoiding as much fat as possible, but lets take peanut butter for example, i dont eat it but that would be a big help in boosting my calories, but most of the cals in peanut butter come from fats, but not saturated or transfat... Now , if i eat some, is the fat going to go directly into making me fatter, or will eating some fat actualy help me save the protein i eat to go into muscle instead of energy ?

how does it work...
(PS i know this isnt exactly about the topic but i didnt feel like posting a whole new thread for this, so we can still discuss fast food here hehe )

 

[Techo]

I haven't read it yet, but I've had this book recommended: Eating on the run I'd really like to see a recipe database going for HSN too...

 

[Manic]

Hi Louno,

so...

SOCIAL LIFE : your social life is important, of course… You’ll have to judge for yourself : once in a while, like I said, having "fast food" (and depending on the type) won't kill you! Also, most fast food restaurant have different menus… No? So just choose what’s less “toxic”.

WHOLE BREAD (real brown bread) : basically, it contains more micronutrients (food is not only about protein, fat and carbohydrates), more good fats, antioxidants, and more fibers.

FAT : When you get into details, the “fat” question can become complex.

Nevertheless, here’s my take on the question (others, please correct me if you feel that I’m missing something important)

Basically, you just need to remember that you need to consume enough fat (lets say, between 20% and 35% of total maintenance calories – it could be a different story if you’re bulking : many fill the extra calories with carbs instead of fat -- your body needs it to stay healthy), and good quality fat (found in real food:

1- First, consume good sources of omega 3s and monounsaturated fats (avocado, canola oil, fish, Flaxseed oil, Olive oil, soy, walnuts, dark green leafy vegetables, etc.). Omega 3 fat is emerging as a noticeable factor in fat loss : it improves insulin sensitivity and it seems to help nitrogen balance under catabolic conditions. It does a lot of other wonderful things, but they are not directly related to bodybuilding...

2- Polyunsaturated fats and Saturated fats are okay (and even quite good in moderation) if balanced with monounsaturated/omega3 fats. Saturated fats can contribute to increase testosterone levels.

3- No trans fatty acids please (found in magarine and a lot of cookies, chips, chocolate bars, etc. – they’re also called hydrogenated fats). They’re just not great for your health and several countries are in the process of regulating trans fat.

There are lots of threads about fat and diet. I suggest you do a search.

Hope that helps

 

[bugpowder]

Quote[/b] (Louno @ April 22 2004,11:43)]PS: why do i often see ppl saying to avoid white bread ?
white bread stats arent so bad ? high card , medium protein , low fat ....

"We know that whole grains are better than refined grains because of fiber, vitamins, and minerals," says researcher Joanne Slavin of the University of Minnesota.

Now she and others are beginning to ask whether other things in whole grains-antioxidants, lignans, phenolic acids, phytoestrogens, and other phytochemicals may help reduce the risk of heart disease, cancer, and diabetes.

"When you eat whole grains, you get more fiber and more micronutrients like folic acid, magnesium, and vitamin E," says Walter Willett, who chairs the nutrition department at the Harvard School of Public Health. "It may be almost impossible to isolate the pieces of the puzzle."


-bug

 

[Gettin'Low]

If you're out and about, the answer is simple. You want a grilled chicken sandwich, hold the mayo/sause.

If you're low-carbin' it, go for a chicken salad.

You can't lose.

 

[Techo]

I always go for steak. It's completely brainless =)

1) Order the 10 oz steak (portion size is almost always on menu)
2) Go home later and open fitday.com
3) Add "steak" as food eaten
4) Select 10 oz or any other applicable portion size

A couple other things - I noticed more menus have been nutirtional content in the menu. Places like Chili's and Denny's list total calories, fat, carbs, and protein. 2nd you might want to check out the gluttony and drinking thread I've got going as we discussed the "planning" problem there too...

 

[Aaron_F]

Quote[/b] (Manic @ April 23 2004,8:25)]3- No trans fatty acids please (found in magarine and a lot of cookies, chips, chocolate bars, etc. – they’re also called hydrogenated fats). They’re just not great for your health and several countries are in the process of regulating trans fat.

Being teh picky person I am

HAve to take into account taht Trrans fats are not an 'unnatural' fat, dairy contains a reasonable amount (quantity varies 1-10% total fatty acids) because of bacterial hydrogenation.

You can also get low trans fatty acid margerines, or trans fat free margerines now.

Regulation will not work

Quote[/b] ]Saturated fats can contribute to increase testosterone levels.

Sorry, rather lacking in evidence for this.

 

[Aaron_F]

doh

 

[jwjpilot]

<span style='color:black'>It wonder at the thought that Subway wheat bread is better than the white bread. From the Subway nutrition info site there are almost no differences in the two: .5 gram extra of saturated fat in the white, a tiny bit more of Vitamin C, a tiny bit more Iron in the wheat and a little more sodium in the wheat.
Almost no difference in my mind.


That is not to say across the board there is no difference in white or whole wheat bread, there is a difference but you have to check it.</span>

 

[Manic]

Aaron, thanks for your critical reassesment.

You're right, of course (and you don't have to be sorry...) : It still lacks some evidence. But my comments were based on basically the same studies used for the article published on thinkmuscle. The Effects of Diet on Testosterone (Part 2)

Quote[/b] ]Remember, it is the bioactive fraction of total T that is important. This fraction consists of fT and albumin-bound T. Fasting suppresses T production and small amounts of either PRO or CHO do not reverse the suppression. Diets with a PRO intake greater than the CHO intake lower total T levels, and may actually decrease the bioactivity of T in the body. Higher CHO diets (70% or more from CHOs) may increase T levels, but they also affect the metabolism of T as well. While the role of fat is not entirely clear, saturated fat and cholesterol are closely linked to higher levels of T and PUFAs have some modifying role. [my emphasis]

So, what is the best type of diet to follow if your only concern is to increase T levels and make more of it available to the body for the purpose of improving lean body mass and/or performance? It would seem that CHO intake must exceed PRO intake by at least 40% to keep the bioactive fraction of T high. Fat intake should be at least 30%, saturated fat needs to be higher than PUFA, and fiber intake needs to be low. A sample diet would have roughly the following calorie breakdown: 55% CHO, 15% PRO and 30% fat.

As for the trans fats, well,the simple point is that they are just not that great for you. But you might have other studies that I'd be glad to have a look at.

 

[Manic]

Oups... And I forgot to add that :

&quot;we encouraged the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to finalize a rule to require a product' s Nutrition Facts panel to include the amount of trans fatty acids present in foods&quot; (from EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT
OFFICE OF MANAGEMENT AND BUDGET WASHINGTON, D.C. 20503, Recommendations on Omega-3 Fats, trans-fatty Acids and Cardio-Vascular Disease )

In response to

Quote[/b] ]Regulation will not work

Of course, it might not work. But I think that's another story. The fact is : some countries are definitely in the process of regulating trans fat.

 

[Cliner9er]

Quote[/b] (Manic @ May 11 2004,11:09)]As for the trans fats, well,the simple point is that they are just not that great for you. But you might have other studies that I'd be glad to have a look at.

TFA's are not really a concern unless you eat tons of processed carb foods like biscuits, crackers, and TV dinners. Most of the foods people avoid (like reg. peanut butter) have trace amounts of TFA's.

 

[Manic]

Well, I didn't want to sound alarmist.

You didn't provide me with any rsearch or links to support your assertions, but I’m glad it’s not a concern for you. It’s also probably not a concern for people eating fresh meat, vegetables and fruit.

But why would health leaders want to sensitize people to TFA “dangers” if there weren’t any?

Anyway, here’s some info easily found on the net (which you’re probably aware off -- anyway)

http://www.fda.gov/oc/initiatives/transfat/q_a.html :
Q: Why Should I Care About Trans fat?
A: It’s important to know about trans fat because there is a direct, proven relationship between diets high in trans fat content and LDL (“bad”) cholesterol levels and, therefore, an increased risk of coronary heart disease – a leading cause of death in the US.

Trans fats result from hydrogenation (explained below). They increase total and LDL (bad) cholesterol levels, which increases fatty buildups in arteries and raises the risk of heart attack and stroke.
(www.americanheart.org).


only dairy fat, beef, and lamb naturally contain trans fats. Other meat animals may contain trans fats if these twisted molecules are added to their foods. Certified organic meat does not contain trans fats. (www.udoerasmus.com)

· Trans Fats are present in partially hydrogenated vegetable oils, which are found in many margarines and in shortening.
· trans fats are widespread in processed foods, including some granola bars, breakfast cereals, low fat foods, fish sticks, frozen pizza, and other frozen foods.
· trans fats are abundant in many baked goods (baked bad?) such as donuts, crackers, cookies, cakes, bread, and frostings.
· trans fats are present in some puddings, peanut butter, instant soup mixes, and microwave popcorn.
· trans fats are used in some spreads, sauces, dips, and gravy mixes.
· trans fats are part of powdered non-dairy coffee creamers.
· trans fats are used for frying in many fast food restaurants.
· trans fats are present in French fries packaged for home frying.
· Many potato and corn chips are fried in partially hydrogenated vegetable oils containing trans fats.
· trans fats are present even in some cooking oils (www.udoerasmus.com)


“Harvard School of Public Health’s (conservative) estimate of 30,000 annual American deaths from eating trans fats” (www.udoerasmus.com)

“Other research suggests that Trans Fatty acids interfere with vision and learning in children; correlate with increased breast and prostate cancer; increase platelet stickiness and thereby raise risk of stroke and embolism, as well as heart attack. trans fats interfere with the liver’s detoxification function. They impair both male and female reproduction in animals (no human studies have been published). trans fats change the way our immune system functions. And trans fats make essential n-3 and n-6 fatty acid requirement higher by interfering with the functions of these two essential fatty acids in our body.” (www.udoerasmus.com)

 

[bugpowder]

Quote[/b] (jwjpilot @ May 11 2004,10:22)]It wonder at the thought that Subway wheat bread is better than the white bread...
Almost no difference in my mind.

Well, let's take a look at the list of ingredients -

Quote[/b] (http://subway.com/subwayroot/MenuNutrition/Nutrition/frmUSIngredients.aspx @ Breads)] ITALIAN BREAD Enriched flour (wheat flour, barley malt, niacin, iron, thiamin mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), water, sugar, contains less than 2% of...

WHEAT BREAD Enriched flour (flour, malted barley flour, niacin, iron, thiamin mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), water, whole wheat flour, high fructose corn syrup, wheat gluten, contains less than 2% of...

hmm... their 'wheat bread' is made mostly of (unbleached, enriched) refined flour, which is one of the many ways to avoid saying &quot;white flour,&quot; and there is more water than actual whole wheat flour. this is quite common in bread labeling, including in grocery stores.

in the u.s., breads can only be labeled &quot;100% whole wheat&quot; if they really are, and you can bet that manufacturers will use this everytime they're allowed. there is no easy answer for restaurant, especially once you are there.

below are links two articles intended for the average consumer from the Center for Science in the Public Interest. they cover the nutrition basics of whole wheat.

-bug

http://www.cspinet.org/nah/wwheat.html
http://www.cspinet.org/nah/bread.htm