What are fast foods?
Fast foods are usually purchased at an outlet featuring quick service and convenience.
Can we consume fast foods?
You can eat fast foods as part of a healthy diet.
Choose wisely and limit your intake to twice a month because fast foods are usually high in fat, cholesterol and sodium (salt).
Below are some guidelines :
- Order grilled chicken in place of fried chicken or fried fish.
- Order small fast food meals – not large ones.
- Know the fat content of various food choices. Select a meal with less than 20 to 25 grams of fat. For example, choose a grilled chicken sandwich without mayonnaise (for 8 grams of fat) and a regular order of fries (for 12 grams of fat); or have a small cheeseburger (for 13 to 20 grams of fat) and skip the fries.
- Avoid desserts, sweets, milk shakes, pies with your fast food meals.
- Omit mayonnaise to reduce calories (1 tablespoon mayonnaise = 100 calories) and add mustard, tomatoes, lettuce, pickles and/or onions instead.
- Choose low calorie soft drinks, low-fat milk, fruit juices, tea or water and avoid high calorie beverages.
- Avoid fried foods. Calories double up in deep-fried foods.
- Limit amounts of high calorie dressing such as thousand island, mayonnaise, pasta salads, potato salads, cheese, nuts and seeds. Eat lots of lettuce, tomatoes, mushrooms, green peppers, carrots, celery and cucumbers. Use low-calorie dressing such as olive oil and italian dressing.
- Carry a piece of fresh fruit e.g. banana, apple or orange to include with your meal.
- Select a baked potato. Top with cottage cheese, chili/tomato sauce, chili or two tablespoon of grated cheese and/or sour cream.
Energy and fat content of fast foods
Calorie content of fast foods depends on :
- Size of the item.
- Addition of sauces or bread crumbs.
- Cooking method (fried or broiled).
- Calorie content of raw ingredients before preparation.
Refer to the table below :
Fast Food | Serving Size | Energy (kcal) | Fat (g) | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Portion | Weight (g) | |||
Chicken | ||||
Fried chicken, various portions | 1 piece | 120 | 271 | 14.9 |
Mashed potatoes | 1 cup, regular | 94 | 87 | 0.7 |
Bun | 1 piece | 29 | 100 | 2.5 |
Coleslaw | 1 cup small | 74 | 62 | 3.0 |
French fries | 1 cup small | 90 | 290 | 16.1 |
Chicken wing | 1 piece | 69 | 166 | 9.9 |
Chicken drumstick | 1 piece | 65 | 166 | 2.8 |
Chicken breast | 1 piece | 127 | 307 | 15.0 |
Beef burger | 1 whole, regular |
125
|
317
|
11.3
|
Cheese burger | 1 whole |
124
|
341
|
14.3
|
Coney dog | 1 whole |
145
|
433
|
24.5
|
Fried fish cake with bun | 1 whole |
115
|
282
|
13.0
|
Hot dog | 1 whole |
82
|
225
|
11.5
|
Spaghetti
|
||||
Spaghetti with cheese and meat sauce | 1 bowl |
440
|
444
|
1.3
|
Spaghetti with chicken, mushroom | 1 bowl |
526
|
463
|
1.1
|
Pizza
|
||||
Pizza with pepperoni | 1 piece |
53
|
155
|
9.2
|
Pizza with chicken and pineapple | 1 piece |
94
|
268
|
14.2
|
Pizza with beef, chicken, onion | 1 piece |
94
|
242
|
7.9
|
Pizza with chicken curry and peas | 1 piece |
70
|
200
|
7.9
|
Pizza with beef curry and peas | 1 piece |
53
|
132
|
4.8
|
Pizza with beef onion | 1 piece |
53
|
136
|
5.0
|
Pizza with onion, tomatoes | 1 piece |
93
|
149
|
1.9
|
Pizza with chicken, mushroom, tomato | 1 piece |
94
|
202
|
4.3
|
Pizza with beef, salami | 1 piece |
53
|
94
|
1.2
|
Sandwich
|
||||
Sandwich with tuna fish | 1 whole |
138
|
241
|
1.5
|
Sandwich with fish, salad mayonnaise | 1 whole |
145
|
328
|
13.5
|
Sandwich with chicken, salad | 1 whole |
168
|
481
|
27.8
|
Sandwich with pepperoni, salad | 1 whole |
100
|
182
|
2.8
|
Satay
|
||||
Chicken satay | 1 stick, 4 pieces |
10
|
23
|
0.6
|
Beef satay | 1 stick, 4 pieces |
12
|
25
|
0.8
|
Mutton satay | 1 stick, 4 pieces |
11
|
24
|
0.8
|
Satay sauce | ½ cup |
86
|
24
|
1.1
|
Miscellaneous
|
||||
Fried rice with chicken piece | 1 plate |
330
|
591
|
17.5
|
Chicken soto | 1 bowl |
493
|
512
|
28.2
|
Martabak | 1 piece |
146
|
231
|
9.2
|
Martabak sauce | ½ cup |
95
|
73
|
3.2
|
References :
- Manual Prime and Supportive Messages for Healthy Eating (1997) National Working Group on Healthy Eating, Ministry of Health Malaysia.
- Nutrient Composition of Malaysian Foods (1997) 4th Edition, Institute for Medical Research.
Last reviewed | : | 20 April 2012 |
Writer | : | Norafizah bt. Mohd Nordin |
Noor Safiza bt. Mohd Noor | ||
Reviewer | : | Harizah binti Mohd Yaacob |