Fast Food

Fast Food / Nutrition — No Comments
1
Apr 10

Eating Gluten Free When Traveling

Having been on a gluten free diet for roughly 10 years now, I know a thing or two about the inconveniences that come along with the territory. Don’t get me wrong – I’m not bitter about not being able to eat wheat, barley or some other common grains, but I do know that going gluten free requires a big shift in your thinking and food habits. For the most part, eating gluten free isn’t that much of a problem anymore, but there are still some situations that require some forethought and planning to handle properly.

One of those situations is traveling away from home, whether it’s for vacation or on a business trip. Any time you’re taken out of your comfort zone like that, you’re going to have to make some adjustments – living out of a suitcase, dealing with items you left at home, figuring out how to find a bed so your kids can nap after lunch, etc. – but problems will increase significantly when you have an aspect of your life that you simply cannot change, like your diet.

Planning ahead is key when it comes to eating gluten free on the road. First off, pack plenty of snacks. I’ve survived on nothing but nibbles and bites on the gluten free food in my suitcase for a weekend, and you could too if you had too. Some portable gluten free snack ideas are nuts, popcorn, fruit, vegetables (think carrots and celery sticks), and any gluten free products that are available in your area. I’ve got some great gf pretzels and bagels available in my local health food store that I often take on trips.

Another thing to do is call ahead to any restaurants that you know you’ll be dining at and asking about their gluten free selection. Occasionally you’ll find a restaurant that is well equipped to handle a gluten free meal, but you can usually work something out with just about any restaurant. I’ve brought gluten free pasta into an Italian restaurant before and had them prepare it for me. Worked like a charm.

The key to eating gluten free when traveling is planning ahead. If you wait till the last minute to find food, you’ll either have to cheat and eat gluten or go hungry. Make sure to do your planning before you leave.

This guest post was provided by Gluten Free Cooking School. Check out their site for more gluten free info and recipes, including a great gluten free flatbread recipe.

Exercise / Fast Food / Health — No Comments
25
Mar 10

Healthy Eating Pattern and Regular Exercising

Nowadays it is not that easy to live healthy because food that is unhealthy is much cheaper, easier to make and it is all around us. Just take in mind all those commercials about McDonald delicious hamburgers or Dunking Donuts delicious donuts. They are full of sugar and taste great but reality is that those types of food are very unhealthy for you and reason number one why so many people are obese. The sad thing about it is that not everyone knows how unhealthy it is which results in regular lunches at hamburger tents accompanied with extra large soda’s.

Eating healthy will not only help you lose weight but it will also help you feel better about yourself. Science has proved that regular eating of fruits and vegetables will decrease the chance on depression and other disorders like Parkinson and Alzheimer disease. our body needs those essential vitamins and minerals which you can not find in your regular fast food kitchen.

But eating more healthy is not the only way to live healthier and become more happy. Regular exercising will also increase how good you feel about yourself, it will help you lose weight and it also reduces the chances on Depression, Alzheimer, Heart diseases and much more. Off course you do not want to overdo it and immediately start exercising like the pro’s, you want to take it easy and start with as little as 15 minutes exercising a day.

There are many popular ways to start exercising and the best way in doing it is by going to the gym and ask for a personal trainer who will guide you. Not only will he help you to do the right exercises but he will also keep you motivated for coming every few times a week.

But the gym is not meant for everyone and some people just don’t like to exercise with so many people around them. For them an excellent solution might be doing their exercises at home with an ergo meter or an electric treadmill. Advantages of an electric treadmill are that it is very easy to undertake exercising and you can even do it when you are listening to the radio or watching television.

Diet / Fast Food — No Comments
10
Mar 10

10 Amazing Vegetarian Fast Food Choices

Eating at fast food joints can be quite the hassle for selective eaters.  However, there are vegetarian fast food options at most national chains.  Some are only good enough to get you to the next meal, but many are legitimately tasty!

As an experienced fast food restaurant scrounger, I’ve experienced both the good and the bad.  Take a look at the list below for the best vegetarian fast food choices.

1. Bean Burrito, Taco Bell
The bean burrito is a staple of my fast food diet.  It’s cheap, not that bad for you, and tasty.  It now comes with a fresco alternative (which is vegan) that substitutes peppers and onions for the cheese.  Taco Bell is a solid eating location for a veggie on the go.

2. Veggie Delight, Subway
It’s just like making a sandwich at home except you don’t have to stock your fridge with twenty ingredients.  Mix your custom bread with your custom toppings, and a custom sauce or dressing for a quality treat. My personal favorite includes American cheese, banana peppers, and yellow mustard combined with the typical sub toppings.

3. BK Veggie, Burger King
When your omnivorous friends proclaim that they ‘MUST’ have a burger,  the BK Veggie is your way to get a full meal. It’s a tasty veggie burger, although I’m personally not thrilled with the occasional, giant water crest that’s inside.  Pro-tip: go sans mayo.

4. Side Salad, Hardees
Figuring any grease-loving, monster burger restaurant would treat a side salad as a second class citizen, I was honestly surprised by the Hardees side salad. The lettuce was fresh and crispy and the toppings were pretty solid.  Not the best salad, but really good for what it is.

5. Grilled Cheese, IN-N-OUT Burger
This is more or less a cheeseburger without the burger.  You can get all the normal burger fixings on a bun, grilled, with cheese.

6. Mandarin Oranges, Wendy’s
A delightful cup on mandarin oranges might be just what you need to brighten your day when you’re out and about.  Although not nearly a meal in itself, a cup of oranges is nice to see making its way into the fast food market.

7. Caesar Salad, Boston Market
Boston Market is a bit of a fast food stretch in my opinion, but they have quite a few meatless options.  The Caesar salad probably isn’t all that healthy, but in my experience it’s fresh and tasty.

8. Garden Vegetable Soup with Pesto, Panera Bread
This is a relatively new soup at Panera.  I love the combination of flavors, especially when combined with a lovely slice of french baguette.  There are a couple other veggie soups too.  I can’t speak for the tomato yet, but I find the black bean to be way to salty.  If all else fails, the bakery is stocked full of delicious breads and pastries.

9. Apple Slices with Caramel, Sonic
Much like the mandarin oranges at number 6, it’s nice to see fruit making it to the menus.  The apple slices seem much fresher than their McDonald’s equivalent and they come with a great caramel dip.

10. French Fries, Everywhere
Purists will scoff at the inclusion of fries on this list, but purists always do.  French fries are a debated food in the meat-free circles because they’re cooked in the same pans as the burgers and most restaurants will not come out and say whether they contain any meat products.  However, they’re delicious and I don’t think any of the ingredients are actually animal derived so I’m okay with them.

Honorable Mention: Thickburger-no meat, Hardees
This is a thickburger sans burger.  I haven’t personally tried one, which is why it didn’t make the list of ten.  But I hear good things and it’s on my “To Eat” list.