FEATURES
In Defense of Fast Food...
-
Wednesday, 06 February 2019 23:10
By Kelly O'Mara (aka The Salty Triathlete - triathlete.com)
"You're a triathlete. You must be a health nut. What do you eat? You probably eat super healthy. You, like never go to Mcdonald's right?"
Sorry to disappoint every person who’s ever asked me this, but I definitely go to McDonald’s—and not just because the Oreo McFlurry (with extra Oreos) is amazing. It’s because McDonald’s doesn’t have to be shorthand for “unhealthy.” In fact, fast food, prepared foods, or frozen meals don’t have to be terrible for you; sometimes they might be the best option you’ve got. And not everything ...
at Whole Foods is automatically good for you either. It comes down to our individual choices. Wendy’s makes solid salads when you’re on the road traveling to a race; and there are high-fat, high-calorie cookies you can binge on at the natural food co-op. It’s your choice. And a lot of times it’s just our biases getting in the way of what could be smart choices. Why do we feel like Chipotle is healthy but the local taqueria is unhealthy? They both have meat, cheese, beans, rice, veggies, and guacamole (and food safety issues). And full disclosure: I eat at both. But when I tried to nail a friend down on why he felt better about Chipotle, it might have just been because melted cheese looks greasier and fattier than unmelted cheese—even though they’re nutritionally the same.
What if I told you I had rice and some mixed veggies and beef with mushrooms and onions for dinner? Sounds great. What if I told you it was from Panda Express?
