9 Fast Food Facts ! May Change Your Opinion About It !

10 Fast Food Facts ! May Change Your Opinion About It !

Fast food has its perks. It’s normally pretty cheap. And as the name implies, the meals arrive swiftly: perfect for those times when we just have to eat. Plus, burgers, fries, shakes and chicken nuggets taste great. But many of our favorite quick-service selections come with a catch – in terms of calories and fat. For this and other reasons, then, you might want to pass on the following 20 fast-food favorites…

9. Stick to coffee-flavored coffee

What’s your go-to coffee order? Well, if it tastes like something other than coffee, then you might have a problem. Think about it: sweet hazelnut, caramel, vanilla or toffee tastes don’t appear naturally in coffee.

That’s why certified personal trainer Laura Arndt suggests skipping flavored beverages altogether. In fact, she told the website HealthyWay that consumers should order coffee “plain, with skim or low-fat milk, and add [their] own flavoring.” So, next time, skip the super-sweet syrups they have behind the counter and sprinkle natural cinnamon into your cup instead.

8. Tuna salad has a ton of calories

Fried potatoes, shakes and cheese-slathered burgers — you know these things aren’t the best for your body. But seafood has plenty of known benefits, such as cholesterol-lowering omega-3 fatty acids. So when you opt for a tuna salad sandwich as you cruise through the drive-thru, you probably feel like you’ve made a healthy choice.

Unfortunately, though, fast-food tuna often doesn’t have as many health benefits to offer you. In 2012, for instance, Forbes magazine stated that anonymous chain restaurant employees had said their fish arrived in bags. The workers then dumped the water or oil from the bags before adding mayonnaise – sometimes at a one-to-one ratio with the tuna. So sandwiches stuffed with this tuna mayo aren’t as sinless as they may seem.

7. Baked isn’t always better

KFC stands for Kentucky Fried Chicken – but that’s not all that this chain restaurant serves. For one thing, it doles out the Chunky Chicken Pot Pie. The recipe brings together green peas, carrots, potatoes, chicken and gravy beneath a flaky crust. The savory pastry is also pre-baked so it’s hot and ready when you’re craving comfort food.

The Chunky Chicken Pot Pie isn’t as innocent as it seems, though. A single serving actually contains 720 calories and a whopping 41 grams of fat. Plus, the ingredients list features flavor-enhancer MSG (monosodium glutamate), which some consumers say boosts their appetites post-meal. The food also contains triglycerides – fats that can spike your cholesterol levels. These substances have been linked with an increased risk of heart disease, too.

6. Smoothies can be too sweet

Fruit is good for you, ergo a bowl of blended fruit should be equally as healthy, right? The Jamba Juice Chunky Strawberry Bowl has plenty of body-bettering ingredients, too. Not only does it feature fresh bananas, but it also has Greek yogurt and peanut butter. You even get 12 grams of fiber and 19 grams of protein per bowl.

However, the Chunky Strawberry Bowl comes with one huge downfall: it’s jam-packed with sugar. According to website Eat This, a single serving has 58 grams of the sweet stuff – the same amount you’d get from eating more than a dozen Oreos. So even though much of that sugar comes from fruit, the bowl doesn’t have enough protein or fiber to balance out the rush.

5. Crazy Bread? Crazy idea

Little Caesars started in 1959 as a single pizza joint in Detroit. Nowadays, though, there’s at least one franchise in all 50 states as well as in 26 territories and countries beyond U.S. borders. Fans of the eatery check in for the pizzas, of course – but the Crazy Bread is also a beloved item on the menu.

Former staffers suggest avoiding the Crazy Bread when eating at Little Caesars, though. As the website Delish shared, one anonymous employee claimed that the eatery slathered “tons of day-old butter” onto the famous breadsticks. Not only is that unappetizing, but you probably also don’t want to snack on something with so much hidden butter.

4. Coleslaw isn’t always the healthiest side

You might not always want fries with your burger – but don’t opt for coleslaw just because it seems healthier than its starchy counterpart. The version you make at home is probably packed with healthy ingredients brought together by a sensible dollop of (perhaps even low-calorie) mayonnaise. But your favorite fast-food joint probably can’t say the same.

It’s the mayonnaise that tends to be the problem when it comes to coleslaw. For instance, KFC’s take on the side option comes in at a whopping 170 calories. As nutritionist and registered dietitian Susan Stalte told HealthyWay, “[Coleslaw] can be almost as many calories as a meal.” Meanwhile, Chick Fil A removed coleslaw from its menu in 2016 – but not before releasing the surprisingly mayonnaise-and-sugar-laden recipe.

3. Beware of a blended beverage

If you feel like there’s a Starbucks on every corner, you’re not far off. Worldwide, the coffeehouse has more than 30,000 locations, from which it doles out its ever-popular Frappuccino drinks. The blended beverages have raked in billions of dollars for the brand – they’re that popular.

Don’t let the Frappuccino become your go-to drink from Starbucks, though. A venti Salted Caramel Mocha Frappuccino, for instance, carries nearly 600 calories and 100 grams of sugar. Nutrition coach Janis Isaman explained to HealthyWay that while fast-food burgers may have the same calorie content, they at least come with some redemptive nutrients. As for blended beverages, Isaman said, “I simply don’t see the nutritional value in any of these drinks.”

2. Spilling the tea on Jimmy John’s

Jimmy John’s has made a name for itself in plenty of ways. For one thing, it promises to bring its clients fresh sandwiches with “Freaky Fast” delivery. In some cases, that means you will be chowing down in as little as four minutes after placing your order.

Yet while Jimmy John’s makes fast delivery a priority, it reportedly tends to ignore other in-store tasks. One employee revealed to Delish that the iced tea has a shelf life of eight hours. But, the source said, their opening managers brew a batch when they open at 5:00 a.m. and use it until closing at 10:00 p.m. The staffer claimed, “By the time we dump it at night, it has a thick, syrupy consistency and smells absolutely horrible.” We think that’s reason enough to skip the tea.

1. If the name Monster Thickburger isn’t a hint…

In 2004 the executives at Hardee’s responded to fast-food consumers’ desire for lighter options by… introducing the Monster Thickburger. The massive pile-up replaced the previously popular Monster burger, enticing eaters with even more meat – two 1/3-pound Angus patties and four strips of bacon, to be exact.

All of that Monster Thickburger meat melds with three slices of cheese, mayonnaise and a buttered bun. Altogether, these ingredients carry an unbelievable 1,340 calories as well as a shocking 96 grams of fat. Plus, you’ll get double your daily recommended intake of sodium from the burger, too. Needless to say, you should probably pass on this stack of patties.

Considering a fast-food menu can be a nostalgic affair, mind you. Most of us have probably been to McDonald’s enough times to know the menu by now, for instance. The fast-food chain thrives on keeping things simple, with a handful of staple items sold alongside the odd limited promotion.