Synopses & Reviews
Unusual, intelligently written . . . the best available guide.
So wrote The Los Angeles Times when THE FAST-FOOD GUIDE first appeared in 1986. Now thoroughly revised and updated-featuring the good news as well as the bad, here is the most complete, detailed nutrition information available on all the major fast-food chains and their offerings, making it more than ever the essential guide for people who care about their kids, their waistlines, and their arteries. Because even in the enlightened era of the low-fat hamburger and frying in vegetable shortening, there is still a salad out their offering 905 calories and 14 teaspoons of fat, and a seafood sandwich laden with 2,612 milligrams of sodium. And that's not your way.
Michael Jacobson and the Center for Science in the Public Interest have been at the forefront of the fast-food reform movement, campaigning for healthier preparation of food and for labels that tell consumers what they are eating.
Sarah Fritschner is a nutritionist and the food editor of the Louisville Courier-Journal.
Synopsis
Totally revised and updated, this is the guide that eliminates the guesswork of ordering at a fast-food restaurant by presenting the facts-all of them. Certainly, due to public pressure, fast-food restaurants now offer a few healthier choices than they used to. But the pitfalls still remain.
For the second edition, the authors have included a greatly expanded and separate ingredients section that handily lists every ingredient in virtually every item found on the menus of 15 major fast food chains. New cholesterol, saturated fat, and shortening charts answer the most recent nutritional concerns. Sections and lists on sodium, sugar, calories, additives, and more have been added.
With the aid of this indispensable guide, you can make healthy choices for you and your children-even when eating fast food. Selection of the Quality Paperback Book Club and Book-of-the-Month Club. 246,500 copies in print.
About the Author
Michael F. Jacobson, Ph.D., is the executive director of the Center for Science in the Public Interest, a Washington-based nonprofit group that has led a nationwide campaign to improve America's nutrition.
Table of Contents
Fast Food Update
CHAPTER ONE-A FAST SURVEY OF FAST FOOD
Today's Seducers
The Biggest Restaurant Chains
Image Facelifts
Fast-Food Business Statistics
More Convenient
Diversified Menus
Advertising
Restaurant TV Advertising
The Children's Market
Breakfast
Improvements in Fast Foods
A Glimpse into the Future
Environmental Concerns
Fast, Faster, Fastest
Overseas Expansion
The Dinner Market
The New TV Dinners
More Nutritious Alternatives
Moves in the Wrong Direction: Not Every Food Has Gotten Healthier
CHAPTER TWO-THE HEALTH YOU SAVE MAY BE YOUR OWN
Dietary Guidelines
Clarifying the Old Rules
Quest for Protein
Fast Foods Highest in Calories
Eschewing the Fat: A Look at Heart Disease, Cancer, and Diabetes
Fast Foods Highest in Fat
Hidden Sources of Fat . . . and Calories
Fast Foods Highest in Saturated Fats
Heart Disease and a High-Fat Diet
A Lineup of Fats
The Research
Fast Foods Highest in Cholesterol
Cholesterol
How Much Cholesterol in Your Blood?
Cancer
Fast Foods Lowest in Fats
Diabetes
Fats of the Future
Dietary Fiber
Fiber and Colon Cancer
Fiber and Heart Disease
Fiber and Diabetes
Fiber Counts of Foods
Getting Enough Fiber
Sodium
Sodium and Hypertension
Fast Foods Highest in Sodium
Caffeine
Monosodium Glutamate (MSG); Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein (HVP)
Nitrite and Nitrate
Saccharin
Sulfites
WHAT'S IN THIS STUFF, ANYWAY?
Ingredient and Nutrition Labeling
Benefits of Labeling
Labeling Breakthroughs
The Pressure Gets to Big Mac
Filling the Information Gap
CHAPTER FOUR-CHOOSING A FAST FOOD MEAL
Coping in the Fast-Food Jungle
Daily Goals for Healthy Eating
Cut Down on Fat; Hold the Salt; Go for the Fiber
Breakfast
Kids' Meals
Burgers to Roast Beef to Bacon Bits
Fat and Protein Content of Roast Beef and Hamburger Meat
Fish and Chicken
Other Tactics
An Explanation of the Gloom Rating
Salads
Chicken and Turkey
Fish
French Fries
Hamburgers and Cheeseburgers
Roast Beef
Shakes and Malts
Arby's
Arby's Complete Nutritional Values
Baskin-Robbins
Baskin-Robbins' Complete Nutritional Values
Burger King
Burger King's Complete Nutritional Values
Carl's Jr.
Carl's Jr.'s Complete Nutritional Values
Church's Fried Chicken
Church's Fried Chicken's Complete Nutritional Values
Dairy Queen/Brazier
Dairy Queen/Brazier's Complete Nutritional Values
Domino's Pizza
Domino's Pizza's Complete Nutritional Values
Dunkin' Donuts
Dunkin Donuts' Complete Nutritional Values
Hardee's
Hardee's Complete Nutritional Values
Jack in the Box
Jack in the Box's Complete Nutritional Values
KFC (Kentucky Fried Chicken)
KFC's Complete Nutritional Values
Long John Silver's
Long John Silver's Complete Nutritional Values
McDonald's
McDonald's Complete Nutritional Values
Pizza Hut
Pizza Hut's Complete Nutritional Values
Popeyes
Roy Rodgers
Subway
Subway's Complete Nutritional Values
Taco Bell
Taco Bell's Complete Nutritional Values
TCBY (The Country's Best Yogurt)
TCBY's Complete Nutritional Values
Wendy's
Wendy's Complete Nutritional Values
APPENDIX-INGREDIENTS
Purposes of Common Ingredients
Arby's
Baskin-Robbins
Soft Drinks
Burger King
Carl's Jr.
Dairy Queen/Brazier
Domino's Pizza
Dunkin' Donuts
Hardee's
Jack in the Box
KFC
McDonald's
Subway
Taco Bell
TCBY
Wendy's
The Fast-Food Chains
Now That You've Read the Book