WARNING: Today’s column features a lot of bird language.
Let’s talk about chicken. Fast food chicken. We’ll chew on the nutrition facts surrounding sandwiches, sandwiches, salads … even the new “chicken fries” recently released by Burger King.
Every dieter knows that white meat chicken is a delicious part of a healthy eating plan. So why are nutritional numbers so scary in your favorite fast food joint? Come this way and check out the latest offerings, including McDonald’s new line of premium chicken sandwiches.
By now, you must have seen the ads with the so-called premium sandwiches. When McDonald’s launches a new product, they saturate the market with mouthwatering advertisements. But don’t mistake the premium slogan for healthy.
Let’s review the history of the tape for the nutritional numbers that are available within a few pecks at http://www.mcdonalds.com. As it sounds, you can choose from 3 new sandwiches, each of which comes in two forms: grilled or “crispy,” which is a better word than fried. The envelope please …
Classic Premium Crispy Chicken Sandwich: This 8.2-ounce sandwich has 490 calories (150 from fat), 16 grams of fat, 3 grams of saturated fat (1.5 g of trans fat), 60 milligrams of cholesterol, 1,350 mg of sodium, 62 grams of carbohydrates, and 3 grams of fiber.
The 8 ounce Classic Premium Grilled Chicken Sandwich It’s a better bet with 410 calories (80 from fat), 9 g of fat, 2 g of saturated fat (zero trans fat), 80 mg of cholesterol, 1210 mg of sodium, 52 g of carbohydrates and 3 g of fiber.
Tea Premium Crispy Chicken Ranch BLT Sandwich weighs 8.6 ounces and weighs you in with 570 calories (180 from fat), 20 g of fat, 5 g of saturated fat (1.5 g of trans fat), 70 mg of cholesterol, 1,730 mg of sodium, 64 g of carbohydrates and 3 g of fiber.
TO Premium Grilled Chicken Ranch BLT Sandwich (8.5 oz.) Has 480 calories (120 from fat), 13 g of fat, 3.5 g of saturated fat (zero trans fat), 90 mg of cholesterol, 1590 mg of sodium, 53 g of carbohydrates and 3 g of fiber.
The 9.6 ounce Premium Crispy Chicken Club Sandwich It contains 660 calories, 29 g of fat, 9 g of saturated fat (1.5 g of trans fat), 100 mg of cholesterol, 1800 mg of sodium, 63 g of carbohydrates and 3 g of fiber.
And finally the 9.4 ounces Premium Grilled Chicken Club Sandwich It has 580 calories, 21 g of fat, 8 g of saturated fat (zero trans fat), 40 mg of cholesterol, 1,660 mg of sodium, 53 g of carbohydrates and 3 g of fiber.
EDiets.com Chief Nutritionist Susan Burke offers this mini review:
“McDonald’s new premium grilled chicken sandwich is a good option for fast food, as long as you tweak it a bit so it can make it ‘your way.’ Just say, ‘Hold the mayo!’ Mayo adds saturated fat and calories Say YES to ketchup or mustard … or both.
“By the way, I’m talking about the grilled chicken, not the ‘crispy’ sandwich (crispy is the code for adding fat) or the BLT chicken, which has 20 grams of fat, 5 grams of saturated fat and 1.5 grams of trans fat. fat per sandwich.
“If you’re watching your sodium, all bets are off … at McDonald’s and all fast food restaurants. A quick look at all the chicken sandwiches gives me palpitations. There are 1,800 milligrams of sodium in a single Premium Crispy chicken. Club Sandwich That’s 75% of what you need for the whole day.
“Even the simple Premium Grilled Chicken Sandwich has 1200 mg of sodium, which is still too high for a single sandwich. So balance your day with fresh fruits and vegetables and don’t make fast food a daily habit.” .
Couldn’t have said it better, Susan!
While chatting with Susan about fast food in general, I learned that a managerial rooster at a huge chain said that size is what really matters when it comes to pleasing hungry audiences. Yes, this business genius claims we want BIGGER … like in bigger buns, bigger meat, bigger toppings, bigger scale numbers, bigger pants sizes, and bigger medical bills. Wow, he didn’t say all that. But he might as well have.
In honor of this “bigger is better” belief, I think fast food chains should offer special “Really Big Kid” meals with cardiac defibrillators and other nifty toys. Now I can hear the operator at the drive-through window, as she asks sweetly after taking her order, “Would you like oxygen with that?”
But I digress. I came here today to laugh at the chicken. I must admit I was inspired by the recent series of Subway commercials featuring none other than that incredible shrunken man, Jared. The weight loss spokesperson who says he lost about 245 pounds eating sandwiches (don’t try this with meatball or cheesesteak sandwiches) has been poking fast food chicken options lately.
But before you grab a few bawk, bawk, bawks and rush out to the Subway for a super healthy chicken sandwich, check out this:
The 6 “Chicken & Bacon Ranch sandwich has 530 calories and 25 grams of fat. The numbers aren’t much better than the McDonald’s sandwiches listed above. In fact, the McChicken has only 370 calories and 16 grams of fat.
Well, Jared was comparing apples to oranges when he attacked the high-fat fast food sandwich and recommended the 6 “sweet onion chicken teriyaki sandwich and its 5 grams of fat.
Dieters like you and I know that we have to do our homework before heading to the corner fast food restaurant for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Stick with the grilled chicken and steer clear of the breaded chicken and you’re off to a good start. Other tips:
Most of the large franchises now offer nutritional values online or on the premises. Ask for the information if it is not easily accessible. If they don’t want to hand it out, say goodbye. It is your money and your health that are at stake here. Get what you they want, not what they want to serve you.
Now, let’s get back to chewing on the fat and calories from fast food chicken.
Consumer Reports He recently researched more than 35 chicken dishes in 16 restaurants. Some of the less appetizing results:
Mr. Bad Food would be remiss if he didn’t review the nutrition numbers for the latest entry in the fast food chicken wars: Burger King’s Chicken Fries. An order of 6 pieces with Buffalo Sauce has 340 calories (210 from fat), 24 grams of fat (4.5 saturated; 3 trans fat), 40 mg of cholesterol, 1020 mg of sodium, 20 g of carbohydrates and 2 g of fiber.
The verdict? The 6-pack is actually a bit worse in some ways than the medium fries which have 360 calories (160 from fat), 18g fat (5 saturated; 4.5 trans fat), 0 cholesterol, 640mg sodium, 46 G of carbohydrates and 4 g of fiber. So don’t be fooled by the “chicken has to be better than french fries” trap.
Another highly hyped chicken sandwich these days is the KFC Snacker. The 99-cent price tag makes it much more affordable than the Colonel’s high-priced bucket selections. But basically you’re getting little more of a crunchy strip inside a “bun” with pepper mayonnaise and a lettuce mix.
The nutritional values are 320 calories, 16 grams of fat (3 g saturated), 25 mg of cholesterol, 700 mg of sodium, 31 grams of carbohydrates, and 1 gram of fiber. I don’t know about you, but I would need at least two of these 4-ounce teasers to feel almost full.
Some decent chicken options include:
–Burger King Grilled Chicken Salad with Fat-Free Honey Mustard Dressing has 280 calories and 7 grams of fat.
– Wendy’s Ultimate Grill Chicken Sandwich has 360 calories and 7 grams of fat.
– Quizno’s Honey Bourbon Small Chicken Sandwich has 359 calories and 6 grams of fat.
–Hardee’s Charbroiled Bar-BQ Chicken Sandwich has 415 calories and 5 grams of fat … and includes the mayonnaise.
The Bottom Line: When you’re hungry for fast food chicken, choose wisely and enjoy your meal. Oh, and don’t yell at Mr. Bad Food if temptation and poor decision making make you lay an egg, motivationally speaking.