When McDonald`s announced recently that its French fries would be cooked in nonsaturated vegetable oil instead of beef tallow, it was attention-grabbing news around the world-the possible liberation of millions of cholesterol-clogged arteries.
Taste-the ”taste” that the fast-food industry perceives the public wants-is still paramount to the industry. ”But we`re in the business of responding to our customers,” says Oakley of McDonald`s. ”And if we don`t track their needs, we`re not going to stay in business.”
Meanwhile, consumer advocate Bonnie Liebman of the Center for Science in the Public Interest, like the rest of us, is dealing with what exists. Using her research resources and food-lab analysis, she has homed in on the best nutritional buys at the nation`s major fast-food chains, and listed them in the CSPI`s July/August issue of Nutrition Action Healthletter. Highlights from her findings appear in the accompanying chart along with the chain`s consumer information numbers.
For Americans on the run or on the road, it`s a crib sheet for beating the fast-food high-fat odds. (The informative newsletter is published 10 times a year. A one-year subscription costs $19.95; write CSPI, 1501 16th St., N.W., Washington, D.C. 20036-1499.)
To be further in control of what you`re eating in fast-food restaurants, Liebman encourages consumers to customize the meal. You`re not bound to eat exactly what appears on the menu. Both McDonald`s and Burger King will leave off sauces, for example. Or, at a Pizza Hut, ask to have the fat-saturated cheese removed from the pizza. Fast-food restaurants are there to serve you-they want to please you so you`ll come back. Take advantage of that desire and make demands.
There are many ways to trim fat from a fast-food meal, Liebman says. At McDonald`s, wipe the tartar sauce off your Filet-O-Fish to save a third of the calories and almost two-thirds of the fat. Two McDonald`s Apple Bran muffins
(made by Entenmann`s) are lower in calories and fat than one fruit or cheese Danish. At Burger King, have a regular hamburger or a Whopper ”your way”-hold the mayo-and you`ll save more calories (150) and fat (16 grams)
than you`d get in a cup of ice cream. And at Arby`s, avoid the Steak Deluxe and get a Turkey Deluxe instead (order it without the mayo and you`ll save half the fat and 80 calories). If you have comments or questions, call the consumer hotline number most fast-food chains have.
BEST BITES FROM FAST-FOOD RESTAURANTS
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McDonald`s-708-575-FOOD
Best: Hamburger, frozen yogurt, orange sorbet, chunky chicken salad, low-fat shake
Worst: Double cheeseburger, Big Mac with cheese, sausage McMuffin
Burger King-800-YES-1800
Best: BK broiler without sauce, light Italian dressing, chicken specialty sandwich without mayo, regular hamburger
Worst: Whopper, sausage Croissan`wich
Wendy`s-800-443-7266
Best: Chili, junior hamburger, fish fillet, plain baked potato, some salad bar selections with reduced-calorie Italian dressing
Worst: Triple cheeseburger, taco salad, pasta salad, potato salad, coleslaw
Pizza Hut-316-681-8450
Best: Hand-tossed pepperoni pizza, hold the pepperoni; regular pizza without cheese, or with half the cheese and lots of vegetables
Worst: Pizza topped with lots of cheese and meat
Kentucky Fried Chicken-No consumer hotline
Best: Chicken with skin removed, corn on the cob without butter
Worst: Extra crispy chicken, french fries
Taco Bell-800-735-8226
Best: Bean burrito, pintos and cheese, chicken fajita, steak fajita, taco, soft chicken taco
Worst: Nachos, double beef supreme burrito, Mexican pizza
Arby`s-800-2-ADVISE
Best: French dip roast beef sandwich, grilled chicken barbecue, turkey deluxe without the mayo, plain baked potato, side salad with light Italian dressing, blueberry muffin
Worst: Regular roast beef sandwich, roast chicken club, chicken Cordon Bleu, steak deluxe, apple turnover
Source: Center for Science in the Public Interest