Like Ferris Bueller said, “Life moves pretty fast,” and some days it moves so fast you don’t have time to stop and eat. I’ve done a lot of eating in my car. I’m not proud of it, and it’s not easy to vacuum all those crumbs out from under your seat either.
Sadly, the hardest thing to eat while driving is a salad. Believe me, I’ve tried. The only thing harder to eat while driving is frozen yogurt!
If the healthiest thing you can get on the run is the hardest thing to eat behind the wheel, what can you get on the go that’s good for you?
Have It Your Way
You can make special requests when ordering fast food. Hold the sauce is a big one of mine when I get sandwiches and wraps. Those weird sauces have a lot of calories in them. I try to keep mustard packets (picked up from fast food establishments) in my car since mustard adds a lot of flavors and little calories.
Act Childish
Kids meals are a great option. The portions are smaller and the sides are often healthier. Some meals include apple slices and give you the option of milk as a drink. At the fast food restaurant I worked at as a teenager, the hamburger in the kid’s meal was half a regular hamburger patty. That’s great if you have a taste for a hamburger, but don’t want all those calories.
All Chicken Is Not Created Equal
A chicken sandwich seems like a go to meal – healthy and easy to eat behind the wheel. If you can find a chicken wrap, take it. Eating a tortilla is better than eating a bun. And believe it or not, the nuggets, if they’re all white meat, are often the lowest calorie chicken option.
It’s Not What You Eat, It’s How Much You Eat
What if there is no healthy option? This is a reality. If this happens don’t panic. Eat what you need to eat, just don’t eat a lot of it. Sometimes portion size overrules the actual food.
Don’t Be Fooled
Fast food and quick restaurants are doing a better job of listing calories. This information comes in handy when you go to order what you think is a “healthy” meal. Sometimes what a restaurant bills as “healthy,” is actually more calories than one of their regular items.
Drinking Calories Won’t Quench Your Thirst
When you roll through the drive through, you’re probably going to order a drink. Pick a zero-calorie drink – tea, diet soda, or a bottle of water. More places offer water bottles these days. And as for diet sodas, I’m not as anti-diet soda as some people. Having one every now and then won’t kill you.
Eating on the run doesn’t have to blow your diet. Just make sure you ask for extra napkins!