11 Fast Food Items Which Aren’t as Bad for You as You Think

While fast food isn’t always good for you, it’s not always a terrible thing for you to eat, either– at least, as far as certain items go. Few will argue that a Double Down is really good for anyone who has had anything to eat in the past week, but other items are okay as far as indulgences go.

It’s all about moderation, and the occasional cheeseburger or taco isn’t likely to kill you, as long as you’re not eating them for lunch and dinner five days a week while avoiding exercise. And as it turns out, there are some items out there which are surprisingly not as bad for you as you might think.

That’s the argument put forth by TV host Angie Greenup, who has begun a new web series called “Eat, Drink, and Be Skinny.” The idea of the show is that people are probably going to eat fast food anyway, and so long as you are, you might as well know which menu items are “not horrible for you.”

Over at 11 Points, Angie has put together a list of “11 Fast Food Items That are Surprisingly Not Terrible For You” to help kick things off. Among the items listed is one of my longtime favorites:

McDonald’s Chicken McNuggets. Chicken nuggets are a decently low-calorie choice at almost any fast food restaurant, but here’s a real shocker. McDonald’s 10-piece Chicken McNuggets is 470 calories. Only 47 calories per nugget. I would’ve guessed way higher. My rule of thumb is that you should aim to keep your fast food meals around 400 cals or less, but for 10 McNuggets, I’d go 70 calories over. Or instead of eating 10, eat 8 and 51/100ths.

As well as one of yours:

Taco Bell Doritos Locos Tacos. Taco Bell has built up a lot of hype around its new Doritos Locos Tacos — and apparently it’s the fastest-selling product they’ve ever had. I didn’t love them when I tried them, but clearly most people think they’re great judging by the amount of photos of them that have shown up on my Instagram. And here’s some good news: One Doritos Locos taco has the same amount of calories as the regular crunchy taco– 170. Instead of a regular taco, have a regular taco lightly dusted in nacho cheese dust!

Not that I don’t like the Doritos Locos Tacos. I had one, and it was pretty good, but not quite as life-changing as people made it out to be. In fact, I barely tasted the Doritos, save for maybe as an aftertaste of sorts. Maybe people just love the concept?

As for the McNuggets, that doesn’t take into account the dipping sauces (I prefer BBQ and Hot Mustard when there aren’t any fancy holiday sauces available; I miss Cinnamon Apple). Personally, I’m not a huge dunker– more of a dabber, as I prefer my sauces to accentuate the taste of what I eat, rather than drown it. In moderation, it’s probably not hurting much– especially since I more often go for the six-piece anyway (or four in a Happy Meal).

Anyway, these are just two of the 11 items shown in the full list (plus the premiere episode), and the only two I have any regular exposure to (aside from one other item at Wendy’s I seldom get), but you can check out the rest here, and maybe you’ll be able to relax a little more easily when you’re eating out.

On a final note: I’m not big into the “skinny” thing (no pun intended). I mean, I don’t think people should eat so much that they barely retain anything resembling the form of a human body, but I think you can go too far in the other direction as well.

David Oxford

David Oxford, or “LBD ‘Nytetrayn’,” as he is sometimes also known, is a freelance writer of many varied interests who resides in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. If you’re interested in hiring him, please drop him a line at david.oxford (at) nyteworks.net.

For a full list of places to find him online, click here.