Fast Food Menu Analysis, Essay Example

The healthy meal option I have created is from the popular fast food restaurant Wendy’s. The meal is comprised of a mandarin fruit cup, a grilled chicken sandwich (the Ultimate Chicken Grill), a side salad (Wendy’s side salad with fat free french dressing, and a bottle of water. The mandarin fruit cup has 80 calories, no fat, 19 grams of carbohydrates, 17 grams of sugars and 1 gram of protein. The Ultimate Chicken Grill sandwich has 400 calories, 10 grams of fat, 3.5 grams of saturated fat, 43 grams of carbohydrates, 10 grams of sugar and 34 grams of protein. The side salad only has 35 calories, no fat, 8 grams of carbohydrates, 4 grams of fiber and 1 gram of protein. The dressing contains 80 calories, 19 grams of carbohydrates, 16 grams of sugar and no fat. The total calorie content for the meal is 595, with 10 grams of fat and 36 grams of protein. This meal covers all of the food groups while maintaining a low total caloric value, no saturated fats, and a high amount of protein. This is a healthy meal for anyone and a good choice when eating at fast food restaurants.

The unhealthy meal option I created is also from Wendy’s. This meal consists of a medium sized chocolate Frosty, Wendy’s Quarter Pound double stack cheeseburger, and a side caesar salad. The chocolate Frosty contains 200 calories, 5 grams of fat, 3.5 grams of saturated fat, 33 grams of carbohydrates, 28 grams of sugar and 8 grams of protein. The Quarter Pound double stack cheeseburger contains 430 calories, 20 grams of fat, 9 grams of saturated fat, 7 grams of sugar and 27 grams of protein. The side caesar salad contains 250 calories, 17 grams of fat, 4.5 grams of saturated fat, 19 grams of carbohydrates, 3 grams of sugar and 8 grams of protein. The total calorie count for this meal clocks in at 880 calories, with 42 grams of fat, 15 of which are saturated fats, 39 grams of sugar, and 43 grams of protein. This meal is significantly high in saturated fats, which is bad for those with blood pressure issues, weight issues or conditions that cause blood clots. The meal is also very high in calories while lacking in significant nutritional value.

The meals created make me assess my food choices in that I am now much more conscious of how much small changes to a meal can change the overall nutritional content of that meal. By substituting a milkshake for a cup of fruit, or regular dressing for fat-free dressing, people can make significant changes to their health while making small changes to their diet.