Which Fast Food is the Least Bad for You?

A Consideration of the Pros and Cons of Several of Your Favorite Drive-Thru Treats

What is your favorite fast food item? The hamburger? Pizza? Tacos? If there is one thing that Americans are not lacking in, it's access to quick food. (In theory, at least.) Most neighborhoods today have a fast food section where within a mile long stretch you can literally drive your car in and come out with almost any kind of food imaginable. But have you ever stopped to think if there is any one particular kind of fast food that is preferable to another in terms of being less bad for you?

The Cheeseburger.

A diehard favorite of many, the cheeseburger is popular because it's fast and easy to make and very difficult to screw up. Cheeseburgers come with the built-in advantage of having a lot protein thanks to the beef. In addition, cheeseburgers also come with calcium thanks to the cheese, as well as Vitamin B12 and iron. There is a price to be paid, of course. The cheeseburger provides so a good deal of protein because it's so high in calories. So, yes, you get protein but you also get a busload of fat and those stakes are raised even higher if you order it with mayo. Despite the fact that you get two buns, a cheeseburger isn't even a good source for fiber.

Fish Filet Sandwich.

Hey, fish is healthy food, right? People even take in pill form. Well, not so fast. The main promise of a fish sandwich from a fast food restaurant is that it contains a high dose of protein. You can also expect to get a fairly decent amount of carbs from the buns. But the good news ends there. Fish filet sandwiches are almost always batter fried so anything you gain from getting protein is lost in also getting an enormous helping of fat. Adding tartar sauce isn't going to help things either. So, while a fish filet sandwich may seem like a good alternative, you really aren't doing much better than going with the cheeseburger.

Pizza.