Most people find themselves eating on the run at one time or another, and this often involves fast food. So if you are going to eat fast food, which is better for you – a fast food grilled chicken sandwich or a fast food hamburger?
Below are the various calorie counts and nutrition information for a fast food grilled chicken sandwich, hamburger, and large hamburger. (Also below are Nutritional Labels with this information.)
| |
Grilled Chicken Sandwich |
Hamburger |
Larger Hamburger |
|
Calories |
420 |
250 |
540 |
|
Protein |
32 grams |
12 grams |
25 grams |
|
Fat |
10 grams |
9 grams |
29 grams |
|
Saturated Fat |
2 grams |
3.5 |
10 grams |
|
Trans fat |
0 grams |
.5 grams |
1.5 grams |
|
Sodium |
1190 mg |
520 mg |
1040 mg |
Based on the nutritional breakdown above you can see that the lowest calorie option is the hamburger compared to the other sandwiches. However, the hamburger has substantially less protein and therefore you could feel hungry more quickly. Depending on if you order anything else with the sandwich you may want to choose the grilled chicken sandwich, which has 3 times the protein and the calories are still appropriate for a lunch or dinner meal.
The hamburger and grilled chicken have about the same amount of fat grams, but the hamburger and large hamburger have trans fat. As a reminder, the recommendation for trans fat is 0 grams per day because it is related to an increased risk for heart disease.
All the sandwiches have a fair amount of sodium bringing you closer to the limit of 2300 mg per day. Therefore, if you’re eating fast food, be sure your other meals that day are low in sodium to keep the day in check. You can follow this principle with the calories and fat grams as well. If you end up eating a fast food meal, try and balance the nutrition with your other meals that day. Lastly, limit your fast food intake as much as possible.
Rebecca
