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How to make healthier versions of your favorite fast food - cnet
Off the chain, in more ways than one.
Swearing off fast food is easy for some. For others, the siren call of Taco Bell is almost irresistible and the light of the Golden Arches beckons us like moths to flames. In general, completely depriving yourself of treats isn't a great strategy. But no matter how many so-called healthy options your favorite fast food joints and chain restaurants tout, you're better off satisfying some cravings at home.
Happily, there's no shortage of recipes that combine the copycat urge with the drive to eat healthier. As you might expect, most of them replace animal-derived ingredients with vegetables and meat alternatives, in addition to swapping out flours, fats and cooking methods.
While the health benefits of rejiggered junk food may seem specious, it's still better than hitting up the drive-through. Even if you're not going full-on paleo, gluten-free, vegan (or what have you), making multiple minor changes to your culinary habits -- like baking instead of frying, cutting down on oils and fats, reducing sugar and salt, eating a little less meat every week and skipping the easiest dine-out options in favor of cooking at home more often -- can really add up to feeling better.
Off the chain, in more ways than one.
Swearing off fast food is easy for some. For others, the siren call of Taco Bell is almost irresistible and the light of the Golden Arches beckons us like moths to flames. In general, completely depriving yourself of treats isn't a great strategy. But no matter how many so-called healthy options your favorite fast food joints and chain restaurants tout, you're better off satisfying some cravings at home.
Happily, there's no shortage of recipes that combine the copycat urge with the drive to eat healthier. As you might expect, most of them replace animal-derived ingredients with vegetables and meat alternatives, in addition to swapping out flours, fats and cooking methods.
While the health benefits of rejiggered junk food may seem specious, it's still better than hitting up the drive-through. Even if you're not going full-on paleo, gluten-free, vegan (or what have you), making multiple minor changes to your culinary habits -- like baking instead of frying, cutting down on oils and fats, reducing sugar and salt, eating a little less meat every week and skipping the easiest dine-out options in favor of cooking at home more often -- can really add up to feeling better.