Eat This, Not That

I picked up a good little book a couple of weeks ago called Eat This, Not That by David Zinczenco. This is not a diet or health book. It's a book about better choices. As you can see by the cover, it's not necessarily saying the Big Mac is health food, but that it's a better choice than the Whopper with cheese.

It's a full color book that is somewhat enjoyable to flip through. Here's a couple of facts I gleaned:

• By far, the healthiest fast food chain is Chick-Fil-A. Not one sandwich on the menu is over 500 calories. (The closest Chick-Fil-A to Dixon is at the Fairfield Mall.)
• The worst burger is Carl's Jr. Double Six Dollar Burger. 1,520 calories & 111g of fat. Ouch!
• As far as freshness goes, In-N-Out is the best choice. "They do not own a freezer, microwave, or heat lamp. They peel and cut fries from whole potatoes on site. And they butcher, grind, and ship all their own beef." (If you don't live on the west coast and don't know what an In-N-Out is - it sucks to be you!)
• Ordering your Starbucks drinks with non-fat milk makes a big difference in your fat consumption.

The book lets you know the best and worst meals at 60 fast-food and chain restaurants. It also gives you best and worst choices inside each individual restaurant. I really liked the Holidays and Special Occasions section, too. Did you know the best eating choice at the ballpark is usually the hot dog? Or at holiday dinners, it's always better to choose the beef over the ham? Or if you need an ice cream fix, it pays to go for the Skinny Cow brand ice cream treats? (Skinny Cow rocks, by the way!)

Anyway, I thought this was a great little guide to real life food. Stuff we actually eat and buy in the restaurants and supermarkets.