Calories in Fast Food

5 Worst Drive-Thru Foods

The next time you pull up to a fast-food window, skip these atrociously fatty options and choose our lighter suggestions, instead
By David Zinczenko menshealth
 

Fast Food You Should Skip

5 Worst Drive-Thru Foods // Hardees monster thickburger © Hardees.com

Image: Hardees.com

How much time did you spend in your car last week? Ten hours? Fifteen maybe? Wow, that sounds like a lot. But it's still probably an underestimate: As it turns out, the average American now spends 21 hours per week stuck inside a mobile metal box.

No wonder the drive-thru is so appealing. All those hours spent in traffic leaves scarcely any time to sit and eat. Add to that the stress of daily life and the desire to feel like you're accomplishing something while you drive, and you've got a pretty good case for turning the center console into a dining table. (Did you know how you set your table can affect how much you eat? Find out why!)

But that convenience comes at a cost. A 15-year study published in the British journal Lancet found that those who ate fast food two or more times per week gained an average of 10 more pounds than those who ate fast food less than once a week. But it doesn't have to be this way. You can navigate fast-food menus intelligently and make sure the meal coming at you through your car window won't necessitate a loosening of your seatbelt. The first step: Avoid the 5 foods on this list.

Bonus Tip: For more advice on the best and worst foods, and how to stay healthy, check out our new book: The Eat This, Not That! No-Diet Diet, a complete day-by-day, meal-by-meal weight-loss plan for busy people. You can eat all the foods you love, and still lose tons of weight—without ever dieting again. Check it out.

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