Nutrition 411: "Fast" Food Guide for Making Healthy Meals

Tough Love Nutrition’s “Fast Food” Guide is a no frills means to help create meals that get the job done nutritionally and eliminate doubts of whether or not a healthy choice is made.

No goofy diet plans or food values handbook necessary! The “Fast Food” Guide lays it out for you no matter where your next meal is coming from.

By selecting foods as instructed, you can conveniently side-step processed food pitfalls and make-up or order a nutrient and energy-rich meal that is balanced with lean protein, quality carbohydrates, dietary fiber and beneficial fats (and for those keeping count, around 500 calories or less if using half-portions).

As you choose foods from each category, habitual meal combinations will be the norm (like a sandwich), but also mix-and-match for creativity as well as when availability of food choices and preparation time is limited (like grabbing a can of tuna, banana and handful of cashews). The latter is especially relevant because with our busy schedules, not every meal can be a gourmet affair. Sometimes it is necessary to eat a “get the job done nutritionally” meal and move on with our day.

To make servings more realistic, whenever possible, a visual description of the portion size is included along with traditional food measurements. Don’t fret over a portion being exactly as listed. An extra ounce or two is not going to dramatically affect the overall nutritional profile of a meal. For smaller meals, you can take the protein, carbohydrate and fat suggestions below and simply portion them in half.

Start learning how easy it is to create a healthy meal by getting a copy of the guidelines now!