Renee GuilbaultI’ve been a chef and food industry professional for more than 20 years, and in all that time I never thought I’d find myself questioning the actual definition of food. But recently, while reading the ingredient list on a grilled chicken sandwich from a popular fast food chain, that’s exactly what I was thinking. I mean, seriously: if a piece of chicken has 39 ingredients in it—and that’s the chicken alone, without the sauces, toppings, or bread—is it actually chicken anymore? What more does a lovely piece of grilled chicken need than salt, pepper, and a touch of oil?
We all know by now that highly processed food is killing us—in fact, the number-one cause of death and disability in the U.S. is the food we eat. Half of American adults and a quarter of teens are living with diabetes or pre-diabetes, and 70% of us are obese or overweight—and these statistics from the annual Food Is Medicine report from Tufts University seem to get worse every year. Meanwhile, fast food companies are slapping the words “fresh” and “healthy” on ultra-high-sodium, ultra-high-fat products with tastes and textures that were designed in a lab. Did you know that the “natural flavors” you see on fast food ingredient lists are anything but natural? They’re molecular compounds blended by food scientists to mimic the taste of real foods—the bright, refreshing smack of lime, for example, but without any of the healthful vitamin C, citric acid, or antioxidants that make a real lime a nutrition powerhouse.
But I get it. I’m a working mom, and I’m very familiar with the relentless pressure of getting a proper meal on the table every day. Despite everything we know, we reach for fast food again and again, not just because all that sodium, fat, and sugar makes it intensely crave-able (by design!), but also because we’re desperate to find a way to feed our families in a world when both money and time are in increasingly short supply. So, I won’t tell you to ban fast food altogether in your household. But I am going to tell you that, with a little bit of effort, you can regain some control over what goes into that take-out bag when the need for an easy meal strikes.
Renee Guilbault In The Kitchen With Harry Hamlin (Courtesy AMC+)
To that end, here are a few ways to hack some health into your next fast food order. Sure, they might be small steps, but as more and more of us start demanding better options, together we might start driving a little bit of change in an industry that badly needs it.
Choose restaurants that actually cook their food (rather than reheat it). Between your local sit-down chain with actual menus on the table and the place with an assembly line of deep fryers and microwaves, take the sit-down option. You’ll have a better chance of getting simple, whole-food-forward meals if the restaurant has an actual kitchen. The bad news is this means avoiding places with drive-throughs—which are relying more and more on re-heating and deep-frying—but it doesn’t mean you can’t still get take-out.
Lean into modifications. This is America, after all, and we’re famous for championing individualism. So ask for those customizations! “I’ll have the classic burger, replace the special sauce with a dab of mustard, add extra tomato and lettuce, hold the processed cheese, hold the fried onions, and add an extra pickle, please.” If the existing menu doesn’t support your health goals, get in there and tinker with it until it does.
Opt for fresh-made over packaged. There’s food, then there’s “food products.” Whatever restaurant you choose, you’re more likely to get the first one if you go for the menu items that are made to order, on-site, rather than the factory-made, heat-and-eat options, which are far more likely to be packed with added fats, preservatives, and fillers. The more they do their toasting, grilling, chopping and topping in front of you, the more likely those ingredients are to be genuinely whole and fresh.
European chicken breasts from the butcher (Michele Stueven)
This brings us to: read the fine print. Just like with grocery-shelf products, fast food chains have to make their ingredient lists public, along with their calorie counts. Go to the restaurant website and look under the hood at what you’re eating. Menu item names are designed to hook you in, but they don’t necessarily reflect what those products actually are. If you look up the ingredients list and it reads more like a science experiment than dinner, skip it—even if it’s called the Healthy Choice Fresh Superfood Fiber Garden Bowl. (Remember my recent “grilled chicken” rabbit hole: 39 ingredients! For a simply grilled chicken Sandwich!) Madness!
And here’s a final bonus tip: home cooking can be fast, too. I know, I know! When you’re squeezed between work and family, coming up with a tasty, healthy dinner idea night after night can feel like a slog. But all kinds of nutritious, delicious, and easy meals are likely hiding in your kitchen right now, and I promise you that throwing together a great meal at home will be far more energizing than waiting in line at a fast food spot. So before you leave work today, take a moment to search for “10-minute pantry dinners” or “quick and healthy recipes.” You might be surprised at how inspired you feel to drive straight home, dust off that can of chickpeas, and get creative.
Renee Guilbault is a veteran industry consultant, chef, CEO of Harry’s Famous Sauce, and co-host of the new AMC+ series In the Kitchen with Harry Hamlin. Her book, A Taste of Opportunity: An Insider’s Guide to Boosting Your Career, Making Your Mark, & Changing the Food Industry from Within, along with more cooking and career resources, can be found on her website.
