Don’t those fries look tempting? Sneaking a peak won’t hurt. Ahhh, yes! They do look tempting and mouthwatering. Maybe one or just a few won’t hurt. Would they?? No, I cannot eat fries, I need to keep my weight in check. Are these the thoughts that haunt you when you go to any fast food joint? A research carried out by Foodpanda on calorie counts of famous fast food items has revealed that if moderation is practiced, these fast food items may not have negative impact on your health. 

Are you familiar with the term “food moderation?” Moderation alone means avoiding extremes in behavior and expression. Thus food moderation would mean avoiding extremes in food eating i.e. controlled eating as in eating only as much food as the body needs and consuming healthy and beneficial food. Food moderation can be imposed in many ways. One such method would be cutting down the order size of your meal or skipping on a few ingredients from it. It is the smart thing to do if you are on the watch for your weight and plan to keep that body in fit and healthy state. Here are a few ways you can follow food moderation in your meals. 

1. We all love chicken, don’t we? Its considered to be healthier than red meat keeping in mind the fat content. Chicken is an important part of our meals. So, when you order chicken items, avoid ordering fried chicken and opt for grilled chicken instead. Personally, you may prefer fried food over grilled but adding oil and batter increases calories and fat in it. Grilled chicken is healthier as it cooks in its own seeping fat while fried chicken take upon extra calorie count. However if you feel liking indulging yourself in fried chicken, you can skip on a few ingredients from your meal like excluding fries and dips. 

To eat: Grilled chicken burgers, Grilled chicken with vegetables on sidelines. Two fried KFC chicken pieces with salad. Instead of carbonated drinks, opt for mineral water as water intake has its health benefits compared to high sugar content of carbonated drinks. Substitute French fries with potato wedges as they are baked. 

Calorie count: 1 KFC Chicken thigh piece contains 290 calories in full with 21g of fat. 

2. Those times are gone when veggie burgers were just reserved for individuals following vegan diets. Veggie burgers have become quite common now and an alternate to meat burgers. These days a veggie burger is considered to be a popular choice for anyone who wants to make a healthier diet choice. A vegetable burger has less fat and calories and more fiber than in their beef counterpart. But if you really wish to opt for a beef burger then dropping the cheese and mayo in it would be a wise choice. In general, without the two your veggie burger will carry 7gms of fat and with them, 20gms. Similarly, calorie count will increase too if you add both of them. 

To eat: Veggie bun kebabs, variants of chicken wraps. 

Calorie count: 1 potato patty contains 135 calories with 8.3g of fat. Chicken Tikka wrap contains 230 calories in total. Veggie wrap contains 186 calories. 

3. Who doesn’t love sandwiches? Sandwiches are a respite when it comes to untimely hunger and a quick fix to those hunger pangs. But one must be careful about the choice of ingredients in the sandwich. Dips, sweet sauces, cheese, extra toppings and ketchup all add up to extra sugar and calories in your sandwich. They are boosted with artificial sugar variants.

To eat: Fajita sandwich without extra sauces, Tuna Salad.

Calorie count: One 6” Chicken Fajita sandwich contains 447 calories with 20g of fat. 1 serving of Tuna salad contains 310 calories.

4. If someone tells you pizza is a healthy food, take their word for it. There is good news for the pizza lovers. Diet and health conscious people can opt for pizza made from olives, olive oil and fish. It represents the best dietary meal. You can get a pizza made that still retains the taste of pizza but has low fat and calories. It depends on your choice of toppings and opting for a thin crust.

To eat: Veggie feast pizza, tandoori chicken pizza.

Calorie count: 1 slice of 12” medium hand-tossed Veggie feast contains 240 calories. 

In short, girls if you want to eat whatever you like, just follow these simple rules to maintain your weight without the fear of gaining more. Remember, its not the quantity that counts its actually the quality of food you eat. People do not say in vain “you are what you eat.”