A fast food joint isn't exactly a nutritional paradise, but sometimes you have absolutely no other choice. Try the following tips for making better choices.

Don't assume that a salad is the healthiest choice. At Taco Bell, a taco salad with ranch dressing, weighing in at 1,167 calories, has more calories than any other item on the menu. (61 percent of which come from fat.) Salad bars can be a danger zone, too. If you drown your lettuce in blue cheese dressing or pile on the marshmallow ambrosia and potato salad with olives, you may be even worse off than if you order a burger and fries.

When you order burgers and sandwiches, look for words like "Junior" and "small." Order your burger without the cheese, special sauce, and mayo; lettuce, tomato, onion, mustard, ketchup, and pickles supply plenty of flavor. And avoid items with the words "double" or "super" in the description. If you can't resist those two all-beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, and onions on a sesame-seed bun, at least try to balance out the damage with exercise.


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