How healthy is food at fast-food restaurants such as McDonald’s, Burger King, Wendy’s, Mos Burger, Lotteria, First Kitchen and so on? Do you think there is anything nutritious on their menus?

They are so nutritious that most offer more of my daily calorie need in one menu, sometimes in one item. And even with that abundance, I wouldn't get enough of many things (leafy greens, fresh fruit, probiotics, omega 3, certain vitamins...). The thread has listed other defects. Add to this that the quality of origine of ingredients are debatable (once in a while a big scandal gives us a hint), and "freshness" in their context means anything fresher than 6 months.

Anything with white rice or white bread, for example, sees the best part of these grains being separated and thrown out.

It's also a way to throw out most of the pesticides used during culture, plus is whole grains are not enough fermented before cooking, they are harsh on your gut. Then in the US, you see brown and black breads everywhere but most are colored "white" bread. So the biggest issue with fast food "bread" is even the darkest subway bread contains more sugar than a birthday cake and more chemical additive than the oil for your car.

Sure they're not good for you, but just like anything, moderation is the key. I eat fast food probably once a month, and I am entirely fine with that.

If you value your health, you would be wise to avoid fast food restaurants period. The fast food diet promotes high cholesterol, hypertension, heart attacks, obesity and diabetes. The foods are loaded with added chemicals, and almost all animal based food comes from factory farms. If you want to gain health or maintain it, nutrition is important. Your diet accounts for 80 percent of the health benefits reaped from a healthy lifestyle, with the remaining 20 percent from exercise. A healthy diet is based on fresh whole foods, and food that have been minimally processed. So the worst possible place to eat is a fast food restaurant if you want to stay healthy.

I have never eaten at any of them and have NO intention of ever doing so...

Of course, 100% unhealthy. Eating that stuff leads to all kinds of degenerative diseases. The corporations will go to ANY lengths to trick you into eating it.

katsu78, that's just crazy talk. Who would want to spend all their time doing that?

doesn't Mos have a veggie burger?

A quick look at McDonald's nutrition online shows most burgers at McDs are 50% fat. That's way too high; fat should be in the 10-25% range. Also two Big Macs will get you 50% of recommended (US) amount of sodium (salt); again way too high. A regular hamburger gives you 520 mg of salt when the daily max. is 1500 mg.

Fat for a Burger King hamburger is 15%

http://fastfoodnutrition.org/mcdonalds/burgers-sandwiches/hamburger

https://sodiumbreakup.heart.org/how_much_sodium_should_i_eat?utm_source=SRI&utm_medium=HeartOrg&utm_term=Website&utm_content=SodiumAndSalt&utm_campaign=SodiumBreakup

This is not a matter of opinion. This is a fact that is measurable. Unfortunately, most of us are too busy working jobs to do extensive research. If only there were people out there whose job was to investigate the information most people don't have the time to research on their own. Then they could report on what they find through some kind of objective, information-distributing form of media. They would report on their investigations. We could call them "finder-outer-people."

No, they offer calories, LOTS of them, but if you look at them overall they are not good for you.

If you go for this stuff once a week, less as you get older it probably wont hurt you much.

But if your hitting these joints with regularity they can clearly do damage

I have termed this stuff as slow poison, some are just not a slow as the others but none are good for you.

Don't go there for the health. yoshinoya?

When I am in the mood for salt and grease, I can go to those places. So for mental health reasons, they are very healthy. When you need a fixin, you gotta start lickin. Grease is tasty...but eat in moderation and you will stay trim and slim like me and not feel guilty about consuming things doctors tell you you should not.

Of course you can pick healthy options, but so many of their menu items a packed with sodium, fat, and sugar

The simple answer?

No!

You cannot put McDonald’s with First Kitchen and Burger King in the same bracket. MD is just terrible. I quit eating it 15 years ago after I began to get sick and queasy after going there. I have no problem with BK or FK. BK's burgers are flame broiled and their vegeies are fresh. FK has some reall great soups that dipped in with bread will make you full but still healthy. MD is on a whole different level. Wendy’s, Mos Burger, Lotteria- these are just your average fast food chain. Don't recommend them more than once a week at most. Same for KFC.

That's my personal opinion.

I kind of have the impression that Wendy's chili is kind of healthy.

Well, we need protein, fats, carbs and various other things in our diet and any "food" will provide some of these things by definition so they are nutritious. A better gauge might be how much nutrition is lost in the processing of the food and I think it would be quite a lot. But then again that applies to most kinds of restaurants and lots of home-cooked food too. There is so much wastage. Anything with white rice or white bread, for example, sees the best part of these grains being separated and thrown out. Then there are all the peelings that are discarded and the overcooking. I find it all ultimately disrespectful of the resources we consume and these fast-food restaurants are pretty emblematic of that.