YMCA Healthy Living Magazine, powered by n4 food and health Summer 2017 | Page 7

ASHLEIGH FELTHAM, APD
Ashleigh is the owner of Feed Your Future Dietetics. She has a Masters of Nutrition and
Dietetics and a Bachelor of Human Nutrition and believes everyone deserves to live a life of
health and wellness. Ashleigh is passionate about helping people achieve their highest
quality of life through nutrition, mental health and exercise. To learn more about Ashleigh visit
www.feedyourfuturedietetics.com or www.n4foodandhealth.com

FAMILY FRIENDLY
FAST FOOD
Nutrition expert Ashleigh Feltham provides these tips for healthy eating on the go.
ast food can sometimes be an
inevitable option, so here are a
few tips to help you preserve
you and your family's health along the
way.

F

Set rules to choices
Before entering the fast food shop, let
your kids know about the available
options. Give choice of a few options
but set these as the ONLY options (e.g.
salad or apple pieces). It is important to
give options which are both close to the
desired healthier choice and not options
like chips or salad.

Educate yourself as the
parent
Most fast food restaurants have an
online website with the nutritional
content of the meal items available. If
you have time, browse over their main
options and see which would be the
best in terms of energy content,
then if there is time, look at the
fat content, generally aiming for
less than 10g per 100g and
less than 3g per 100g of
saturated fat. Also check
that sugar does not
exceed 15g per 100g.
Most fast food
restaurants will
contain a lot of
sodium, but if
possible aim for
sodium less
than
120mg
per

100g as best or 400mg per 100g as
good.
If you do not have time or access to the
website then make choices based on
foods which are NOT deep fried but
grilled or roasted. Whole foods like apple
pieces or salads, bean burritos or wraps,
low fat yoghurt or milk are better options.

Think about how MUCH is
ordered
Instead of choosing a large meal or
upgrading to a super-size because of
the value for money benefit, try a burger
with a small chips and large salad
instead, with a low fat milk or mineral
water. The large salad option is not only
lower in energy (gram for gram) than

chips, but also contains more nutrients
to help the body function at its best. It
also contains more fibre, which helps
the body feel full for longer than a large
serve of chips.

Prepare meals and snacks
and avoid the fast food trap
altogether
The best option is always to avoid the
fast food restaurant if possible.
Preparing food in advance will not only
save the battle of struggling with your
kids to select the better choices for
health over the not so healthy options,
but also will save you money!
Meal options that can be prepared in
advance include a low fat cheese and
vegemite sandwich made on multigrain
or wholemeal bread, long life low fat
milk, or juice with no added sugar, sliced
apple or pear pieces (if you sprinkle
some lemon juice on top this helps stop
the fruit turning brown), banana, small
bags of nuts, low fat cheese sticks with
wholegrain crackers or sliced carrot with
hummus or cottage cheese as a dip.
You can pre-prepare some salads,
adding favourite veggies with some low
fat cheese or dressed with olive oil and
vinegar. Being prepared can lead to
success as you can select healthier food
and drink alternatives while also being
able to keep your kids happy with
healthier options that they'll actually
want to eat!
Reference: www.
eatforhealth.gov.au

SUMMER 2017 YMCA HEALTHY LIVING MAGAZINE

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