These findings may cause you to reconsider your lunch order ..
HOLD the sauce — and a lot more — if you don’t want to run for hours to burn off your fast food lunch.
Researchers examined the kilojoule content of 229 small meals and snacks including burgers, salads, sandwiches/wraps, burritos and pizzas at 25 Australian fast food chains, then worked out how long it would take to run, cycle or walk off the food.
Among the eateries surveyed as part of Healthy Weight Week were Oporto, Guzman y Gomez, Grill’d, Crust, Coffee Club and Sumo Salad.
Topping the list was Zambrero’s Nachos Pork and Garlic Sauce with a whopping 5005kj per bowl.
Nachos from Zambrero.Source:Supplied
To burn off that particular meal, you’d have to walk for four hours and eight minutes, run for one hour and 48 minutes, or cycle for two hours and 25 minutes.
The George Institute for Global Health found almost a quarter of the lunches exceeded 3000kj.
“For the average Australian adult this would be over one third of their daily kilojoule requirement,” said the institute’s Kristina Petersen.
“On average Australians spend just over 30 minutes per day doing physical activity, which is not enough to burn off the kilojoules in many of these meals.”
A salad from Sumo Salad may not be as healthy as you’d hoped.Source:News Corp Australia
Dr Petersen advises people not to eat out daily and when they do, choose menu items lower in kilojoules, noting that a 1500 kj meal still requires a 75 minute walk, 33 minute run or 45 minute cycle.
She also warns to watch for extras like sauces and dressings, cheeses, high-fat or fried meats and choose water over soft drinks.
KEY FINDINGS
* Guzman y Gomez Enchilada Burritos Spicy Chicken Cuerrero, 4760kj, 1hr 43 run, 3hr 56 walk, 2hr 18 cycle.
* Hungry Jack’s Ultimate Double whopper topped the burger list for kj, with almost four hrs of walking needed to burn it off.
* Pizzas from Crust, Dominos, Pizza Hut and Pizza Capers all came under the 1300kJ mark, requiring a maximum of an hour’s walk — but that’s only one slice.
* Coffee Club’s Steak Sandwich would require a walk of 3hrs 9 minutes compared with 57 minutes for its roasted beetroot, feta and candied walnut salad.
* The “healthy salad” option may not be quite so healthy after all. Sumo Salad’s Ancient Grain Peanut Orange Small would take a run of 58 minutes, while its small tomato and basil would only need a four minute run. The Jamaica Blue Coconut Mango Salad would take a 2hr 59 minute walk, or a run of 1hr 18 minutes.
