The Completely Revised and Updated Fast-Food Guide: What's Good, What's Bad, and How to Tell the Difference

This book is interesting because you can compare what the nutritional info for your favorite fast food is next to a heathier alternative. You should see the differences from 1986 industry wide! Overall, less fat, and calories, but still way more than needed in a healthy diet. It isn't written in a "holier - than - thou" tone. More of a matter of fact manner

This covers every major fast food chain, even some that are mostly regional.

This book is both encouraging and depressing because of the rising incidence of morbid obesity (I'm in that category) in the U.S. and the dependence we have on fast food to feed our children. The food eaten sparingly, isn't going to kill anyone but a full time diet of it can! Encouraging because, believe it or not, fast food IS healthier than it was.
This book originally came out around the time it became mandatory for restaurant chains and food processors to disclose nutritional information. I remember trying to read the small dark print on dark background from a little folded brochure.

I've kept my old original copy even with the ketchup and mustard stains.


useful, but could be outdated   June 26, 2000
8 out of 10 found this review helpful

Although the authors tend to have a low opinion of high protein/low carbohydrate diets, which seem to be proving themselves over and over again (and work for me very well) the book is still quite useful in finding out the number of grams of protein, carbohydrates, and fat that are contained in several of the most popular fast foods that we eat.

The book is arranged in alphabetical order so it is easy to locate the restaurant chain that you are looking for. The products are then listed with a summary of its ingredients in up to fifteen categories. The entire content of the food is then rated with a "gloom" factor, which tells you how bad or good the item is in comparison with other fast foods. This is a good quick-reference feature for those who have no idea whatsoever about what they are looking for in a food. The book also has an alphabetical listing of the same restaurants with the actual ingredients of their food items. This can be very useful for those who have certain dietary restrictions and need to ascertain specific ingredients in their food. In the front section of the book there are listings of foods that are the highest in saturated fats, cholesterol, and sodium, for example, and there are also listings for food lowest in fat, and the fiber content of foods.

In general the book is quite useful, although it may be outdated. Since foods change every so often in fast food restaurants, you may not be able to find the specific item that you are looking for. For example, I could not find Wendy's chicken nuggets (I have the 2nd edition - paperback, 1991) which is the first item I get when I go to Wendy's. But you can probably make an educated guess by looking at some of the other foods that are similar. This guide may eventually prove itself quite valuable since I don't see many books that actually list the ingedients of popular fast foods. Most books tell you the protein/carb/fat content of one egg, 1 cup of corn flakes, 1 slice of wheat toast, etc., and are suited only for those who are going to prepare their own meals all the time.