A Healthy Fast Food Lunch - But At What Cost?

For years, fast food restaurants have been trying to provide healthier alternatives for their customers. Some restaurants, like Wendy's, have been successful at adding healthy options to their menus, but at what cost? From a sustainability (people+environment+economics) standpoint, these restaurants have only addressed one third of the equation, as packaging and costs are still an issue. My good friend and guest blogger The Painted Pisces points this out as she describes her lunchtime woes to us below:

Typically, I pack my lunch in a reusable container.  My meal consists of leftovers from the dinner the night before and it’s awesome.  However with the rest of my family starting school this week and making a business trip and having crafty things going on at night, I have been pushing my limits and did not remember to grab my leftovers this morning (super yummy spaghetti with turkey sausage!).

SO to make myself feel better about that I thought I would try one of Wendy’s new salads.  Yay veggies!  Also, as the winner of your first give away (woot woot) I had just finished some excellent end-of-the-season shopping with my reusable and washable bag.  I was feeling pretty good about my choices, but then ordered a salad and was given a price tag of almost $7! 

Really?!? How are people supposed to make better choices about eating, when a large chunk of the population eats on the go and is confronted with prices like these?  We all know that these salads also have gigantic pouches of dressing that rack up calories, fried croutons/chips/etc, but if you use the dressing sparingly or not at all, as well as the other carbalicious toppings, it’s not that bad for you. 

That had me a little frustrated and swearing not to buy a drive-thru salad again, but then…….. I was handed my plastic bag of individually wrapped plastic items and I almost peeled out of the driveway!  This over-priced salad was packaged in a plastic box, had 2 plastic pouches of dressing (1 was way more than enough), roasted pecans (sugar coated) in a separate pouch, a plastic fork in a wrapper, and a separate knife in a wrapper.  SIGH of EXASPERATION!  I understand the need for sanitary standards, but… can’t we be more creative? 

A lot of the time when I shop, if I don’t have my reusable bag (which is not often since my new bag is so compact and lives in my purse) I just carry my items.  It can be bulky, but really people, why are you putting a gallon of milk in a bag.  It has a handle!  Why do people put a bag of ice in a bag?  Is it really going to keep you from feeling how cold it is?  I digress…

Saving grace of the experience?  The greens in the salad were a mixed variety, not entirely iceburg!  And there was approximately ½ an apple in the mix.  Another downside though… squooshy chicken. Gah!

Lessons Learned

1. I will have to start refusing plastic items from fast food chains as well.  I do get slightly strange looks when refusing bags at the grocery store (yay for self check out now… although I feel that is taking jobs away from people… whole ‘nother post) and retail stores (when that rarely occurs).
2. I will need to be more diligent in bringing my own food for lunch…

-The Painted Pisces

I am totally feeling PP on this one. $7 for a salad that came packaged in more plastic than I use in one week? Ridiculous! By the way, if you're interested in the nutritional value (ha!) your favorite fast food salads or other healthy alternatives, check out the Stop and Go Fast Food Nutrition Guide.

Got any tips for The Painted Pisces on how to handle this plastic-wrapped, overpriced fast food conspiracy?

Moving? Consider Green Moving Boxes!

If you don't know who Beth Terry is, she's my inspiration for going plastic-free. She recently posted an article on her website - www.fakeplasticfish.com - about companies that rent green moving boxes...made from recycled plastic.

Although she's an anti-plastic advocate, it looks like Beth is willing to be flexible with this plastic moving option. Check out the full story here - Green Moving Boxes Made from… Plastic?

Five Steps Towards the Plastic-Free Life

A few months ago, I was inspired to live plastic free after hearing a radio show featuring Beth Terry, author of the blog Fake Plastic Fish. I'm not in the mood to get into why plastics are so bad, but I will tell you all the plastic-free changes I have made to date:

1. Bye Bye Paper Towels. I haven't bought paper towels for a month, even though they would have come in handy on a few occasions. I've been using old rags and towels, but I plan to buy Skoy cloths - absorbent, natural, 100% biodegradable multi-use cloths...each cloths is equivalent to 15 rolls of paper towels! Eco-friendly and economical
2. No Paper Napkins. Instead of using napkins or paper towels at meals, we've been using old washcloths for napkins. Eventually I'll buy (or make) some real cloth napkins.
3. This Way to the Bar. We use bar soap instead of body wash now. I was disappointed to see that some bar soaps come wrapped in plastic, but it's less than the amount of plastic used to make a bottle of body wash. Once my facial cleanser runs out, I plan to purchase the it's bar version. I'm also looking into using solid bars for deodorant, lotion, and shampoo as well. Lush offers great varieties in all of these areas, but they can be pricey.
4. Pass the Bottle. My son and I have multiple water bottles and travel mugs that we fill with juice or water instead of buying bottled versions. Look stainless steel bottles that keep your drinks hot or cold.
5. Just Throw It In the (Reusable) Bag. Like many people, I've been bringing resuable bags to the grocery store for a while (though I am guilty of getting plastic bags to use for garbage bags at home). For a cute, collapsable version that can fit in your purse, try Chico Bags. They come in a variety of colors and styles (sling, messenger, backpack, etc.).

I hope I've inspired you to jump on the plastic-free bandwagon...the more the merrier! It's actually not as difficult as you might think! I'll keep you updated on what other changes I've made as I make them...

Don't know where to begin? Be sure to check out Fake Plastic Fish to see the list of plastic free changes to get more ideas about how you can live the plastic-free life.