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According to the FoodSwitch: State of the Fast Food Supply report, which assessed the healthiness of Australian fast food products in 2019, Red Rooster's Bacon and Cheese Rippa roll "combo" packs the most energy of quick-service chain meals with 7730 kilojoules per serving, or 89 per cent of the recommended average ...
The research found that the calories, saturated fat and salt included within the items differed slightly in different countries — with Australia being deemed one of the most 'calorific' McDonald's in the world.
The report showed that Hungry Jacks was the worst offender in the single burger category. Its Double Angus Smokey BBQ burger provides a whopping 64 percent of daily energy intake and an alarming 87 percent of your daily salt allowance.
“McDonald's has been the market leader throughout this time and continues to hold its advantage with the 'Golden Arches' having over 8.1 million customers during 2020 well ahead of the second-placed Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) with 6.8 million.
Weighing up between the chicken outlets and asking yourself, “Is Red Rooster healthier than KFC?” Well, Red Rooster certainly has the benefit of offering roast chicken as opposed to fried. That means the chicken is not being cooked in oil, and that's better for you.
While chicken is an obvious Men's Health staple, KFC's reliance on greasy oils and subsequent sky-high calorific content makes Maccy's an unlikely victor. The more varied menu and healthy options, as well as classic, gut-busting fare, make it the ideal spot to play fast and loose with your nutrition plan.
Subway topped the list with 48/100, with researchers suggesting it could do better by phasing out free soft drink refills. Domino's Pizza was the bottom of the pack with just 3/100, scoring zero in each category except for nutrition labelling and transparency in its corporate relationships.
If burgers are your Macca's jam then my picks are the humble old Filet-o-Fish and plain Hamburger. Both are lower in total fat, saturated fat, sodium and kilojoules compared to other Macca's burgers. If you can afford it, why not add a garden salad and call it a balanced meal?
The dishes of KFC are mostly deep-fried and are made using tons of oil. So, the regular consumption of KFC can make you gain weight. Therefore, continuous consumption of fast food, chicken, and meat that too with excess oil can lead to heart and fat-related issues.
Sausage sizzle
Staple of the family barbecue, the voting booth, the local footy field and the Bunnings carpark, the humble snag sanga is undoubtedly Australia's most iconic lunchtime snack.
The consumer organisation Choice says with 80.5 grams of fat, 2.3 grams of sodium and 5085 kilojoules, the burger accounts for nearly sixty per cent of an adult's recommended daily kilojoule intake. That puts it at the top of the list for unhealthy fast food.
According to a study published in medical journal The Lancet, obesity rates in Australia are rising faster than anywhere else in the world. Almost two in three adults are now overweight and, alarmingly, by 2020 one-third of Australians over 15 are predicted to be obese.
Looking at the overall meal, the Subway meal in terms of protein and sugar was slightly healthier than McDonald's and provided more vegetables, however it was higher in sodium. Remember both meals contributed the same total number of calories but on top of that, it was a large amount of calories.
Almost 2,000 calories in a Domino's, under 500 in a KFC and 1,100 in a kebab – how many calories are in your takeaway? TAKEAWAY fans were amazed when a BBC documentary showed that there's less than 500 calories in a KFC meal – compared to a belly-busting 1,900 calories in a Domino's pizza.
On the contrary, McDonald's offers much healthier options on their menu list. They even serve better coffee and better Coke than BK's. Comparing these two food giants, McDonald's also processes better fries. McDonald's and Burger King have something in common in their food items though they provide different tastes.
“Go for grilled dishes over fried; chicken and fish over fattier meats, like lamb; tomato or veggie sauces rather than creamy ones; and steamed rice over fried,” advises Laura. She also suggests avoiding sides and other add ons unless they're vegetables as well as eating mindfully and being aware of portion sizes.
KFC: Unhealthiest
The unhealthiest individual menu item, however, is the chicken pot pie, which contains 790 calories, 46 grams of fat, 37 grams of saturated fat, 95 milligrams of cholesterol, and 2,120 milligrams of sodium.
Hungry Jacks' burger racked up the highest scores in energy when it came to its burgers, with its Double Angus Smokey BBQ burger a huge 5610kJ, or 65 per cent of the average male energy intake. In contrast McDonald's hamburger had the lowest energy intake of any beef burger with just 1060kJ.