Fast Food with Less of the Junk?

I have a confession to make. While most of the time I am a flexitarian who eats little meat, while I try at least to grow my own food, and while I avoid fast food whenever I can—from time-to-time I am still tempted by the lure of crappy burger chains and taco franchises (not naming any names here). It's weird, because once I am there I usually find the food unsatisfying, yet many a road trip has been interrupted by my sudden cravings for tacos, bean burger or those fries that manage to smell both appetizing and totally disgusting at the same time. Surely I can't be the only one out there?

I've actually been getting better—packing lunches before I go, or just waiting till a decent option comes along. But I am far from perfect—so for all you other far from perfect folks out there, I thought I'd start a list of ways we can at least reduce our impact, even in the worst of junk food hell holes:

Make Greener Choices at Fast Food Restaurants

Avoid the Meat

This is probably the biggest single step you can take. Let's just say that meat is resource intensive at the best of times, but chances are that the fast food burger or chicken you are about to eat was not raised using the cutting edge of sustainable farming practices. And remember—the more we order vegetarian options, the more they are offered—increasing availability and convenience for everyone to reduce their meat intake.

Cut back on the Packaging/Trash

Do you really need that piece of paper lining your tray? Why use a straw if you don't need to—you wouldn't at home, right? How many napkins do you really need? For the really committed, you can even bring your own drink container to fill from the fountain. Check out this video on reducing your fast food trash to get more ideas.

Look For Greener Alternatives

"Green" fast food is probably still an oxymoron, but some chains are certainly trying harder than others. Chipotle, for example, is exploring a local food program and has long been championing all natural meat, and even McDonalds is aiming to eliminate soy farming on rainforest lands. One McDonalds restaurant is even offering charging for electric vehicles!

Get Out and Walk

Drive thrus stink—literally. They contribute to local air pollution, they cause motorists to sit idly running their engines, and let's face it—they make us lazy. Get out and walk in like people used to do. Who knows, perhaps the added inconvenience will make you less likely to indulge your fast food habits in the first place.

The thoughts above are just a start. I'd love to hear suggestions from others for ways we can reduce our impact even when we are indulging in less-than-perfect food choices. Let's just make sure not to kid ourselves that because we are doing something, we are doing enough—ultimately the less junk we eat, the less crap we'll have to put up with...

Salivating over sustainable eats? Learn how to make your own with help from Emeril Lagasse in Planet Green TV's organic cooking show, Emeril Green.

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