Eating Healthy 7-11 Fast Food

For those of you who aren’t aware of it, 7-11 is an American phenomena.  It’s a chain of small convenience stores that are open 24 hours a day.  It’s gotten a reputation for being somewhat less than healthy.  In fact, 7-11’s are the model for the Quickie Mart stores you see in the Simpsons.  With its slushies, hot dogs, donuts and beer, 7-11 is not exactly the place to find the latest in healthy organic produce.  So why write about it in a health blog?  Well, because 60 in 3 is about the real world, not the ideal health world.

In the ideal health world, every neighborhood corner has an organic market or a health food restaurant that’s open 24 hours a day.  In the ideal health world, you never get cravings at 1am for Ben and Jerry’s Phish Food ice cream.  Unfortunately, this is not the ideal health world, this is the real world.  In the real world, you do sometimes get cravings at odd hours and in the real world, 7-11 style places are the only ones that might be open.  So is it possible to eat healthy at a place like 7-11?

And the answer is…

Well, maybe.  Ok, let’s put it this way, it’s very difficult to eat healthy at a place that offers almost no healthy options, but it is possible to minimize the damage.  First, a few things to watch out for:

• Impulse purchases - Any convenience store will set up impulse buys near the counter.  These are little items that you didn’t even think about when you came into the store but look tempting enough to buy on impulse.  They can include cookies, donuts, hot dogs, candy bars and so on.  Avoid these.  It’s the store’s way of trying to make more money at the expense of your waist line.
• 7-11 Sodas - Ahh yes, the big gulp and the super big gulp.  these drinks can go as high as 64 oz in a single serving.  Quick math.  A typical 8oz can of soda contains 140 calories from refined sugars.  So one of these super big gulps is a whopping 1120 calories of nutritionally empty foods.  That’s more calories than your average dinner.  The slurpees or just as bad by the way.
• Warm food - 7-11 does serve warm foods.  They’re usually the junk kind of snacks like nachos covered in cheese and hot dogs.  None of them is particularly healthy and most sit outside on the food warmer for hours before you finally eat them.

I thought you said maybe!

Yep, I did say maybe and I meant it.  There are some things that aren’t quite bad at a 7-11.

• Some Sandwiches - Most convenience stores will offer some sandwich selection.  Go for something on whole wheat.  It’s not a healthy option but it’s better than a hotdog and a donut.
• Fruit - After a bit of pressure from various consumer bodies, 7-11 and other convenience stores now offer fruit.  So pick up some late at night and eat it.  This is by far the healthiest item you can get at a store like this.
• Jerky - Not something a vegetarian would appreciate, but on the grand scheme of things, beef jerky is not as bad as most other things in the store.  As a bonus, jerky takes a while to eat due to its texture which means you eat slower and feel fuller.
• Frozen food - Most stores like this will have a frozen food section.  It might be worth hunting through it for something good.  Note that these sections will have A LOT of junk.  So don’t be tempted by the first package of pizza pockets you find.

Summary

7-11 and other stores like it are not and probably never will be a healthy alternative for food.  However, with just a little bit of effort and willpower, you can minimize the damage and come out with your craving satisfied.

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