The local newspaper has contacted you about writing a feature article.  Readers are trying to eat healthier when they go to fast food restaurants.  You will be writing an article about the healthiest fast food restaurant.  You will research the number of calories and grams of fat in a fast food item of your choice at four different fast food restaurants.  You will create a graph representing the data that you learn.  You will then input the graph into a word processing program and write an article featuring which restaurant and food item would be the best to eat at based on calories and grams of fat.

This is the first article in the "Eat Healthier" series.  You will begin to design ways for the public to monitor the calories and grams of fat they eat and suggest ways to eat healthier.
　

You will be working in groups of two to create an article for the local newspaper on the healthiest fast food restaurant.

You will:

1. Determine the number of calories and grams of fat in a food item at four fast food restaurants.
2. Enter the information into a spreadsheet.
3. Create a graph to accurately represent the data.
4. Analyse the information to determine the healthiest restaurant.
5. Create a word processing article with your chart detailing your conclusions.
6. Share your article with the rest of the class.

The Process

You will work in your groups of two.

One person will open a Spreadsheet program like Excel.
The other person will go to the Washington Post Fast Food Calorie Counter web page.

You will see a screen that looks like this:

Select a restaurant by clicking on the tab with the restaurant's name like Burger King, KFC, McDonald's, Subway, Taco Bell or Wendy's.

Select the fast food item that you want to compare and it will provide you with the total calories and fat.  In the example below, a Bacon Cheeseburger at Burger King has 425 total calories and 23 grams of fat.

 

For each of the 4 restaurants, enter the following into a spreadsheet:

• Name of the Restaurant
• Calories
• Grams of Fat

Create a graph that best represents your data.
Analyze your graph to determine which of the 4 fast food restaurants you selected would have the healthiest fastfood meal.

Open a word processing document and write an article about your evaluation of the healthiest fastfood  and be sure to include your graph in the article.

If you need background information about fat, try these articles:
American Heart Association Dietary Guidelines for Healthy Children
American Heart Association Tips for Eating Out
USDA Food Guide Pyramid
American Dietetic Association  Article : Fat  One of Life's Essentials
American Dietetic Association Primer on Fats and Oils
University of Maryland Fat Intake Calculator
Calorie and Fat Grams Chart on 1000 foods

Be prepared to share your article with the rest of the class.

You have now used a web site to compare the amounts of calories and grams of fat in a selected food item at fast food restaurants. You will see that restaurants vary on the number of calories and grams of fat in each food item. You can use this web site to compare other items at fast food restaurants.  There are also a number of other food calculators to use to look at the food you eat at home to determine how many calories and grams of fat you are consuming each day.  You have only just begun to inform the community on ways to eat healthier.  What else can you do?