Happier Meals: New Alternatives to Fast Food

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For Burger Lovers

Better Burger serves up organic meat and poultry, organic, air-baked (and low-fat) fries, fresh juices and veggie chili in four New York City locations ($5/organic burger; www.betterburgernyc.com).

The Burgerville chain in Washington and Oregon uses antibiotic- and hormone-free, humanely raised beef certified by Food Alliance ($2.89/classic hamburger; www.burgerville.com; 888-TASTENW). Seasonal items include Walla Walla onion rings, chocolate hazelnut milkshakes and halibut fish and chips.

Topz prides itself on its lean hamburgers, reduced-fat turkey burgers, fries, chili, salads and other items at eight stores in California, Michigan and Texas ($4.55/quarter-pound hamburger; www.topz.com).

Also visit: Amazon Cafes in 11 states (www.amazoncafes.com), Andrew Smash in Eugene, Ore. (www.andrewsmash.com, 541-465-9088), Cisco Burger in Long Beach, Calif. (www.ciscoburger.com), Healthy Bites Grill in Boca Raton and Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (www.hexs.com/index.asp, 800-575-4144), Evos in Tampa and St. Petersburg (www.evos.com, 877-888-EVOS), Local Burger in Lawrence, Kan. (www.localburger.com, 785-856-7827) and Stamps Superburgers in Jackson, Miss. (www.stampssuperburger.net, 601-713-3020).

What you can do

Before leaving, mark farm stands, food festivals and farmers' markets on your map and bring a cooler. For farmer's markets, see www.ams.usda.gov/farmersmarkets/map.htm or www.localharvest.org; for food festivals, www.foodreference.com/html/upcomingfoodevents.html.

If nothing but mega-chains stretch out before you, the Center for Science in the Public Interest recommends as healthiest options Wendy's mandarin chicken salad, Burger King's veggie burger and the low-fat subs from Subway. Avoid shakes, fries, hash browns and "value meals."

Resources

For chefs serving local and organic foods, see a state-by-state downloadable restaurant guide at www.chefscollaborative.org.

Healthy Highways: The Road Guide to Healthy Eating by Nikki and David Goldbeck (Ceres Press, 2004, $18.95)

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