NC)—Did you know a serving of Pad Thai from a Canadian food court restaurant chain can have as many as 1,400 calories in a single serving? That's 70 per cent of your recommended calorie intake according to the 2,000 calorie/day diet as outlined by Canada's Food Guide

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Compare that to a tuna Pad Thai dish at 310 calories. By making a few variations to the ingredient list, like incorporating flavoured tuna into the mix, you can have a tasty, easy-to-make, low-calorie and high protein meal.

Challenging Canadians to take a good, hard look at their fast food habits, Clover Leaf Seafoods is launching a new campaign that pits everyday, high-calorie take-out against its own "fast food" recipes for old-time favourites like pizza, tacos, Pad Thai, shawarma, burritos and even the classic burger with bacon and cheese.

"Much of the fast food out there is short on nutrition and usually high in fat, calories, and sodium—and it's often served in very large portions," said Clive, who also worked with Clover Leaf to develop the popular Take 5 recipes. "Beyond basic calorie counting, our fast food recipes offer a healthy balance of protein, essential nutrients and vitamins that let you leave the dinner table feeling satisfied and more likely to keep pounds off."

A recent survey by Technomic, a leading consulting and research firm serving the foodindustry, discovered that the fast food industry accounts for $25 billion, or about 60 per cent, of all restaurant sales in Canada. The survey also found that North American burger consumption has grown considerably since 2009, with nearly half of consumers reporting indulging in a burger at least once a week compared with 38 per cent two years ago.

At www.cloverleaf.ca, some of the tantalizing"fast food" recipes include: Spicy Tuna Pad Thai, Personal Naan Pizza, Chili Thai Tacos, Original Shawarma, Hooked on Tuna Burrito, and the Captain Burger with Bacon and Cheese. You can find them all at www.cloverleaf.ca.

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