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Being advised not to eat fast food for health reasons is by now overly redundant, but what if there were a way to eliminate some of the fat and calories from your cheeseburger? Does one have to go cold turkey from the drive-thru, or is there a way to make a wiser choice the next time you decide to chow down on a Whopper? We set out to answer these questions, and to find out which ingredients in fast food meals contribute the most calories. By eliminating these items, we've created lo-cal versions of iconic fast food dishes.

The research raised some troublesome questions. The beef patty alone at McDonald's has an ingredient list the length of a paragraph, containing unrecognizable words. It would be difficult to analyze and break down these ingredients without a team of scientists by your side. Before we can begin counting calories, it's time we paused and thought about the simple assumption that food should be recognized as food. A conversation about health is incomplete without consideration of its origins.

These qualms aside, we've deconstructed everything from the Big Mac to the KFC chicken wing to discover how to cut the most calories from your next fast food excursion. Many national fast food chains make nutrition information accessible on their websites, and some, such as McDonald's, have even made promises to increase the health value of their menus in the future. Until that happens, here are our suggestions for enjoying that burger and fries without the extra bulk.

Click here for Fast-Food Dishes Made Healthy Slideshow.