Healthiest Fast Food Options
Today I wanted to create a useful guide of the healthiest fast food options that you can take with you when you eat out at Fast Food and Chain Restaurants. This list will guide you on the healthiest fast food options at different restaurants.
The meals and drinks I have included in this list are lighter, lower calorie, and higher in protein and fiber.
My goal was to give you Fast Food meal options under 700 calories when possible. For the average person, these meals represent great choices at fast food restaurants that can easily fit into the rest of your day.
First, let’s answer some common questions and provide some good tips to order fast food.
Is it OK to Eat Fast Food on a Diet?
You can eat fast food on a diet. However, you will want to follow the tips included in this article to make sure you do not undue all your hard earned efforts.
Who has the Healthiest Fast Food?
So what restaurant has the healthiest fast food? This list includes some fast food with healthier options.
- Chipotle Mexican Grill
- Panera Bread
Both of these restaurants serve fresh foods. Panera serves antibiotic-free chicken and does not serve food that contains trans-fats.
Is Taco Bell the Healthiest Fast Food Restaurant?
Taco Bell probably is not the healthiest fast food restaurant, but it has many low calorie options on its menu. You can certainly make any meal healthier here by limiting cheese, sour cream and guacamole. However, Taco Bell meals tend to be high in sodium.
While Taco Bell can be part of a healthy diet, you may want to limit it to one time per week.
What Fast Food has the Least Calories?
Many Fast Food restaurant items contain few calories. While Taco Bell might not be the healthiest fast food, many of its menu items have few calories. One hard shell chicken taco without cheese will set you back just 170 calories.
What is the Unhealthiest Fast Food?
Many fast food restaurant items are unhealthy. For instance, many of the double hamburgers at McDonalds or Burger King are loaded with saturated fat and cholesterol. Double cheeseburgers can often supply nearly a full day’s worth of calories, fat and saturated fat.
What’s worse, enjoying these burgers with large french fries and regular soda make the meal even more calorie dense. Not to mention, these meals deliver little in terms of actual nutritional value. They are completely devoid of fruits or vegetables, fiber or nutrients. They contain some protein, but with the addition of large amounts of saturated fat and cholesterol.
Tips to Eat Healthier at Fast Food Restaurants
With these tips, you can eat healthier at nearly any restaurant.
Load up on Vegetables
At almost any fast food restaurant, you can find some option that contains vegetable. Even if you order a simple hamburger, ask for extra lettuce and tomato on your burger. At Subway, you can choose a nearly unlimited amount of vegetables to add to your sandwich.
Whatever you choose and wherever you go, aim to choose some sort of salad or at the very least, add some vegetables to your sandwich.
Just be wary of adding high fat, high calorie dressings, cheese, croutons or bacon to salads. Those items can greatly increase the calorie and saturated fat content of your meal.
Be Careful of Dressings and Toppings
Be extra cautious with dressings and toppings. These items can make your seemingly healthy meal high in calories. Order burgers without cheese, ask for dressings on the side and ask for no cheese or bacon on salads. If you do choose to add dressing, make sure to get it on the side so you control your portion sizes.
Order Your Way
Ask for modifications to your food at fast food restaurants. Order dressings on the side.
As long as you ask politely and your requests are reasonable, most fast food restaurants will accommodate you happily.
Choose Whole Food Options
When you can, choose less processed options. Aim to dine at fast food restaurants that use fresher ingredients and add less salt to meals.
Good choices include California Pizza Kitchen, Chipotle, and Panera Bread.
Be Careful of Salads
Fast food salads often contain a lot of fat and calories. Read menus and nutrition facts clearly before deciding on a salad. A simple hamburger may be a better choice.
When you can, order salads with dressing on the side and devoid of cheese or bacon, and easy on the croutons. These dietary swaps can save you hundreds of calories.
Read the Labels
Nowadays, calories are listed on nearly every menu item. If you have a smartphone, you can also look up calorie totals in an instant. If you read the labels and nutrition facts, you can avoid ordering calorie bombs.
Budget Fast Food Items into your Diet
Budget fast food items into your calorie budget. Make sure to add these items to your food diary before you order them so you can see how they will affect your calorie allotment for the rest of your day.
Additionally, you may want to limit fast food to one meal per day, once or twice per week.
After all, food you prepare yourself contains less salt, trans fat, and saturated fat than many fast food items. You also have more control over food you prepare yourself, and you can use fresher ingredients.
Aim to prepare 80 percent of your own meals using healthy ingredients and limit fast food to a few meals per week.
Limit Added Salt
When you do choose to eat fast food, don’t add extra salt.
Because fast food items often contain a lot of sodium, you don’t want to add extra salt.
Choose off the Fit Menus
In addition to listing calories under most menu items, fast food restaurants now even create special menu sections that contain lower calorie and healthier options. These items provide a great pool of choices to make a quick and healthier meal choice.
Reduce High Fat Meats
When able, choose leaner meat options like chicken breast rather than fatty beef patties. Always choose grilled or baked options over fried foods and avoid fried fish.
Additionally, choose menu options that include plant based protein like beans and lentils instead of just animal protein products.
Pack in the Protein
Pack some protein into your meal so you feel satisfied three or four hours later. Aim for lean sources of protein, and plant based protein too. For every 400 calories that you consume, your meal should contain at least 20 grams of protein.
What is the healthiest fast food at Arby’s?
Arby’s is a fantastic fast food restaurant and I love their milkshakes and French fries! I remember going there more often as a child. Those mocha milk shakes are delicious, but some of the other menu items at Arby’s are better picks for your health.
Hands down, the healthiest fast food on the menu is the Roast Turkey Farmhouse Salad. With just 240 calories (without dressing), 3 grams of fiber and 23 grams of protein, this is a salad that will satiate.
For hungrier people, or for those wanting a fuller meal, either the Roast Beef Gyro or the Turkey Gyro are good choices.
With between 470-550 calories and 20-30 grams of protein each, these will fill you up without filling you over. These each clock in higher in total fat grams, at between 20-30 grams of fat per sandwich, but if you budget your total fat for the rest of the day, you should come out just fine. However, these choices contain 20-30 grams of fat per sandwich, so keep that in mind.
What is the healthiest menu item at Applebees?
Applebees is a fantastic chain restaurant that publishes the nutrition info of all its items.
The Blackened Cajun Salmon, Grilled Chicken Breast or 6 Ounce Sirloin with garlic green beans or broccoli is a great choice. Add mashed potatoes (250 calories) as a starch and your whole meal will be around 650 calories or fewer.
What is the healthiest food at Burger King?
Burger King is such a fun chain and to be honest, I still eat a delicious whopper once every couple months.
If you want to know the healthiest fast food at Burger King, a regular hamburger with no mayonnaise or cheese will only set you back 241 calories. You can add in a small soft serve ice cream cone and a diet soda because to round out this tasty treat.
A Whopper without cheese or mayonnaise will set you back just 600 calories. And for plant-based eaters, their newer impossible burger is a great pick too.
What is the healthiest choice at California Pizza Kitchen?
California Pizza Kitchen has delicious gourmet pizza. It is one of my favorite choices for delicious pizza. They also have great healthy options besides pizza too.
Any of the options on their Light Fare menu will only set you back 500-700 calories. These meals include protein and fiber. I would order the Cedar Plank Salmon.
If you came here for pizza, any of the options will be a great choice for your health, with the exception of the meat lovers pizza. That one has just too much saturated fat to make this list.
What is the healthiest option at Chick-Fil-A?
Chick-Fil-A has a ton of delicious items on their menu, and their ice cream is delicious!
Go for the Grilled Chicken Cool Wrap or the Grilled Chicken Sandwich. Or, choose their Asian Salad or Grilled Market Salad and be conscientious of your dressing pick.
The ice cream here is Good! A small Ice Dream Cup will only set you back around 200 calories. I’d order the cup because staff tend to overfill ice cream cones–probably in an effort to be nice! Which is certainly appreciated, unless you are watching your calorie intake.
What is the healthiest menu item at Chipotle Mexican Grill?
I love Chipotle Mexican Grill. Their meat is so tender and juicy and their guacamole is excellent!
Two or three chicken or steak hard tacos with beans and veggies can be both delicious and nutritious. This meal contains satiating protein and plant-based protein and fiber.
I also just learned recently that adults can order a kids meal at Chipotle of 3 hard or soft tacos. This meal contains about 600-800 calories and built in portion control.
What is the healthiest menu option at Dairy Queen?
Dairy Queen has delicious ice cream and blizzards and it is a fun place to frequent on a hot summer day.
An original Hamburger, original chicken sandwich, or Grilled Chicken Wrap contain between 250-350 calories and will deliver protein to keep you satisfied. A small ice cream cone will be your best dessert choice at about 300 calories.
What is the healthiest pizza from Dominos Pizza?
2 slices of the Pacific Veggie Pizza will help you reach your daily vegetable goals, and will supply calcium and protein.
What is the healthiest choice from Dunkin Donuts?
The daughter of a Massachusetts native, I will admit I love this Massachusetts based chain.
Whenever we used to make the long trek up to see our grandparents in Great Barrington, MA, our family used to notice the growing number of Dunkin Donut shops per mile. Their coffee and donuts are a real treat. There is nothing better than a hot Dunkin Donuts coffee to get you going in the morning, and their donuts are awesome!
That said, their veggie egg white omelet is a great choice at just 290 calories and 17 grams of protein. Even as just a light breakfast, it will keep you going for several hours without hunger or low blood sugar.
What is the healthiest choice from Jersey Mikes?
My sister’s boyfriend loves Jersey Mikes subs.
A regular sized roast beef cold sub, with no cheese, mayo or olive oil blend contains around 520 calories and over 46 grams of protein.
Order the same size turkey sub with no cheese, mayo or olive oil blend is just 420 calories and over 30 grams of protein. Add cheese for just 540 calories to round out the meal with just a bit more protein and bone building calcium.
What is the healthiest choice at Little Caesars?
A Quarter of a large cheese pizza has around 500 calories and over 25 gram of protein, with only around 8 grams of saturated fat. You can add whatever veggies you like to help fulfill your vegetable goals for the day.
What is the healthiest choice at McDonalds?
Everyone knows and loves those golden arches and delicious French fries.
McDonalds does offer healthier choices if you look past the obvious choices. A plain hamburger (no cheese) or a Premium Southwest Salad with grilled chicken (320 calories) are great options. If you order a plain burger or chicken nuggets (4) with small fries and a water or diet soda, the total meal will have fewer than 500 calories.
These are by no means the only lighter meals on the menu. Most of the nutrition facts for each item are actually listed, so you will have more information needed to make a smarter choice at McDonald’s.
What is the healthiest choice at MOD Pizza?
This newer pizza chain delivers a lot of delicious and nutritious artisan pizzas.
Most of the mini pizzas on the menu, provided you don’t order extra meat or cheese, are actually very healthy and reasonably-portioned meals. One of the smaller size pizzas will only set you back 300-460 calories. If you order a mod 11 inch pizza, you might want to share with another person or portion half with a homemade side salad or veggies.
What is the healthiest option at MOE’s Southwest Grill?
MOE’s Southwest Grill is another trendy Mexican restaurant with a lot of tasty and low calorie Mexican food items. Menu items like beans will provide plant-based protein, while lean meats and cheeses provide protein and calcium.
A Beef or Chicken Taco will set you back only 250-300 calories with a hefty dose of protein, nutrients and fiber too. These tacos are filling, tasty and satisfying.
What is the healthiest option at Panera Bread?
Panera Bread has so many healthy options, and this restaurant remains committed to providing their customers with fresh and safe ingredients. They serve chicken raised without antibiotics and don’t serve any products with trans fat. In addition, they disclose all the calorie and nutrient information of their meals, meaning you can make healthy and informed choices any day.
This chain has so many healthier options. Many of the salads provide a good dose of vitamins, nutrients and protein for 600 calories or fewer. A lot of the sandwich options can work into a healthy diet, especially if you omit cheeses or sauces or purchase only half a sandwich. Really, any meal at Panera can be healthy, provided you make sure your choices fit into your daily calorie budget.
The Strawberry Poppy Seed Chicken Salad with 1/2 of the Steak and Arugula Sandwich tastes great. But honestly, any of the salads or sandwiches are a good pick for protein and nutrients. Even the soups can be a welcome addition to any half salad or half sandwich. And their Avocado, Spinach and Egg White Sandwich is a great breakfast choice too with protein and plant based healthy fats.
What is the healthiest meal at Panda Express?
So many people love Panda Express.
Their Beef with Broccoli (150 calories), Hot Szechuan Tofu (140 calories), or Steamed Ginger Fish (200 calories) could be paired well with one or two vegetable spring rolls (190 calories each) or a side of brown rice (420 calories) for a meal close to 600 calories. Beef with broccoli combines iron with vitamin C for better nutrient absorption.
Steamed Ginger Fish is also a healthy meal choice.
What is the healthiest meal at Pizza Hut?
Pizza Hut is another one of my childhood favorites. Quite honestly their pizza is cheesy and delicious; who can resist?
If you order a 12″ medium pan pizza, a slice of cheese or veggie lovers pizza will only set you back 230-240 calories. The veggie lover pizza has only 3.5 grams of saturated fat per serving, which you can totally fit into the recommended daily allowance of 20 grams of saturated fat. You can round out your delivery meal by adding a home-made side salad with light dressing for some extra nutrients and staying power to your meal.
What is the healthiest meal at Sonic?
Everyone loves this cool and trendy restaurant.
A Junior Burger without cheese contains just 330 calories. If you need a real treat, their mini shakes have right around 400 calories.
What are the healthiest choices at Starbucks?
Starbucks is one of my favorite chain restaurants.
Coffee in and of itself is a ridiculously low calorie beverage. Any hot coffee without cream, sugar or milk has just 5-50 calories. As far as premium beverages at Starbucks go, a nonfat caramel macchiato short has just 100 calories and a short skinny mocha has just 80 calories. A skinny vanilla Latte tall size has just 100 calories and both protein and calcium.
If eating breakfast there, the Feta and Cage Free Egg White Wrap is pretty tasty at just 290 calories and 19 grams of protein.
What is the healthiest sub at Subway?
Subway has been long-known for its healthy sandwich options and its fresh fit menu. Many subs at Subway are very low calorie, can be made on whole grain breads, and can contain many different veggies and nutrients. In addition, lean meat can deliver a great source or b vitamins, protein, and iron.
5 of the six inch subs on the menu make up the “Fresh Fit Menu.” My picks for you would be a 6 inch Roast Beef, Turkey Breast, Oven Roasted Chicken Sub or Veggie Delite on Whole Wheat or Honey Wheat Bread.
What is the healthiest meal at Taco Bell?
Taco Bell is another favorite. Their food is tasty, and it is so affordable! I have spent many late summer nights eating at their restaurants with friends or my sisters, and it is just fun!
The Grilled Beef, Chicken or Regular Soft or Crunchy Tacos have just 150-200 or so calories per taco. You can order two or three for a more satisfying meal. Or, for more veggies and nutrients in your meal, any one of the three Power Bowls is a good choice. If looking for a vegetarian and heart healthy option, the Fresco Bean Burrito has just 330 calories and 6 grams fat. I can attest that any of these choices is healthy and delicious.
What is the healthiest menu item at Wendy’s?
Wendy’s is another childhood favorite. Who does not love their Frosties? Their chili and baked potatoes are good. And their hamburgers and fries are tasty too.
My favorite healthy meal from Wendy’s would be a baked potato, a small chili and a Frosty! Potatoes are healthy and are one of the most filling and satisfying foods. And chili will deliver protein and fiber too.
Is Fast Food Healthy?
Hopefully you can see by now that fast food can be healthy. If you use this list of the healthiest fast food, you can eat at fast food restaurants without sacrificing your health. You can still eat fast food and achieve your weight loss goals and health goals too. If you want more help to fit fast food meals into a nutritious plan, you might consider some nutrition coaching.
