We’ve all started the week with the best nutritional intentions, then an unexpected errand or sheer exhaustion has you heading to the nearest fast food drive-through. Cut yourself a break! You can order healthy options even at places famous for deep frying nearly everything.
We like the Nutritionix.com site to weigh your best options based on menu item nutrition facts. (You can also see how long you’d need to walk, run, or bike to burn off your meal, which we think helps motivate good choices.) You can also easily find nutrition info on the menu board or the restaurant’s online menu.
Burger King
The BK is a great example of how ordering a salad is not always the best choice.
An order of 4-piece nuggets is 220 calories. The Classic BK Royal Crispy Wrap includes protein and veggies for 310 calories.
While the Crispy Chicken Garden Salad is 870 calories, mostly from fat!
Chick-fil-A
Grilled Chicken Sandwich on a whole-grain bun, or skip the bread altogether and get an order of grilled chicken nuggets.
The grilled sandwich is 390 calories, while an order of grilled nuggets is 130 calories. You’ll still have room to add a 60-calorie fruit cup or the 170-calorie Kale Crunch Side Salad.
You can drill down to very specific, personalized numbers to learn how much of your daily intake should be: fat, protein, carbs, sugar, and calories. The process is called counting macronutrients.
Another nifty tool is the body weight planner, which helps you figure out daily nutrition goals. It also tells you how long it will take to reach your goal weight by adjusting various factors you’re willing to change, including exercise.
Chipotle
Trade that burrito for a bowl. Chipotle’s burritos start at 740 calories, all the same ingredients with no tortilla begins at 420 calories.
Chipotle boasts everything can be made just as you want it, so their menu drills right down to the basics, including romaine lettuce for 5 calories.
Panda Express
Asian food usually includes veggies and protein in most dishes. Skipping fried items or rice gives you a wide variety of low-fat, low-calorie items. For instance, you can dig into Panda’s 9.5-ounce serving of Broccoli Beef, which comes with rice, greens, apple crisps, and a bottle of water, all for just 300 calories.
Panera Bread
Greek Salad makes an excellent choice when you’re in a hurry. It is 410 calories, but it has olives and feta cheese for your healthy fats. Plus, a variety of greens and other veggies. Choose a lighter vinaigrette instead of a heavy, mayo-based dressing.
Smoothie King
Greek Yogurt Strawberry Blueberry, 20 oz size.
14 grams of protein at 270 calories is a great choice for a boost from a fast food cup. It’s also very low in fat (1g), but pay attention to the sugar (42g) to be sure it fits into your daily plan. Serving size is important; if you decide you want more of a good thing, say the same drink in the 32-ounce size, you’re topping 400 calories.
Starbucks
Spinach, Feta, and Egg White Wraps are 290 calories. The wrap is both high-protein and vegetarian. Plus just enough feta cheese to make it oh-so-satisfying. Across the board, vegetarian options are going to pack better nutrition and fewer calories than higher-fat meat options.
Subway
The bread smells so good, wafting through the drive-through window. But going for a wrap, salad, or protein bowl instead of the thick rolls will knock 100 - 200 calories off your lunch. Pile on the veggies, turkey breast, rotisserie-style chicken, or lean black forest ham, and stay in the 200-400 calorie range.
Taco Bell
The Fresco menu. Taco Bell can make almost any “Fresco style” menu item, which trades out cheeses, sour cream, and other high-fat, high-calorie foods for freshly prepared diced tomatoes. The chain states when going Fresco style, you can knock off 25% of calories, so you can order a lot of items that will come in at under 200 calories each.
Wendy’s
The Apple Pecan Chicken Salad is made from mainly healthy foods, including grilled chicken breast, a mix of greens, apples, cranberries, pecans, and a crumble of blue cheese all for 440 calories and 33g of protein. If you’re not up for comparing menu options online before you order, follow a few simple guidelines to healthier fast food choices.
Whole grain buns will be better choices than the regular white burger buns. Wraps are a much lower-calorie choice. Skipping the bread completely is an even better option. Most fast food restaurants now offer any sandwich with a lettuce wrap instead of a bun. When choosing a salad, look for grilled chicken and veggies, skip the croutons, and choose a vinaigrette or similarly low-cal dressing.
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