Healthy Fast Food?

Pretty much all fast food places have nutrition information online now. You could check out the menu and information for some of your go to places to pick a few things that fit within your goals. For me, Wendy’s baked potato with a side Caesar salad easily fits in my goals. The fresco style tacos at Taco Bell can also easily fit. In South Florida, we have Pollo Tropical, which is a grilled chicken place with plenty of options. Salad at Chipotle without that calorie bomb dressing.

Chipotle and Chick-Fil-A are the easiest. Panera is pretty good, they at least have macros listed online which is a bonus.

apullum wrote: »

raspuller wrote: »

I follow a plant-based diet so my go to is Chipotle or Qdoba. I can choose a bowl or salad, dictate how much stuff they put on (lots and lots of veggies, no cheese, tiny bit of guacamole).

Taco Bell, surprisingly enough, also is good for meatless options. The beans and rice are both vegan, as are the tortillas and various other things that really should not have "surprise" animal products. The nutrition info on their website clearly lists which ingredients are vegan or vegetarian, and most things on the menu can be made vegetarian or vegan.

Is it low calorie? That all depends on your calorie goals. Do I enjoy myself a vegetarian Crunchwrap Supreme every now and then? Heck yes.

I ate a LOT of Taco Bell 20+ years ago when I was pregnant with my son until I got sick from it. These days, if I drive by one I get queasy. My daughter, who is younger, still blames her brother on the fact that we never get to eat Taco Bell.

The good thing about fast food is that you can get pretty accurate calorie estimates for everything on the menu. The bad thing is that making cheap food requires using cheap ingredients. Then they cover it all up by adding sugar and salt. An eye opener for me was finding out that a tablespoon of ketchup, although only 19 calories, has 154mg of sodium. I can't count the times I've put 5 or more tablespoons of ketchup on salted fries. I'm amazed I'm still alive!

Chipotle, while being overall relatively healthy (when they can keep the bacteria out of the food), is also very heavy on the salt.

Panerra can be a good choice, particularly for a quick salad. Many of their sandwiches are pretty high in calories and they definitely pack on the salt. Also, there is that tempting desert case right next to the cash register.

There is a crop of new fast food restaurants that really focus on healthy food. One is Sweetgreen, which I like a lot.

And Mcdonalds - https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1-R8ylYfWEsbvB9ER5umi09Kxffbem1_KUCQz9vrUhYU/edit#gid=120373731

If you’re in the UK, a cheeky Nando’s can be low in calories if you choose wisely.

For around 650-700 calories at burger king you can get a veggie burger and value size onion ring if I ever get fast food this is my go to

You can find something at most places - I recommend having go-to items at your favorite place. Memorize their calories so you know how they work into your day if it's an unplanned trip. Find things you enjoy, and pair higher calorie items with lower calorie items. Happy meals are often lower calorie as well, and offer small portions with fruit cups, yogurt, and apples instead of fries.

Chick-fil - a sandwich is 440 calories. They also have reasonable salads, grilled nuggets, and other lower calorie options. You could get a regular chicken sandwich, grilled nuggets instead of fries, dipping sauce, and a diet soda for a high-protein, under 650 calorie meal.
Qdoba - I get a steak burrito bowl for 750 calories and make it my largest meal of the day. Lots of fiber and protein.
Wendy's - 6 nuggets and a baked potato. Chili. Grilled chicken sandwich.

Many of the smaller burgers are reasonable in calories too - singles or juniors. A Wendy's Junior Cheeseburger is around 300 calories, I think?

Wendy's have salads in the half portion or full portion range so you can choose how many calories- plus several of their sandwiches are <400 calories- I also love Burger king's veggie burger- delightful- and 300 calorie or less IF you ask for No mayo

Read the nutrition info. "Healthy" is a completely relative term.. it depends on how whatever food it is fits into your diet calorie/macro wise. If you can make a bacon cheeseburger fit, there's no reason to avoid it. If a grilled chicken from Chick-fil-a puts you over because of everything else you ate that day, it's best to drive past.

AnvilHead wrote: »

Panda Express.

My favorite - Flame Broiler

I love Panda Express. Tons of veggies and an entree for 500 calories or less.