Healthy Fast Food?
Options
abbefaria4
Posts: 46 Member
Hello All,
Does anyone know of go to fast food options that are consistent with their diet? Sometimes, when I'm with my friend, they want to go to a fast food place after a movie etc, and I would like to have some options ahead of time.
Thanks,
Andrew
Does anyone know of go to fast food options that are consistent with their diet? Sometimes, when I'm with my friend, they want to go to a fast food place after a movie etc, and I would like to have some options ahead of time.
Thanks,
Andrew
2
Replies
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Panera.1
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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.2
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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).1
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Chipotle and Chick-Fil-A are the easiest. Panera is pretty good, they at least have macros listed online which is a bonus.0
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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.1 -
Thanks everyone for your comments.1
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All (or almost all) fast food places have their nutrition online. You can pre-plan some options at your or your friends' favorite places. Usually a double decker burger, large fries, and a shake are a higher calorie option. A small burger with side salad (limit the dressing) is going to be lower calorie. Chick Fil A has grilled chicken nuggets that should be lower cal. Chipotle has salads that you can either add a ton of calories to or a more reasonable number of calories. At Taco Bell, a Fresco soft taco is about 150 calories and the beef taco salad is 760 so salads aren't always your best choice. Children's meals are often a good option for lower calories because they have smaller portions and they do let adults order them.0
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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.4 -
peaceout_aly wrote: »Chipotle and Chick-Fil-A are the easiest. Panera is pretty good, they at least have macros listed online which is a bonus.
I concur. At Chick-fil-A, any grilled chicken salad option or grilled nuggets and a bowl of fruit are good choices
I eat at Barberito's instead of Chipotle, and the burrito bowl with chicken or turkey is my go to.
I have to be careful about Panera due to food allergies, but usually eat grilled chicken salad or French onion soup (no croutons).0 -
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.1 -
I don't know where the OP is from but because I am a nerd I have made spreadsheets for a number of UK fast food places that are near my office. I've given them a ranking based on calories/protein. I can then chose what I wanted based on how many calories I want to allow for lunch/dinner that day.
Wagamama - https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1eZ2XVyfC2abU4YV5xuM36tN926JEdvCDZl1UFGtOmVw/edit#gid=0
Pret a Manger - https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1x8Q2iBbwGFDmjJQ9z165qMC1rKjdoU9f3aZGWekOTMM/edit#gid=0
Burger King - https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1yAssDoXepyw-YFB0ftZ_gQFiW3ni30R6sPGuXIj__KA/edit#gid=0
Bagel Factory - https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1i9WE36UXk-vhUMMmiMAjMXN9wPxfo-r4YWG51yuWJ04/edit#gid=0
Pure - https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1O99NBOKnGyin_BW-ZXk038O_rc2UsqJHwj1akq5FkxY/edit#gid=1531268386
Wasabi - https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1BUJEOp4AeHvHL818sGX3w3_d_P34jdbfWDvJtvl3xvg/edit#gid=1891644670
Starbucks - https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1gQnRPeciWeTSTlRvYq03Zk1KLL6RbPnVs56zWZZ-dd4/edit#gid=0
Itsu - https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1KcdvOtflyzshxipBsxl6DKo0ilrbE4I65aSoMttlIzI/edit#gid=1531268386
Costa - https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1HooE1ObFi9Vx_ipz6mwrfA7f7NBna9DafKSF_mS_Khg/edit#gid=02 -
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Grilled chicken sandwiches or salads are usually reasonable. Value menu and kid's meal portions are smaller and fewer calories as well.2
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Thanks everyone.0
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Noodles & Company has a chicken kids meal that can be combined with a cup of soup for a satisfying, low calorie meal.0
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If you’re in the UK, a cheeky Nando’s can be low in calories if you choose wisely.0
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I don't know where the OP is from but because I am a nerd I have made spreadsheets for a number of UK fast food places that are near my office. I've given them a ranking based on calories/protein. I can then chose what I wanted based on how many calories I want to allow for lunch/dinner that day.
Wagamama - https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1eZ2XVyfC2abU4YV5xuM36tN926JEdvCDZl1UFGtOmVw/edit#gid=0
Pret a Manger - https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1x8Q2iBbwGFDmjJQ9z165qMC1rKjdoU9f3aZGWekOTMM/edit#gid=0
Burger King - https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1yAssDoXepyw-YFB0ftZ_gQFiW3ni30R6sPGuXIj__KA/edit#gid=0
Bagel Factory - https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1i9WE36UXk-vhUMMmiMAjMXN9wPxfo-r4YWG51yuWJ04/edit#gid=0
Pure - https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1O99NBOKnGyin_BW-ZXk038O_rc2UsqJHwj1akq5FkxY/edit#gid=1531268386
Wasabi - https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1BUJEOp4AeHvHL818sGX3w3_d_P34jdbfWDvJtvl3xvg/edit#gid=1891644670
Starbucks - https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1gQnRPeciWeTSTlRvYq03Zk1KLL6RbPnVs56zWZZ-dd4/edit#gid=0
Itsu - https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1KcdvOtflyzshxipBsxl6DKo0ilrbE4I65aSoMttlIzI/edit#gid=1531268386
Costa - https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1HooE1ObFi9Vx_ipz6mwrfA7f7NBna9DafKSF_mS_Khg/edit#gid=0
Your dedication is impressive, great job0 -
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 to0
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Chick-fil-a has their calorie counts right on their menu boards - So easy, you don't even have to Google anything. If you go at breakfast time, try their grilled egg white sandwich. It's really good and only 300 cal.0
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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?1
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