What are the healthiest fast food options?

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03/24/25 10:10am

If you're interested in healthy fast good, try restaurants where you can customize your order and choose low-calorie, low-fat dishes. Good options include:

Taco Bell: Check their Power Menu for healthy chicken and veggie bowls, or subsitute beans or chicken in your tacos or burritos instead of beef.
Chipotle: Get a burrito bowl that's loaded with veggies, and choose beans, chicken, or steak as your protein.
Panda Express: Look for options on their Wok Smart menu for meals that are loaded with protein and have fewer calories. Opt for shrimp or chicken as a protein, and add a lot of veggies into your meal.
Wendy's: Order one of their low-calorie salads with grilled chicken instead of a burger and fries.
Subway: Choose meats like chicken or turkey, opt for whole grain or wheat bread, and add vegetables to your sandwich, like peppers, cucumbers, spinach, and tomatoes.
Chick-fil-A: Opt for a grilled chicken sandwich or choose one of their healthy salads to get a serving of veggies.
Starbucks: Have a healthy fast food breakfast with one of their Eggs & Cheddar protein boxes and avoid the processed hot sandwiches.

When you're ordering from a fast food place, stay away from fried or processed foods as much as possible. Only order as much food as you need, and opt for healthier sides like a salad or fruit if you're able to.

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Melody Sayers, MS, RD, NASM-CPT
Registered Dietician & Personal Trainer

03/24/25 10:13am

Here are some tips for choosing healthy fast food options:

Plan ahead and check out the menu before going to the restaurant. Look up nutritional facts, and plan your order ahead of time so you're not tempted to change your mind for an unhealthier option.
Choose menu items with the words “grilled” or “baked” and avoid words such as “fried” or “creamy.” Fried foods and creamy sauces contain higher amounts of saturated fat.
Portion sizes are key when eating out. Even though it is tempting to upgrade to the larger size for a minimal price, larger portions means more calories, added sugar, sodium, cholesterol, and saturated fat.
Opt for water, unsweetened tea, or coffee instead of sugary sweetened beverages like soda, punch, or fruit juices.
Choose healthier sides, such as a salad, apple slices, steamed vegetables, brown rice, low-fat pretzels, baked chips, low-sodium vegetable soup, or air popped-popcorn.
Load up on more veggies. Whether it is steamed vegetables, extra vegetables on a deli sandwich, a salad, or fajita-style vegetables, vegetables are packed with nutrients and are low in calories.
Choose whole grains, like brown rice, corn tortillas, 100% whole-wheat bread, air-popped popcorn, and oatmeal, when possible.
Choose liquid dressings such as vinaigrettes, low sodium soy sauce, mustard, and avocado spread. Condiments such as ketchup, mayo, dressings, creamy sriracha, soy sauce, etc. are full of added sugar, saturated fat, and sodium.
Whenever possible, choose fish, beans, or lentils as your protein source. Plant-based protein contains fiber, is free of cholesterol, and contains virtually no saturated fat. Fish is high in healthy fats such as Omega 3s.
Just because a product is “plant-based” does not always mean it is a healthier protein source. Try to find protein in its most natural form.