No, I haven't lost my mind. I don't actually want you to eat fast food. It's terrible for you. It makes you fat. If you're really serious about getting or staying in shape, fast food restaurants are not on your path to success.However, sometimes fast food is the only option other than starvation. Long road trips, coworker lunches, the only place your child or childish companion will eat—these are all situations where you may be forced to enter one of these fluorescent dens of gluttony and decide which of their evilly delicious menu items you'll be naming your newly enlarged buttocks.
While the fast food companies have generally shown an appalling disregard for their customers' health, they have lately been shamed by our nation's obesity epidemic into offering some menu items that have some nutritional value. They still can't resist adding a little unneeded fat or extra high-fructose corn syrup just to spice things up, so it's wise to take a buyer-beware approach when ordering your meal. Here are some tips to make healthier choices and some suggestions about the healthiest (relatively speaking) things to order at some of the major fast food chains.
All hope isn't lost, though. You can almost find something healthy to eat anywhere. Here are the best bets at some of the most popular fast food chains. (Unless specified, salad calorie counts do not include dressing.)
McDonald's
- Hamburger (250 calories)
- Premium Asian Salad with Grilled Chicken (300 calories)
- Premium Caesar Salad with Grilled Chicken (220 calories)
- Newman's Own® Low Fat Balsamic Vinaigrette (40 calories)
- Fruit 'n Yogurt Parfait (160 calories)
Most misleading item: Chicken Selects® Premium Breast Strips. Premium chicken breast sounds good on the surface, certainly better than the mysterious McNuggets, but the 5-piece version will run you 660 calories (360 from fat!), and that's before you dip them in the sauce! You could eat a Big Mac and get fewer calories, and fewer calories from fat.
Burger King
- Chicken Tenders®, 4 pieces (180 calories)
- TENDERGRILL™ Chicken Garden Salad (220 calories)
Note: This salad is without dressing. The KEN'S® Light Italian Dressing will add 120 calories, and the Garlic Parmesan Croutons will add another 60 calories. - WHOPPER JR.® Sandwich (without mayo) (290 calories)
- BK VEGGIE® Burger (420 calories)
Most misleading item: TENDERCRISP® Chicken Sandwich. At 800 calories, and 46 total grams of fat, don't think you're cutting calories with this batter-fried, mayo-slathered doozy.
Wendy's
- Mandarin Chicken Salad, with Crispy Noodles and Roasted Almonds (380 calories)
- Chicken Caesar Salad, with Homestyle Garlic Croutons (250 calories)
- Mandarin Orange Cup (80 calories)
- Small Chili (220 calories)
- Plain Baked Potato (270 calories)
- Ultimate Chicken Grill Sandwich (320 calories)
Most misleading item: Chicken Club Sandwich. You don't want to belong to this "club." At 540 calories, you're better off with the more decadent-sounding, but healthier, Ultimate Chicken Grill.
Taco Bell
- Fresco Crunchy Taco (150 calories)
- Fresco Grilled Steak Soft Taco (160 calories)
- Fresco Ranchero Chicken Soft Taco (170 calories)
- Spicy Chicken Soft Taco (170 calories)
Most misleading item: Fiesta Taco Salad. At 820 calories, this is the most highly caloric item on Taco Bell's menu. You can shave off over 300 calories by not eating the deep-fried tostada shell it's served in, but still, that's a pretty hefty calorie count for a "salad."
Subway
- 6'' Veggie Delite® sandwich (230 calories)
- 6'' Turkey Breast sandwich (280 calories)
- 6'' Roast Beef sandwich (290 calories)
- 6'' Ham (Black Forest, without cheese) sandwich (290 calories)
- 6'' Subway Club® sandwich (320 calories)
Most misleading item: Meatball Marinara. What's in these meatballs? A 6-inch sub is 560 calories; a 12-inch sub has 1,120 calories; and if you double the meat, you can get a single 12-inch sandwich with 1,920 calories and 84 grams of fat. On the bright side, I believe the defibrillation is complimentary.
