Ad
related to: Are there healthy fast food options?Most Useful Ranking List of Healthiest fast food options. Our top lists help you make informed choices quickly
Search results
- Samantha Cassetty, RD
- Chipotle. Veggie full lifestyle bowl. This hearty meal is packed with plants. It contains white rice, black beans, fajita veggies, tomato salsa, corn salsa and guacamole, which doesn't cost extra.
- Wendy's. Small chili. This side option is a great source of protein thanks to the meat and beans, as well as iron and fiber. Ingredients include tomatoes, chili pepper, ground beef, red kidney beans, pinto beans and onions.
- Chick-Fil-A. Kale crunch salad. This salad comes with curly kale, green cabbage and salted almonds for some crunch. Its dressing is made from apple cider vinegar and dijon mustard.
- Popeye's. Red beans and rice. This side dish option is one of tastiest items on the Popeye's menu, and it's relatively low in calories. You can order it by itself along with a side of green beans and corn to add some extra nutrients and make it more filling.
- 1. Saladworks: Farmhouse Salad
- 2. Panera: Strawberry Poppyseed Salad With Chicken
- 3. Pret A Manger: Coconut Chicken & Miso Sweet Potato Balance Box
- 4. Starbucks: Sous Vide Egg Bites
- 5. Chick-fil-A: Grilled Nuggets and Superfood Side
- 6. McDonald’s: Southwest Grilled Chicken Salad
- 7. Boston Market: Rotisserie Turkey Breast Bowl With Fresh Steamed Vegetables and Rotisserie Potatoes
- 8. Chipotle: Burrito Bowl With Chicken, Brown Rice, Black Beans and Veggies
- 9. Wendy’s: Power Mediterranean Chicken Salad
- 10. Starbucks: Hearty Veggie & Brown Rice Salad Bowl
This salad features a wide assortment of vegetables that are high in fiber, including kale, butternut squash and Brussels sprouts.
Fiber moves slowly through the body undigested. Eating it helps promote feelings of fullness while supporting regularity and lowering the risk of certain conditions, such as heart disease and diabetes (1).
This salad delivers an impressive 5 grams of fiber, which can fulfill up to 20% of your daily needs.
Top this salad with your choice of vinaigrette dressing to keep it light yet delicious.
This is the nutrient content for one Farmhouse Salad with Italian vinaigrette (2):
•Calories: 420
This salad is low in calories, sodium and fat, but high in protein and fiber.
It also contains a variety of fruits and vegetables, which provides vitamins, minerals and antioxidants.
These include romaine lettuce, mandarin oranges, blueberries, strawberries and pineapple.
Panera offers this salad in a whole or half serving. A half serving makes a perfect side dish when paired with a soup or sandwich, while a whole serving can be a filling meal on its own.
This is the nutrient content for a whole serving of Strawberry Poppyseed Salad with chicken (3):
•Calories: 340
Superstar ingredients in this nutrient-packed meal include chargrilled chicken, maple miso sweet potatoes, avocado, pomegranates and a seed mix over spinach, brown rice, chickpeas and red quinoa.
This meal meets the criteria for a healthy fast food, as it’s high in protein and fiber, low in calories and includes a good mix of whole grains, vegetables and healthy fats.
The coconut chicken, chickpeas and quinoa bump the protein up to 30 grams per serving. Meanwhile, avocado delivers some heart-healthy monounsaturated fats.
This is the nutrient content for one 14.4-ounce (409-gram) serving of Coconut Chicken & Miso Sweet Potato Balance Box (4):
•Calories: 500
•Fat: 26 grams
If you’re looking for a nutritious breakfast on the go, these egg bites are a healthy and delicious option.
Sous vide is a cooking technique in which foods are vacuum-sealed in a pouch and then cooked in a water bath to achieve a precise level of doneness.
In addition to egg whites, these bites contain Monterey Jack cheese, spinach and fire-roasted red peppers. Each serving squeezes in 13 grams of protein.
Some studies have found that a high-protein breakfast may help with weight loss.
A 2015 study compared 57 young adults who either skipped breakfast or ate a high- or normal-protein breakfast.
The high-protein breakfast group experienced reduced hunger and food intake throughout the day, and gained less body fat compared to the no-breakfast and normal-protein breakfast groups (5).
These grilled nuggets are healthy, high in protein and a perfect option for when you’re on the go.
Opting for nuggets that are grilled rather than fried makes a huge difference in terms of nutrition.
For example, compared to the traditional chicken nuggets at Chick-fil-A, the grilled nuggets have nearly half the calories, one-third the amount of fat and less than half the sodium (7).
Pair them with the Superfood Side, which includes broccolini, kale, dried cherries and a nut blend with a maple vinaigrette. This adds extra fiber, vitamins and minerals to your lunch.
Here is the nutrient content for one 12-piece serving of Grilled Nuggets and one serving of the Superfood Side (8, 9):
•Calories: 400
Though you might not associate McDonald’s with healthy food, they do have a few healthy options on the menu.
The Southwest Grilled Chicken Salad stands out, in particular, because it delivers 37 grams of protein per serving, which can keep you feeling fuller for longer (10, 11).
In addition to being high in protein, it also contains a few ingredients that make it especially nutritious, including grilled chicken, black beans, corn, tomatoes, poblano peppers, kale, spinach and red leaf lettuce.
Drizzle it with just a small amount of your favorite dressing to prevent loading up on calories, and opt for some fresh fruit on the side rather than fries.
This is the nutrient content for one order of Southwest Grilled Chicken Salad, topped with Italian dressing (12, 13):
•Calories: 400
Boston Market is a fast-casual restaurant that prepares home-style meals and boasts a menu with quite a few healthy choices.
The market bowls are a good option, in particular. They come with your choice of protein and optional sides and sauces.
The Turkey Breast Bowl is high in protein to keep you full, but it’s also low in calories and weight loss friendly. Order it with a side of steamed vegetables and rotisserie potatoes to increase the fiber content, plus squeeze in extra vitamins and minerals.
Other healthy side dish choices that go well with the turkey breast bowl include sweet corn, Caesar side salad or cinnamon apples.
This is the nutrient content for one Turkey Breast Bowl, along with Poultry Gravy and a side of Fresh Steamed Vegetables and Rotisserie Potatoes (14):
•Calories: 320
Chipotle has a highly customizable menu, which makes it a great restaurant option for healthy eating.
By selecting the burrito bowl instead of the burrito, you eliminate the calories and refined carbs from the flour tortilla.
Choosing chicken adds protein with less added fat, sodium and calories than some other types of meat, such as chorizo.
Fajita vegetables, brown rice and black beans all help enhance the fiber content to make it a well-rounded, filling meal.
Keep in mind that adding sauces and dressings to your burrito bowl can rack up the calories pretty quickly, so use them sparingly.
This is the nutrient content for one Burrito Bowl with chicken, brown rice, black beans, lettuce, fajita veggies and pico de gallo (15):
Grilled chicken, feta, hummus and a sun-dried tomato quinoa blend sit atop a bed of lettuce in this healthy salad.
This nutritious dish contains quinoa, a seed that is packed with nutrients and antioxidants. It’s especially high in the antioxidants quercetin and kaempferol (16).
Some animal studies have found these antioxidants may have anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory and antiviral effects in the body (17, 18, 19).
In addition to its impressive antioxidant content, this salad is also high in protein and fiber, making it an excellent fast-food choice.
This salad is available in both full-size and half-size servings. Order a full-size and make it a meal, or get a smaller portion as a nutritious side dish.
This is the nutrient content for one full-size serving of Power Mediterranean Chicken Salad with dressing (20):
This nutritious salad bowl includes kale, beets, red cabbage, broccoli, tomatoes and butternut squash served on a bed of brown rice.
Besides fulfilling a hearty chunk of your protein and fiber needs, this dish is also high in many vitamins and minerals.
Each serving provides 180% of your daily required vitamin A, 130% of your daily vitamin C and 25% of your daily iron.
Drizzle on some lemon tahini dressing and enjoy this super satisfying salad.
This is the nutrient content for one 11-ounce (315-gram) serving of Hearty Veggie & Brown Rice Salad Bowl with dressing (21):
•Calories: 430
- Sarah Garone
- Nutritionist And Freelance Writer
- Subway Grilled Chicken No Bready Bowl. Per bowl: 200 calories, 4 g fat (2 g saturated fat), 480 mg sodium, 9 g carbs, 3 g fiber, 35 g protein. You can certainly find a handful of healthy sub and wrap options at Subway, but if you're more in the mood for a bowl, their No Bready are a great healthy fast-food choice.
- Panera Bread Greek Salad. Per salad: 410 calories, 9 g fat (0.5 g saturated fat), 1,080 mg sodium, 17 g carbs, 5 g fiber, 8 g protein. When you're craving a hot cup of coffee with your lunch, Panera is the perfect fast-food choice—especially if you're also trying to stick to some healthier options.
- Chick-fil-A Grilled Chicken Sandwich. Per sandwich: 390 calories, 12 g fat (2 g saturated fat), 770 mg sodium, 44 g carbs, 3 g fiber, 28 g protein. Chick-fil-A is famous for its chicken sandwiches—original and grilled.
- Chipotle Balanced Macros Bowl. Chipotle doesn't have the exact nutrition information listed for their Balanced Macro Lifestyle Bowl, but when you learn what it's made of, you'll see why it's on the list for healthy fast-food orders.
People also ask
Can you eat healthy fast food?
Which fast food restaurants are healthy?
How to eat healthy at a fast food restaurant?
Jun 25, 2024 · 45 Healthiest Fast-Food Orders, According to Experts. McDonald's, Chipotle and Taco Bell all have "better for you" options to grab on-the-go. By Alyssa Jung and Lisa Mulcahy Updated:...
Feb 14, 2024 · Fast food gets a bad rap for being unhealthy, but there are healthy fast food options at chains like McDonald’s, Pizza Hut, and Sonic. Registered dietitians reveal their picks.
- 11 min
Jan 3, 2024 · This list has all of the healthiest fast food options that you can order. From breakfast sandwiches to burgers to salads and more, you'll find a better-for-you choice here.
Opt for whole grain or whole wheat bread and brown rice for extra fiber. This will help with digestion as well. Load your meal with healthy vegetables such as extra peppers and mushrooms on a pizza or add salsa to a burrito bowl. Vegetables are full of minerals, antioxidants, vitamins, and fiber.
