7 Healthy Fast Foods That Won't Make You Feel Restricted
Burger King
Order a regular Hamburger and Value-Size Unsalted French Fries. If you are feeling particularly hungry, then go for the Whopper Jr. but hold the mayonnaise. Use ketchup if you need some flavor, but don't use too much as there is about 50-100mg of sodium in each packet.
In-N-Out
Not only is In-N-Out affordable and delicious, they are one of the healthiest fast food restaurants out there burger-wise. Go for the #3 regular hamburger, fries and ice tea of diet coke. Get mustard and ketchup instead of the secret sauce to cut out the calories even more.
McDonalds
While you could go for a regular hamburger and fries here as well, Burger King's is larger, so if you are at McDonalds you should go for the 6 piece chicken McNuggets and unsalted small fries. If you are really hungry you could even go for the 10 piece chicken McNuggets and not be too far off.
Taco Bell
Almost everything off the Fresco Style menu is a good choice here, but for the best value you should go with the Fresco Style Bean Burrito and Fresco Style Soft Taco for a meal. If you are extra hungry go 2 burritos instead of the taco.+
Subway
You can feel pretty safe ordering just about any 6 inch sub from Subway as long as you keep the mayonnaise, oil and vinegar off the sandwich. If you are feeling extra hungry then add some baked lays to your meal.
Pizza Hut
Generally speaking, pizza is not the healthiest meal in the world. If you can forgo the pepperoni or any other kind of meat though, you can feel pretty safe eating 1-2 slices of vegetable or cheese only pizza. If you have to have some kind of meat though, then you should go with the Hawaiian pizza. At Pizza Hut you can be safe with 2-3 Slices of Thin ‘N Crispy Hawaiian Pizza or even the Veggie Lovers as well.
KFC
While there is very few healthy options at KFC, and even the grilled chicken is loaded with calories, you can make a meal out of getting either the Honey BBQ sandwich or 3 Chicken Strips w/ BBQ sauce and Large Corn on the Cob. You can even substitute the corn on the cob with mashed potatoes with gravy if you are looking for something a little more filling.
Order a Salad
This one seems obvious, but it still holds true. If you want a low calorie, low fat, and low sodium meal at a fast food joint, your best bet might be ordering a salad. However, it is important to note that just because what you are eating contains a good portion of lettuce does not mean it is a healthy salad. Piling on the ranch dressing, crispy chicken strips, and bacon bits can quickly add more fat and calories than a typical fast food cheeseburger. Choose a lighter Italian dressing and try adding grilled chicken to the salad for extra protein that will keep you full longer.
Choose Small or Medium Fries
Go ahead and skip ordering large fries with your meal. Making a simple downsize from large fries to small fries at Burger King will save you 163 calories, 7.2 grams of fat, 1.1 grams of sat. fat, and 202mg of sodium. Also check if the restaurant you are at offers sides other than fries or onion rings. Wendy's offers baked potatoes, salads, and chilli as replacement sides.
Avoid Bacon
Although many people love putting bacon on and in everything (How about that crazy Burger King Bacon Sundae?), your heart will thank you for skipping out on this add-on. Bacon is probably the quickest way to add a huge number of calories, fat, and sodium to your meal. Most fast food sandwiches that have bacon on them usually include two or three strips. According to CalorieKing, here are the nutrition facts for a typical .3 oz bacon strip:
Total Fat 3.6g 5%
Sat. Fat 1.2g 6%
Trans Fat 0g
Cholesterol 9mg 3%
Sodium 196mg 8%
Total Carbs. 0.1g< 1%
Dietary Fiber 0g 0%
Sugars 0g
Protein 3.1g
Calcium 0.9mg
Potassium 48mg
Adding three strips of bacon to your meal will add 138 calories, 10.7 grams of fat, 3.5 grams of saturated fat, and a whopping 589 mg of sodium to your meal! Yikes!
Drink Water or Unsweetened Tea
This is probably the most important tip on the list. If you're going to eat an already unhealthy meal, don't also add a soda to the mix. Soda's are empty calories and excellent sources of insane amounts of sugar. A Large 32 oz. Coke from McDonald's contains 310 calories and a staggering 86 grams of sugar! Adding one of these to your bacon double cheeseburger meal will really ruin your day! Not only is water pretty much the best thing you can drink, it's also free! The downside, however, is that most fast food places will only give you a very small cup for water.
Eating fast food doesn't have to ruin your diet. By making small, smart choices, you don't have to fear piling on the pounds from eating out.
Conclusion
As you can see there are a great deal of healthier alternatives while eating from fast food establishments. All of the meals listed above are between 500-700 calories, which will keep you under the recommended 2200 daily calories allotment. Almost every restaurant these days has a nutrition guide online, so by spending just a few minutes to research their menu, you can do yourself a great deal service. Just remember to cut out the soft drinks as much as possible and you can maintain a relatively healthy lifestyle on the go.
Order a regular Hamburger and Value-Size Unsalted French Fries. If you are feeling particularly hungry, then go for the Whopper Jr. but hold the mayonnaise. Use ketchup if you need some flavor, but don't use too much as there is about 50-100mg of sodium in each packet.
In-N-Out
Not only is In-N-Out affordable and delicious, they are one of the healthiest fast food restaurants out there burger-wise. Go for the #3 regular hamburger, fries and ice tea of diet coke. Get mustard and ketchup instead of the secret sauce to cut out the calories even more.
McDonalds
While you could go for a regular hamburger and fries here as well, Burger King's is larger, so if you are at McDonalds you should go for the 6 piece chicken McNuggets and unsalted small fries. If you are really hungry you could even go for the 10 piece chicken McNuggets and not be too far off.
Taco Bell
Almost everything off the Fresco Style menu is a good choice here, but for the best value you should go with the Fresco Style Bean Burrito and Fresco Style Soft Taco for a meal. If you are extra hungry go 2 burritos instead of the taco.+
Subway
You can feel pretty safe ordering just about any 6 inch sub from Subway as long as you keep the mayonnaise, oil and vinegar off the sandwich. If you are feeling extra hungry then add some baked lays to your meal.
Pizza Hut
Generally speaking, pizza is not the healthiest meal in the world. If you can forgo the pepperoni or any other kind of meat though, you can feel pretty safe eating 1-2 slices of vegetable or cheese only pizza. If you have to have some kind of meat though, then you should go with the Hawaiian pizza. At Pizza Hut you can be safe with 2-3 Slices of Thin ‘N Crispy Hawaiian Pizza or even the Veggie Lovers as well.
KFC
While there is very few healthy options at KFC, and even the grilled chicken is loaded with calories, you can make a meal out of getting either the Honey BBQ sandwich or 3 Chicken Strips w/ BBQ sauce and Large Corn on the Cob. You can even substitute the corn on the cob with mashed potatoes with gravy if you are looking for something a little more filling.
Tips For Healthy Fast Food Eating
Order Grilled Instead of Crispy
This option typically applies to chicken dishes. When choosing from chicken items on a menu, opt for the healthier grilled option in place of the crispy fried options. Frying breaded chicken in oil and grease not only dramatically increases the fat and saturated fat content of the chicken, but it also adds a boatload of calories as well. This adds absolutely nothing in terms of nutrition to your meal. If you want to quickly save yourself from added fat and calories, go grilled.
This option typically applies to chicken dishes. When choosing from chicken items on a menu, opt for the healthier grilled option in place of the crispy fried options. Frying breaded chicken in oil and grease not only dramatically increases the fat and saturated fat content of the chicken, but it also adds a boatload of calories as well. This adds absolutely nothing in terms of nutrition to your meal. If you want to quickly save yourself from added fat and calories, go grilled.
Order a Salad
This one seems obvious, but it still holds true. If you want a low calorie, low fat, and low sodium meal at a fast food joint, your best bet might be ordering a salad. However, it is important to note that just because what you are eating contains a good portion of lettuce does not mean it is a healthy salad. Piling on the ranch dressing, crispy chicken strips, and bacon bits can quickly add more fat and calories than a typical fast food cheeseburger. Choose a lighter Italian dressing and try adding grilled chicken to the salad for extra protein that will keep you full longer.
Choose Small or Medium Fries
Go ahead and skip ordering large fries with your meal. Making a simple downsize from large fries to small fries at Burger King will save you 163 calories, 7.2 grams of fat, 1.1 grams of sat. fat, and 202mg of sodium. Also check if the restaurant you are at offers sides other than fries or onion rings. Wendy's offers baked potatoes, salads, and chilli as replacement sides.
Avoid Bacon
Although many people love putting bacon on and in everything (How about that crazy Burger King Bacon Sundae?), your heart will thank you for skipping out on this add-on. Bacon is probably the quickest way to add a huge number of calories, fat, and sodium to your meal. Most fast food sandwiches that have bacon on them usually include two or three strips. According to CalorieKing, here are the nutrition facts for a typical .3 oz bacon strip:
Total Fat 3.6g 5%
Sat. Fat 1.2g 6%
Trans Fat 0g
Cholesterol 9mg 3%
Sodium 196mg 8%
Total Carbs. 0.1g< 1%
Dietary Fiber 0g 0%
Sugars 0g
Protein 3.1g
Calcium 0.9mg
Potassium 48mg
Adding three strips of bacon to your meal will add 138 calories, 10.7 grams of fat, 3.5 grams of saturated fat, and a whopping 589 mg of sodium to your meal! Yikes!
Drink Water or Unsweetened Tea
This is probably the most important tip on the list. If you're going to eat an already unhealthy meal, don't also add a soda to the mix. Soda's are empty calories and excellent sources of insane amounts of sugar. A Large 32 oz. Coke from McDonald's contains 310 calories and a staggering 86 grams of sugar! Adding one of these to your bacon double cheeseburger meal will really ruin your day! Not only is water pretty much the best thing you can drink, it's also free! The downside, however, is that most fast food places will only give you a very small cup for water.
Eating fast food doesn't have to ruin your diet. By making small, smart choices, you don't have to fear piling on the pounds from eating out.
Conclusion
As you can see there are a great deal of healthier alternatives while eating from fast food establishments. All of the meals listed above are between 500-700 calories, which will keep you under the recommended 2200 daily calories allotment. Almost every restaurant these days has a nutrition guide online, so by spending just a few minutes to research their menu, you can do yourself a great deal service. Just remember to cut out the soft drinks as much as possible and you can maintain a relatively healthy lifestyle on the go.
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