Eating healthy at home is pretty easy. As long as you know what to buy and stock up on at the grocery store. But what about when you venture outside your home? Fast food restaurants are everywhere you go. It’s fast, convenient, and cheap.
But for the person looking to change their body and be as healthy as they can in regards to their nutrition, then fast food restaurants can be a deathtrap.
So I’ve compiled a list of the healthiest fast food foods you can eat and not destroy your entire day or week’s worth of nutrition.
Although I don’t recommend fast food often, sometimes there just isn’t anything else, especially if you’re on the road and pushed for time. The fast food industry has been criticized a lot for the way their food is delivered, processed, and served. One thing that about 99% of all fast food items have in it is added salt, sugar, or fat– or a combo of all three. That makes it very addictive to someone not in the know. But every once in a while is fine. 
If you haven’t seen the movie Food Inc, I highly recommend it.
And now on to the list (in no particular order).
Wendy’s Ultimate Chicken Grill and Mandarin Chicken Salad. If you avoid slathering the sandwich with mayonnaise and the salad with gobs of dressing these are some of your best choices at Wendy’s. The sandwich only has 7 grams of fat (1.5 saturated) and the salad has 25 grams, but only 3 from saturated fat, so the rest is the heart healthy kind.
Although both are loaded with sodium they pack a good amount of protein. The chili is always another great option here.
Next is Subway and there Oven-Roasted Chicken Breast and Veggie Delite. Obviously everyone knows Subway has other healthy options, which are also fine, but what most people don’t know is that there wheat bread really isn’t wheat bread at all—it’s enriched. Real Whole Wheat bread costs more and just like any business they cut costs where they can.
Most of the subs are lower calories then most other fast food places that doesn’t mean you should eat more. A lot of people tend to overeat when they think the food is healthier. A calorie is a calorie no matter where it comes from. Go over your limit too many times will have disastrous consequences.
Quizno’s Small Honey Bourbon Chicken on Wheat is next. Comes in at just 310 calories and 4 grams of fat. Stick with the mustard and not the mayo.
On to the top dog- McDonald’s. Their grilled chicken is a good choice here just like at Wendy’s. Their regular hamburger used to be a good choice, but after further review it looks like they have a ½ a gram of trans fat in it. Trans fats are a no-no.
For salads go with the Premium Southwest Salad with Grilled Chicken (not crispy).
Last is Chipotle. It’s not really one of the healthiest, but a lot of people love it. So I thought I’d include something that’s a little healthier for you then that big ass burrito.
Go with a Chicken Burrito Bowl with lettuce, black beans, green or red salsa, and guacamole. You’ll come in at around 480 calories, 21 grams of fat (just 4 saturated, most of it is from the very heart healthy guacamole), 42 grams protein, and 35 grams carbs (a whopping 18 grams of fiber).
Compare that to the Chicken Burrito with tomato, corn, cheese, sour cream, rice and beans of about 1100 calories, 40 grams of fat, 112 grams of carbs and 2530 milligrams of sodium.
So that’s the list. Remember fast food is fast and not nearly as healthy as you can make at home. But sometimes we can’t help ourselves or need to have a cheat. That’s ok. Just get back up on the healthy wagon as soon as you do.
If your in Columbus, don’t forget to sign up for your free 2-week trial to bootcamp.
http://www.yunfitnessbootcamps.com
Don’t forget to sign up for the free e-newsletter and also get the fat loss starter kit!
I received this from Registered Dietitian Jayson Hunter and author of the
