"Nutritional" Fast Food Options

Two of my good friends complained to me that they don’t have enough time to cook food, so they end up eating out. Due to the fast paced society we live in, eating out has become the lifestyle of many people. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Economic Research Service (ERS), Americans now spend 48.9 percent of their food dollars away from home. This is the highest percentage currently on record. Thirty years ago, only about 37 percent of those food dollars were spent away from home. Fifty years ago, that figure was just 25 percent.

However, as some would say, it is what it is. Therefore, I spent this week going to fast food chains attempting to find what is acceptable to eat in order to continue living a slightly healthier lifestyle. I learned that you could keep yourself around 300 calories if you just get the one item. I imagine you’ll want to get fries and drink with that, but I wouldn’t suggest it.

Whether you order small or medium fries, you are going to add another 220 to 450 calories to your meal. That cup of soda on average will give you 200 more. Now what was once a 300-calorie meal has spiraled out of control into 800 or even 1000 calories of regret. Therefore, if you stick with what I prescribe below, you should be okay, but nothing beats home cooking.

McDonalds

We’ve all seen Super Size Me. And while McDonalds has done a lot to change their image, I usually wouldn’t make this my first choice for fast food. Here are your options below.

Breakfast Sausage Burrito

Serving Size: 1 burrito, Calories: 300, Fat: 16g, Carbs: 26g, Protein: 12g

Egg Cheese McMuffin

Serving Size: 1 sandwich, Calories: 300, Fat: 12g, Carbs: 30g, Protein: 18g

Cheese Burger

Serving Size: 1 cheeseburger, Calories: 300, Fat: 12g, Carbs: 33g, Protein: 15g

California Cobb Salad w/ Grilled Chicken (Half a pack of balsamic vinaigrette)

Serving Size: 1 serving, Calories: 280, Fat: 11g, Carbs: 12g, Protein: 35g

Burger King

Home of the Whopper, which consequently is a whopping 670 calories. Think about that next time you want to bite into that flame broiled delight. Here are your options, but they’re not much.

Jr. Whopper No Cheese No Mayo

Serving Size: 1 burger, Calories: 310, Fat: 23g, Carbs: 26g, Protein: 16g

Chicken Tenders 4 Pc

Serving Size: 4 (62g), Calories: 190, Fat: 11g, Carbs: 10g, Protein: 10g

Wendy’s

This is one company that has made great strides in giving its customers healthy options. I especially like that you can get a bottle of water instead of soda if you order the meal. Brilliant!

Chili -Small

Serving Size: 1 small, Calories: 220, Fat: 7g, Carbs: 22g, Protein: 18g

Chicken Nuggets

Serving Size: 5 nuggets (75g), Calories: 230, Fat: 14g, Carbs: 13g, Protein: 12g

Spicy Chicken Nuggets

Serving Size: 5 nuggets, Calories: 230, Fat: 14g, Carbs: 13g, Protein: 12g

Baja Salad – Half Size No Tortilla Chips or Dressing

Serving Size: 1 container, Calories: 280, Fat: 17g, Carbs: 19g, Protein: 17g

Caesar Side Salad

Serving Size: 1 Salad w croutons and dressing, Calories: 250, Fat: 17g, Carbs: 19g, Protein: 7g

Jr Hamburger Deluxe

Serving Size: 1 burger, Calories: 260, Fat: 11g, Carbs: 28g, Protein: 13g

Ultimate Chicken Grill Sandwich (No Sauce)

Serving Size: 1 sandwich, Calories: 300, Fat: 4g, Carbs: 39g, Protein: 29g

Taco Bell

Sometimes tacos are often a great food option if you know what you’re looking for, however, it’s rare that we only order one taco. That’s why portion control here might have you saying, “Yo Quiero something else”.

Soft Taco - Beef

Serving Size: 1 taco, Calories: 200, Fat: 9g, Carbs: 19g, Protein: 10g

Soft Taco – Chicken

Serving Size: 1 taco, Calories: 180, Fat: 6g, Carbs: 18g, Protein: 14g

Hard Taco - Beef

Serving Size: 1 Taco (2.75oz), Calories: 170, Fat: 10g, Carbs: 12g, Protein: 8g

Fresco Grilled Steak Soft Taco

Serving Size: 1 Taco, Calories: 150, Fat: 4g, Carbs: 19g, Protein: 9g

Fresco Chicken Soft Taco

Serving Size: 1 taco, 110g, Calories: 150, Fat: 3.5g, Carbs: 18g, Protein: 12g

Gordita Supreme - Beef

Serving Size: 1 Gordita, Calories: 300, Fat: 13g, Carbs: 31g, Protein: 13g

Gordita Supreme - Steak or Chicken

Serving Size: 153 g - 1 gordita, Calories: 270, Fat: 11g, Carbs: 29g, Protein: 17g

Subway

We all remember how Jared Fogle lost a lot of weight by eating subway sandwiches only. Who can argue with the facts? At Subway, there are too many options to choose from, which goes to show you that you can eat out and still eat healthy. For the sake of time here is a way to choose from the subway menu and keep everything under 300 calories.

Choose a 6-inch sub or a deli round topped with lots of veggies and ham, roast beef, or turkey breast. Use mustard or vinegar as a topping and for an additional 45 calories, add 1 tablespoon of light mayo.

Any of the salads with 6 grams of fat or less topped with a fat-free Italian dressing and lunch comes in under 250 calories.

Most soups (not chili, which is 310 calories) that do not contain bacon or cheese would only add approximately 90 calories to the meal.

Conclusion

I think that for the majority of us eating out isn’t something we need to do everyday. With a little planning, we can make sure to have healthy meals ready to go throughout the week. But if you are in a tight spot, remember that there is always something you can eat that won’t ruin your physical goals and won’t have you feeling guilty about your nutritional decisions.