Top 9 Healthy Fast Food Choices

Although most options at fast food restaurants are far from good for you, you may be surprised to learn the details about some of the better options. Here are the top 9 healthy fast food choices that will allow you to enjoy a tasty meal without packing on the pounds.

1. McDonald’s Premium Grilled Chicken Classic Sandwich

While it’s difficult to resist the delicious, salty lure of a packet of McDonald’s fries or the call of a Quarter Pounder, not everything in this popular fast food establishment will add inches to your waistline.
In particular, you should consider the premium grilled chicken classic sandwich, which is one of the healthiest options in store. It is based around grilled breast meat, making it an excellent source of lean protein.


If you choose to order the premium grilled chicken classic sandwich without any mayonnaise on it, you will cut around 50 calories and at least 5 grams from your meal, making it a truly virtuous choice.
Other healthy customization options include adding extra lettuce, tomato and pickle, which will help to keep you feeling fuller for longer thanks to their high fiber and water content.
Further, if you’re really watching your figure, you can forgo eating the top or bottom half of your burger bun to reduce your lunch or dinner by a further hundred calories. If you pair your premium grilled chicken classic sandwich with a fresh ice water and choose a packet of fruit for dessert, you’ll have consumed a perfectly healthy and nutritious meal in spite of eating it McDonald’s.

2. Burger King’s Whopper Jr.

With all of the options available Burger King, it can be hard to figure out how to choose the healthiest meal.
The Whopper Jr. is certainly a contender for this title, as the burger is just 300 calories. This is much more modest than the calorie content of the average burger.
For example, the regular Whopper is 520 calories and contains a staggering 23g of fat. In contrast, the fat content of the Whopper Jr. is just 12g, and the sodium content comes in at around 500mg.
You will be offered fries and mayonnaise, but if you decline these then you can leave the restaurant knowing that you’ve made a smart and responsible call.
Some people might find that the Whopper Jr. isn’t quite filling enough to count as a satisfying meal, and if you encounter this problem then it’s worth pairing your Burger King burger with a healthy side salad.


Their plain garden salad is 80 calories, and contains just over 4g of fat, while the classic side salad is only 15 calories and contains absolutely no fat. To spice up your meal that bit more, it’s also worth looking at Burger King’s fresh apple fries, which are 25 calories per portion.

3. Starbucks Protein Artisan Snack Plate

Starbucks can be tricky to navigate, thanks to all of its creamy beverages and rich cakes, but if you’re looking for a fast food breakfast then you can find something pretty healthy in the Starbucks range.
In particular, the Protein Artisan Snack Plate is the perfect thing to order before a long day at work, as it is packed full of protein, fiber and whole grains, all of which help to give you energy and keep you feeling full and satisfied.
It contains a hard-boiled egg, apple slices, small pieces of cheese, muesli bread, a small serving of grapes and some spread with honey and peanut butter flavoring.
In total, the breakfast will provide you with 370 calories, which is more than enough to keep you going throughout the morning (and you can compensate by having a fairly long lunch).
If you want to get all of the goodness but reduce the fat content contained in the Protein Artisan Snack Plate, you can put the cheese to one side or consider using just a little of the honey and peanut butter spread. If you need a caffeine booster at the same time, a Starbucks Americano will help to kick you into gear without thickening your waistline.

4. Turkey Breast Subway Sandwich

There are plenty of opportunities to overeat at Subway, or to order a sandwich that is packed with fat or useless carbs, but there are also options that will suit the diet-conscious person down to the ground.
While there are plenty of ways to make up a healthy sub, one of the best options is the turkey breast sandwich, which is a rich supply of lean protein and tastes great into the bargain.
Your meal will be just 360 calories if you order a six-inch sandwich, and you can maximise your satisfaction and the healthiness of your meal if you make sure that you choose wheat bread (instead of, say, herbs and cheese bread).
One of the best things about Subway sandwiches is their innate customizability, so try to load it up with as many vegetable options as possible.
Good suggestions include plenty of lettuce, cucumber, bell peppers, onions and olives (which do contain fat, but it’s the good kind of fat that promotes cardiovascular health).
In addition, skip the cheese slices and opt for one of the healthier sauces. One of the mustards is probably your best bet. At the end of the day, you’ll have a fantastic lunch that is packed with flavor and useful nutrients.

5. Jack In The Box Chicken Teriyaki Bowl

There are now over 2200 Jack in the Box restaurants in the United States, so you’re sure to come across one at some point and wonder what you can order without promoting weight gain.
The Chicken Teriyaki Bowl is one of the healthiest choices on offer, and at 585 it is suitable as a dinner meal or as a large lunch.
It isn’t the best choice if you are watching your salt intake (e.g. if you are concerned about high blood pressure), but it does contain very little saturated fat and is absolutely packed with 25g of lean protein that will infuse you with a fresh burst of energy.
Another good choice at Jack in the Box is the grilled chicken salad, which can make a good lunch choice given that it is just 250 calories and contains 9 grams of fat (none of which is trans fat).
Meanwhile, if you’re stopping by for breakfast, look for the Breakfast Jack, which has replaced bacon with ham in order to dramatically cut the fat and calorie content. This sandwich provides you with a mere 283 calories, and can give you a nice boost of energy if you’re heading for a big day.

6. Baja Fresh Fish Taco

Baja Fresh is another restaurant that allows you to create highly customizable meals, but it can be tricky to figure out how to make a balanced choice that provides you with ingredients from all the major food groups and doesn’t overload you with saturated fat or calories.
One of the best options out there is the Grilled Wahoo Fish Taco, which you can order with avocado to make the taco taste creamier and more indulgent.
Although avocado contains fat, it is a moderate amount of good fat, and the other nutrients more than make up for this fat content. When it comes to choices of sides, you can opt for a half portion of rice and beans to make sure that your meal is packed full of fiber.
The Wahoo Fish Taco provides just 230 calories, so you can feel free to add a serving of salsa on top of the taco so that you can enjoy the trademarked spicy flavor.
Meanwhile, if you’re not so keen on fish, there are other decent options available at Baja Fresh. The Grilled Mahi Mahi Taco is also 230 calories, and contains 9g of fat (most of which is once again good fat that comes from the avocado content)

7. Taco Bell Chicken Fresco Burrito Supreme

Although you might automatically give Taco Bell a wide berth if you’re health-conscious and trying to keep your weight under control, Taco Bell’s Fresco menu is actually designed to provide decent options to those who are keeping an eye on fat and calories.
In fact, Taco Bell promises that each of their Fresco choices will contain no more than 350 calories (with many options containing significantly less) and less than 10 grams of fat.
The Chicken Fresco Burrito Supreme is one of the top items on the Fresco menu, as it is a rich source of fiber and protein (providing you with 8 and 18 grams respectively).
For a comparable vegetarian option, look to the Fresco Bean Burrito, which contains less than 21% calories from fat, and is very rich in protein to keep you energized for hours.
It’s also worth noting that Taco Bell offer to make any item on the menu in their Fresco style, which means that they will hold any cheesy or creamy sauces and any sour cream and replace these ingredients with much healthier pico de gallo. In sum, you should have plenty of choices at Taco Bell no matter what your dietary restrictions, so don’t discount it.

8. KFC’s Grilled Chicken Drumsticks With a Healthy Side

KFC certainly has a well-known reputation for providing fatty, oily foods that promote weight gain and heart disease, but the surprising truth is that this fast food joint does still offer some healthier options that are entirely compatible with a healthy lifestyle.
While you may have previously assumed that you could only eat a salad if you wanted to watch your weight at KFC, you should consider ordering their grilled chicken drumsticks.
If you want to maximise the goodness of your meal, however, it is also worth removing the skin from the drumsticks.
There are some great side dishes that make an excellent accompaniment to KFC’s drumsticks as well. Their mashed potatoes are famously tasty, and a portion comes in at less than a hundred calories so this side is something that you can enjoy without any guilt.
The restaurant will automatically provide you with gravy to add to the potatoes, but you don’t need to use this (or you can strike a balance by adding just a little in order to liven up the flavor of the potatoes without ruining your attempts to stay healthy). A little salt or pepper can also help to reduce the need for gravy.

9. Dunkin’ Donuts Wake-Up Wrap

Although the Dunkin’ Donuts Wake-Up Wrap contains some cheese as well as healthy egg white, it is a decent breakfast option in the world of fast food choices.
In fact, it is one of the lightest options available, as Dunkin’ Donuts have recently created a DDSmart menu that aims to have items with at least 25% less fat and calorie content than typical fast food fare.
As a result, the Wake-Up Wrap contains just 150 calories and only 6 grams of fat, making it a better choice than most breakfast foods that contain cheese.
Dunkin’ Donuts also serve skinny coffees in their Lite range of beverages, including the Latte Lite (which is just 80 calories per serving).
If you’re looking for a more substantial breakfast or snack that is still healthy, consider the Dunkin’ Donuts whole wheat bagel, which provides you with 320 calories and 60 grams of healthy whole grain (promoting fullness and heart health).
It is perfect when stopped with some reduced fat cream cheese, which comes in plenty of different sweet and salty flavors.Meanwhile, the brown sugar flavored oatmeal will warm your stomach on a cold day, and contains dried fruit that adds a little extra zest to the taste of this breakfast staple.