Many fast-food restaurants offer nutritious options, including wraps, salads, and burritos.
While most fast foods are based on cheap, unhealthy ingredients, many fast-food establishments now offer healthy alternatives.
Some major chains even focus exclusively on providing healthy fast food.
These can be life-savers when you don’t have the time or energy to cook a healthy meal.
Here are 10 fast-food restaurants that have some healthy options on the menu.
Chipotle Mexican Grill is a restaurant chain that specializes in foods like tacos and burritos.
The company tries to use only organic, local ingredients, with meats from naturally raised animals.
Healthy options: burritos, tacos, and salads, with a variety of meats, veggies, rice, beans, and guacamole
Locations: all over the United States, as well as Canada, Germany, France, and the United Kingdom
You can take a look at their menu here.
Chick-fil-A is a fast-food restaurant that specializes in chicken sandwiches.
They were the first fast-food chain in the United States to offer a menu completely free of trans fat.
They have taken strides to make their dishes more healthy. In particular, their kids’ menu offers fruit cup sides and milk to drink.
Healthy options: grilled chicken nuggets, chicken salads, grilled market salad, and multi-grain breakfast oatmeal
Locations: throughout the United States
You can take a look at their menu here.
Wendy’s is the third-largest hamburger fast-food chain in the world, behind McDonald’s and Burger King.
Although their menu consists mostly of hamburgers, chicken sandwiches, and French fries, they also offer some healthier alternatives.
Healthy options: chicken salads and chicken wraps
Locations: 30 countries worldwide, mostly in North and South America, Asia, and the Caribbean
You can take a look at their healthy salads here.
McDonald’s is the world’s biggest fast-food chain.
It is famous for its signature burgers, such as the Big Mac.
Most of the offerings at McDonald’s are highly processed and unhealthy. The company has been slammed for its role in facilitating the worldwide obesity and type 2 diabetes epedemics.
However, due in part to this critique, McDonald’s has added several healthy options to its menu.
Healthy options: several healthy salads, mostly made with chicken, vegetables, and fruit
Locations: worldwide, in a total of 119 countries
You can take a look at their salad menu here.
Ruby Tuesday has many restaurants across the globe.
They offer a large menu, ranging from steaks and seafood to pasta and salads.
The healthier options on their menu are marked with the moniker “Fit & Trim.” Those dishes contain fewer than 700 calories per serving.
Ruby Tuesday offers options based on all sorts of dietary needs, such as gluten intolerance.
Healthy options: a variety of meat, fish, and salads, with side dishes like baked potatoes and fresh vegetables
Locations: North America and Europe
You can take a look at their menu here.
The Cheesecake Factory is known for gargantuan portion sizes and high calorie content.
However, due to increased pressure, they now offer a “SkinnyLicious” menu with smaller portion sizes and healthier ingredients.
Healthy options: steaks, fish, seafood, salads, and various appetizers
Locations: the United States, with several restaurants in the Middle East
You can take a look at their SkinnyLicious menu here.
Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) is an international fast-food restaurant known for its signature deep-fried chicken. This franchise serves mainly unhealthy foods.
However, some of their restaurants sell grilled chicken to serve their more health-conscious customers.
Healthy options: grilled chicken pieces and sides like green beans or corn on the cob
Locations: worldwide
You can take a look at their menu here.
Subway is a fast-food restaurant that primarily sells build-it-yourself submarine sandwiches (subs) and salads.
That said, you can also skip the bread altogether and get a salad with chicken breast and plenty of fresh vegetables.
Healthy options: whole-grain bread, plus plenty of vegetables
Locations: 44,000 restaurants in 110 countries
You can take a look at their menu here.
Panera Bread is a bakery, café, and restaurant that serves baked goods, soups, salads, and sandwiches.
Healthy options: a variety of healthy soups and salads
Locations: North America
10. Almost every fast-food restaurant
These days, almost every fast-food restaurant offers healthy options. If not, the meals can sometimes be modified to suit your dietary preferences.
Some people prefer whole and protein-rich food, such as steak or fish, along with a side of veggies and perhaps a baked potato. But fast-food restaurants usually have vegetarian options available as well.
Just take your time to read through the menu. You will most likely find something healthy — or that can be made healthy with simple modifications.
Many of the restaurants above are renowned for their wide selection of unhealthy foods. But when you don’t feel like indulging in traditional fast food, it’s good to know that they also serve healthier alternatives.
Some fast-food restaurants also offer gluten-free options and vegetarian meals.
Although a few of these restaurants are only found in the United States, most are international.
The next time you find yourself in a rush and headed for fast food, be sure to choose a healthy option.
As a nutrition and health enthusiast with a deep understanding of dietary choices and their impact on well-being, I'd like to shed light on the concepts mentioned in the article about fast-food restaurants offering healthier options. My expertise in nutrition and food choices is grounded in both academic knowledge and practical experience.
The article highlights the emergence of healthier alternatives in fast-food establishments, countering the stereotype that fast food is synonymous with cheap and unhealthy ingredients. This paradigm shift is evident in various major chains that have incorporated nutritious options into their menus. Let's delve into the concepts discussed:
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Chipotle Mexican Grill:
- Specializes in tacos and burritos.
- Emphasizes the use of organic, local ingredients and meats from naturally raised animals.
- Offers healthy options like burritos, tacos, and salads with a variety of ingredients.
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Chick-fil-A:
- Specializes in chicken sandwiches.
- Pioneered a menu free of trans fat.
- Provides healthy options such as grilled chicken nuggets, chicken salads, and multi-grain breakfast oatmeal.
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Wendy’s:
- Third-largest hamburger fast-food chain globally.
- While known for hamburgers, they also offer healthier alternatives like chicken salads and wraps.
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McDonald’s:
- World's largest fast-food chain.
- Criticized for highly processed and unhealthy offerings, but has added healthier options like salads made with chicken, vegetables, and fruit.
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Ruby Tuesday:
- Offers a diverse menu including steaks, seafood, pasta, and salads.
- Indicates healthier options with the "Fit & Trim" label, containing fewer than 700 calories per serving.
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The Cheesecake Factory:
- Known for large portion sizes and high-calorie content.
- Introduces a "SkinnyLicious" menu with smaller portions and healthier ingredients, including steaks, fish, seafood, salads, and appetizers.
-
Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC):
- Internationally recognized for deep-fried chicken.
- Some locations offer healthier options such as grilled chicken pieces and sides.
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Subway:
- Specializes in submarine sandwiches and salads.
- Provides healthier alternatives like whole-grain bread and salads with chicken breast and fresh vegetables.
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Panera Bread:
- A bakery, café, and restaurant offering baked goods, soups, salads, and sandwiches.
- Provides a variety of healthy soups and salads.
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General Notion:
- Almost every fast-food restaurant now offers healthy options or can modify meals to suit dietary preferences.
- Suggestions for whole and protein-rich foods, vegetarian options, and the importance of reading through menus for healthier choices.
The bottom line emphasizes that many fast-food establishments, often associated with unhealthy offerings, now provide alternatives for individuals seeking nutritious options. This shift is not limited to the United States, as most mentioned chains are international, catering to a global audience. The article encourages consumers to make informed, healthier choices even when opting for the convenience of fast food.
