I read an interested article yesterday at health.com. The authors listed 10 of what they considered to be the “healthiest” fast food restaurants in America. And much to my surprise McDonald’s actually made the cut and Subway wasn’t even listed!
Here is the list of the “healthiest” fast food restaurants:
1. Panera Bread
2. Jason’s Deli
3. Au Bon Pain
4. Noodles and Company
5. Corner Bakery Cafe
6. Chipolte
7. Atlanta Bread
8. McDonald’s
9. Einstein Bros. Bagels
10. Taco Del Mar
The irony of this list is that I personally have been trying to all but eliminate fast food from my life. I really did eat it like it was going to be gone tomorrow. And I am convinced that the stuff I was eating was filled with all kinds of addictive crap. Not to mention I never felt good after eating it. My body felt sluggish and tired.
With that said, I think that most fast food straight off the menu is extremely unhealthy (except for maybe the salads without dressing).
With modification, it could be okay. But it takes modification to make it that way. For instance, I used to LOVE the Premium Grilled Chicken Club sandwich from McDonald’s. To make it “healthier” I would have to remove the bacon, cheese and mayo. And so basically that still puts me at 350 calories for one sandwich. Technically speaking the sandwich would no longer be a *club* sandwich and at that point I might as well order the Premium Grilled Classic Chicken Sandwich minus the mayo.
So at this point I am saying that in my humble opinion, I do not think that there is such a thing as a “healthy” fast food restaurant. At least, not right off the menu without modification.
What do you guys think? Is there such a thing as a healthy fast food restaurant? Does the fast-food label always have to equal unhealthy?
Give me a Harvey’s chicken breast on a wholewheat bun, with a little lettuce, onion, pickle, and BBQ sauce – plus a bottle of Dasani, and that’s as close to fast food healthy eating as I ever get. Cheers!
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I think that there is healthy options at fast food places – it just depends on what you’re using as your criteria for “healthy.” Is is calories? Is it fat grams? Is it carbs?
If it’s food that actually has nutritional value, there are several on your list that have that. Chipotle, for instance, is pretty good about having higher quality ingredients. Since I follow Weight Watchers and the points system, I can say that it typically is higher in points…but again, that’s because I love guacamole and cheese.
If you’re looking for low point items, Taco Bell has many that are only 3 or 4 points a piece. When I’m trolling fast food places, that’s one of the options I always know I can have. Chick-Fil-A has plenty of options too.
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I’m like your previous commenter – there are healthy options, but I don’t think any of those restaurants could be genuinely called “healthy” as a whole. That’s what makes it so hard to eat out because some of there healthy offerings aren’t nearly as appealling to the palette or the eye as some of their more standard offerings.
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I think there are some reasonable options… but maybe never as good as eating as home. I would also love some frozen entrees that fit my eating plan for the moments of desperation in getting a quick meal cooked. The closest I have come is Kashi because of the whole grains.
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I am with the others in that there is no way to say that these are healthy places to eat- they are by no means the ideal. However, I live in the real world where having to run through a drive through might just have to happen once a month and I appreciate the fast food’s industry *attempt* at making healthy alternatives. For example, today I woke up late so I couldn’t make my lunch, my lunch break got shot so I ran through Wendy’s and grabbed a large chili- it was yummy, filled with protein, cheap, fast, and under 300cals.
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I agree with you there’s no way you’re eating at McDonald’s healthy unless you just eat lettuce. LOL
I am surprised that Subway didn’t make it. I wonder if this study was funded by those that paid the most to make the cut? It wouldn’t surprise me one bit.
I am convinced there is something in McDonald’s fries/oil. Every time I have any of their fries it triggers me to eat and eat and eat…
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While there are healthier choices at fast good restaurants, you really can’t call them healthy. The very nature of fast food usually precludes it from being prepared in any manner that might reduce the health costs. Along with the fact that no chef/fry cook/ whatever will ever prepare things the same way.
You hit the nail on the head here. In order to actually control what you’re eating, the no mayo, no bacon, no butter, no cheese route is usually the only way to go.
That being said, I do maintain a list of meals from fast food restaurants that I can eat in the regular course of the day without throwing myself off track.
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You are absolutely correct! No such thing as a healthy fast food restaurant! Their mission is to addict you to their food, and therefore they cannot be trusted!
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