Diet Supplement Blog

Generally speaking, the local burgie is the last place one should eat when trying to lose weight.

But fast food restaurants, beseiged with negative publicity and even cities that are banning the fat, are starting to slim down their menus.

Here’s a list identified today in a SparkPeople blog post of healthier offerings at some of the top fast food joints.  The research was done by Liza Barnes, a Health Educator in the article “The 22 Healthiest Fast Foods: What to Order at America’s Top 10 Fast Food Joints”:

McDonald’s

• Premium Grilled Chicken Classic Sandwich:
  370 calories, 4.5g fat, 1g sat. fat, 65mg cholesterol, 1,110mg sodium, 50g carbs, 3g fiber, 32g protein
• Premium Asian Salad with Grilled Chicken:
  300 calories, 10g fat, 1g sat. fat, 65mg cholesterol, 890mg sodium, 23g carbs, 5g fiber, 32g protein
• Fruit and Yogurt Parfait: (This is my personal pick at McDonald’s)
  160 calories, 2g fat, 1g sat. fat, 5mg cholesterol, 85mg sodium, 31g carbs, 1g fiber, 4g protein

Wendy’s

• Mandarin Chicken Salad:
  540 calories, 25g fat, 3g sat. fat, 65mg cholesterol, 1,260mg sodium, 50g carbs, 5g fiber, 31g protein
• Ultimate Chicken Grill:
  320 calories, 7g fat, 1.5g sat. fat, 70mg cholesterol, 950mg sodium, 36g carbs, 2g fiber, 28g protein

Burger King

• Tendergrill Chicken Garden Salad: 300 calories, 16g fat, 2.5g sat. fat, 70mg cholesterol, 1,050mg sodium, 13g carbs, 5g fiber, 33g protein
• BK Veggie Burger:
  340 calories, 8g fat, 1g sat. fat, 0mg cholesterol, 1,030mg sodium, 46g carbs, 7g fiber, 23g protein

Taco Bell

• Fresco Style Ranchero Chicken Soft Taco:
  170 calories, 4g fat, 1.5g sat. fat, 25mg cholesterol, 730mg sodium, 21g carbs, 3g fiber, 12g protein
• Fresco Crunchy Taco:
  150 calories, 8g fat, 2.5g sat. fat, 20mg cholesterol, 370mg sodium, 13g carbs, 3g fiber, 7g protein.

Subway

• 6″ Oven-Roasted Chicken Breast:
  310 calories, 5g fat, 25mg cholesterol, 830mg sodium, 5g fiber
• 6″ Veggie Delite:
  230 calories, 3g fat, 0mg cholesterol, 500mg sodium, 5g fiber
• Soups: Barnes thinks that a number of these are great choices.

Arby’s

• Martha’s Vineyard Salad:
  466 calories, 23g fat, 6g sat. fat, 61mg cholesterol, 996mg sodium, 43g carbs, 4g fiber, 22g protein

KFC

• Honey BBQ Sandwich:
  280 calories, 3.5g fat, 1g sat. fat, 60mg cholesterol, 780mg sodium, 40g carbs, 3g fiber, 22g protein
• Tender Roast Sandwich:
  300 calories, 4.5g fat, 1.5g sat. fat, 70mg cholesterol, 1,060mg sodium, 28g carbs, 2g fiber, 37g protein
• Roasted Caesar Salad:
  250 calories, 8g fat, 4.5g sat. fat, 70mg cholesterol, 1,240 mg sodium, 14g carbs, 3g fiber, 31g protein

Chick-fil-A

• Chargrilled Chicken Sandwich:
  270 calories, 3g fat, 1g sat. fat, 50mg cholesterol, 1,260mg sodium, 37g carbs, 4g fiber, 28g protein
• Chargrilled and Fruit Salad:
  290 calories, 8g fat, 3.5g sat. fat, 65mg cholesterol, 760mg sodium, 32g carbs, 5g fiber, 22g protein

Jack in the Box

• Asian Chicken Salad with Grilled Chicken Strips:
  160 calories, 1.5g fat, 0g sat. fat, 65mg cholesterol, 380mg sodium, 18g carbs, 5g fiber, 22g protein
• Chicken Fajita Pita:
  300 calories, 9g fat, 3.5g sat. fat,60mg cholesterol, 1,090mg sodium, 33g carbs, 4g fiber, 23g protein

Carl’s Jr.

• Charbroiled BBQ Chicken Sandwich:
  360 calories, 4.5g fat, 1g sat. fat, 60mg cholesterol, 1,150mg sodium, 48g carbs, 4g fiber, 34g protein
• Charbroiled Chicken Salad:
  295 calories, 8.5g fat, 3.5g sat. fat, 75mg cholesterol, 1,190mg sodium, 21g carbs, 5g fiber, 34g protein

In general, stay away from mayo and other dressings, except for low-fat salad dressings.

If you like the lighter fare, give the manager a thumbs up on the items that are better for you. Express your concern at the fat and calories in some of the standard items.  Vote with your patronage and the choices you make when you get to the local burgie.

Liz Nichols