Harrisandbaker.com – 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
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
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.