It's a common belief that fast food and weight loss don't mix. The perception of fast food is often associated with high calories, unhealthy fats, excessive sodium, and added sugars. While it's ideal to avoid fast food when prioritizing weight loss, real-life situations sometimes make it difficult. The key is to make informed choices rather than completely avoiding fast food altogether. You may try to avoid ordering fast food completely when you first start working on your weight loss goals. But when you’re in it for the long-term, you’ll likely find yourself in situations where it’s hard to avoid the drive-thru window. Instead of beating yourself up or completely derailing your health goals, take a fresh look at some of your favorite fast food menu items.
Understanding the Nutritional Landscape of Fast Food
To make healthier choices, it's essential to understand the nutritional components that can impact weight loss. We reviewed 60 menu items from a variety of restaurants and ranked each one based on five health categories so you can find the choices that best support your nutritional needs.
- Calories: Lowering calorie intake can help boost your metabolic health to lose weight. Even if you don’t count calories, it’s important to be mindful of them, especially when amounts vary so greatly on the fast food menu. Most importantly, to lose weight while eating fast food, you have to maintain a calorie deficit-burning more calories than you’re taking in.
- Protein: Research shows that consuming higher levels of protein in your diet can contribute to more successful weight loss. Aim for at least 20-30 grams of protein per meal.
- Trans Fat and Saturated Fat: Both types of fat are associated with weight gain. Limiting these fats and swapping out for unsaturated fat can help support a healthier weight.
- Net Carbs: We subtracted the amount of fiber from the amount of carbohydrates to come up with the net carb total for each menu item. Look for options high in fiber: Aim for at least 3 grams of fiber per meal.
Keep in mind that one meal cannot make or break your diet. In fact, it’s important that you view your health as an accumulation of choices over time, rather than one specific meal.
Top Fast Food Choices for Weight Loss
Grilled chicken items dominate the top of the list for losing weight, largely due to high protein content and minimal levels of fat, net carbs, and sugar. Here is the full list of low-calorie fast food menu items. Our healthiest picks rank at the top, while the least health options for losing weight move towards the bottom. The following list showcases some of the better options available when you find yourself at a fast-food restaurant:
- Blackened Tenders, 3-piece (Popeye’s)
- Grilled Nuggets, 8-count (Chick-fil-A)
- Kentucky Grilled Chicken® Thigh (KFC)
- Chick-fil-A® Nuggets, 8-count (Chick-fil-A)
- Kentucky Grilled Chicken® Drumstick (KFC)
- Crispy Tenders, 3-piece (Sonic Drive-In)
- Kentucky Grilled Chicken® Whole Wing (KFC)
- Chick-fil-A Chick-n-Strips®, 3-count (Chick-fil-A)
- Chicken Nuggets, 6-piece (McDonald’s)
- Crispy Chicken Nuggets, 6-piece (Wendy’s)
- Black Pepper Sirloin Steak with Super Greens (Panda Express)
- Chicken Nuggets, 4-piece (Jack in the Box)
- Soft Taco with Chicken (Taco Bell)
- Wok-Fired Shrimp with Super Greens (Panda Express)
- Chicken Tenders, 3-piece (Arby’s)
- Broccoli Beef with Super Greens (Panda Express)
- Double Pepperoni Tavern Style Pizza, Medium, 1 slice (Pizza Hut)
- Crispy Tacos with Steak and Salsa (Chipotle), Crunchy Taco (Taco Bell), Nacho Cheese Doritos® Locos Taco (Taco Bell), and Wholesome Bowl (Chipotle) - TIED
- Spicy Chicken Sausage Tavern Style Pizza, Medium, 1 slice (Pizza Hut)
- Burrito Bowl with Sofritas, Pinto Beans, and Salsa (Chipotle) and Chicken Fajita Pita (Jack in the Box) - TIED
- Pesto Margherita Tavern Style Pizza, Medium, 1 slice (Pizza Hut)
- Cheese Hand Tossed Pizza, Medium, 1 slice (Domino’s)
- Original Crust Cheese Pizza, Medium, 1 slice (Papa John’s)
- Plant-Based Nuggets, 6-piece (Burger King)
- Tuna Salad Sandwich, Half (Panera Bread)
- Jalapeno Chicken Pocket (Starbucks)
- Wake-Up Wrap® with Bacon (Dunkin’)
- Oven-roasted Turkey Sub (Subway) and Sweet Quarter Pound Pulled Pork Sandwich (Arby’s)
- Oven-roasted Turkey and Ham (Subway)
- Fresh Spinach & Tomato Alfredo Pizza, Medium, 1 slice (Papa John’s), Pacific Veggie Hand Tossed Pizza, Medium, 1 slice (Dominos’), Spinach & Feta Hand Tossed Pizza, Medium, 1 slice (Domino’s), and Veggie Delite® Sub (Subway) - TIED
- Bacon Ranch Queso Wrap (Sonic Drive-In)
- Hamburger (McDonald’s) and Spicy Falafel Pocket (Starbucks)
- Mediterranean Veggie Sandwich, half (Panera Bread
- Garden Fresh Pizza, Medium, 1 slice (Papa John’s)
- Chicken Fries, 6-piece (Burger King)
- Cranberry Walnut Chicken Salad Sandwich, half (Panera Bread)
- Tomato & Mozzarella on Focaccia (Starbucks)
- Corn Dog (Sonic Drive-In)
- Egg & Cheese English Muffin (Dunkin’)
- Bacon, Egg and Cheese English Muffin (Dunkin’)
- Chicken Tenders, 3-piece (Popeye’s)
- Jr. Hamburger (Wendy’s)
- Jr. Cheeseburger (Wendy’s)
- Classic Roast Beef Sandwich (Arby’s)
- Cheeseburger (McDonald’s) and Hamburger (Burger King) - TIED
- Popcorn Shrimp (Popeye’s)
- Hamburger (Dairy Queen)
- Hamburger (Jack in the Box)
- Hot Dog (Dairy Queen)
Chick-fil-A and KFC rank highest for being weight-loss-friendly, with each restaurant having three items in the top 10.
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Restaurant specific options
- Chick-fil-A: Karolin Saweres,MS, RDN, LD loves Chick-fil-A for a healthy fast-food option for weight loss. “I love the Grilled Chicken Sandwich from Chick-fil-A, which contains only 390 calories. Chick-fil-A’s Cool Wrap boasts a balanced option on the go, and Caroline loves to recommend this option to clients who are working towards weight loss or making blood sugar-friendly choices when eating out. With only 32 grams of total carbohydrates, of which 14 grams come from fiber, this wrap is bound to keep you full and satisfied for hours to come.
- Chipotle: Hands down, the Chicken Burrito Bowl at Chipotle is a great fast-food meal for weight loss, says Sarah Pflugradt, MS, RDN, CSCS. “With chicken, brown rice, beans, lettuce, extra salsa, and corn, you can’t beat the protein and fiber.
- McDonald’s: The McDonald’s Egg McMuffin is a classic that you can still enjoy when you have a weight loss goal.
- Panera Bread: Panera has a ton of sandwich options, some much healthier than others, but their Tuna Salad Sandwich is a clear winner every time.
- Sweetgreen: Sheri Berger, RDN, CDCES loves to pop into Sweetgreen for a balanced meal on the fly. “You can choose pretty much anything from Sweetgreen and get a satisfying meal that is overflowing with veggies, packed with lean protein, balanced with a whole grain, and topped with a tasty sauce.
- Taco Bell: Taco Bell actually has some of the healthier fast-food menu options if you know what to order! Take their Cantina Chicken Bowl, for example. It has 25 grams of protein and 11 grams of fiber, and finding this much fiber in a fast-food meal is quite challenging. Not only that, but it has under 500 calories and only 3 grams of sugar.
- Arby’s: With 360 total calories, Arby’s knows how to pack a ton of flavor into a balanced meal with their Classic Roast Beef Sandwich, which delivers a leaner protein option.
- CAVA: “The Grains and Green Bowl at CAVA is packed full of nutrition! I recommend choosing the RightRice in your bowl, which is a plant-based rice made with lentils, chickpeas, peas, and rice. Then, add on a variety of greens and lean protein, as well as healthy fats from avocado and olives.
- Starbucks: For a healthy breakfast option, head to Starbucks to get their Spinach, Feta & Egg White Wrap.
- In-N-Out: In-N-Out has its famous “Not So Secret Menu,” which features variations on its classic burgers, such as Double Meat, Animal Style, and our favorite healthier option, the Protein Style Burger.
- Subway: Subway makes it easy to customize a low-calorie, fast-food option on the go.
- Wendy’s: Wendy’s has some of the most calorie-dense items on their menu, like the Pretzel Baconator at 1,050 calories or the Big Bacon Classic Triple at 1,220 calories!
Foods to Approach with Caution
Burgers are among the worst food choices when trying to lose weight. Seven of the bottom 10 menu items are burgers. Pizza tends to have the lowest level of protein for those trying to increase their daily intake.
General Guidelines for Healthier Fast Food Consumption
When you’re pulling up to the drive-thru, keep in mind a few guidelines that can help you stay on track with your weight goals.
- Choose grilled options over fried: Grilled foods tend to have lower levels of calories, fat, and even carbs since there’s no breading. Plus, fried foods can be inflammatory so you may notice that you feel a lot better when you order grilled chicken. Choose a lean protein: Opt for lean protein sources like chicken, turkey, or fish, which are lower in calories and saturated fat than red meat.
- Skip the combo meal: Adding fries and a soda to your order can quickly double or even triple your calorie consumption. While you definitely want to eat the right amount of calories for you, it’s better to have them come from high-protein or high-fiber sources.
- Watch the extras: It’s easy for your order to end up with more calories than you expected thanks to hidden add-ons. Extras like cheese, mayonnaise, and dipping sauces can alter the final nutritional value of your meal, so be mindful of what’s actually in your bag. Ask for condiments and sauces on the side. Condiments and sauces can be very calorie-dense due to high levels of fats from vegetable oils.
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