Healthy Fast Food Hacks: Easy Tips to Eat Smart and Stay Fit on the Go!

It can be tough to stick to a healthy diet when you're regularly eating at fast food restaurants. Fast food is often packed with calories, sodium, and unhealthy fats, sometimes containing an entire day's worth in just one meal. However, that doesn't mean you have to avoid fast food altogether. When you're hungry and in a rush, it can be a convenient and affordable option. While indulging in cravings occasionally is fine, there are healthier choices you can make.

Understanding the Challenge

Fast food menus can be tricky when you're watching your weight or health. Finding a well-balanced, healthy meal at most fast food restaurants can be challenging. The average adult consumes 836 calories per fast food meal and underestimates their intake by about 175 calories. Therefore, awareness and planning are key.

Aim for Calorie Control

Try to keep your entire meal to no more than a third of your recommended daily caloric intake, which for most people, is between 450 to 850 calories.

Smart Strategies for Healthier Fast Food

Here are some strategies to help you make better choices when eating fast food:

Plan Ahead

Check nutritional guides and menus online before you go. Having an idea of what you’re going to order can prevent impulse decisions based on cravings. If you know you'll want a burger or another meal off your typical plan, plan the rest of your day around that. Increase your intake of vegetables, fruit, lean protein, and water leading up to that meal.

Choose Nutrient-Dense Foods

Opt for foods lower in fat and higher in protein and fiber. Look for meals that contain fiber, whole grains, and high-quality protein, and that are relatively low in saturated fats. Bring your own add-on items for a nutrient boost, as it can be tough to get enough fiber, vitamins, and minerals from fast food alone.

Watch Your Sodium Intake

High sodium intake can contribute to cardiovascular disease. The American Heart Association recommends adults stay under 1500 mg of sodium per day and never exceed 2,300 mg. Plan ahead and eat low sodium in the meals leading up to and following your fast food meal.

Keep Portions Reasonable

Avoid supersized and value-sized items. Choose the smallest size available for sandwiches, burgers, and sides. Many fast food meals provide enough food for multiple servings in what seems like a single portion. Resist the urge to supersize and pick the smaller or medium burger size.

Focus on Lean Meats

Choose grilled or roasted lean meats like turkey, chicken breast, lean ham, or lean roast beef. Limit fried and breaded items like crispy chicken sandwiches and breaded fish filets.

Be Mindful of Descriptions

Pay attention to menu descriptions. Items labeled deep-fried, pan-fried, basted, batter-dipped, breaded, crispy, scalloped, or au gratin are usually higher in calories, unhealthy fats, and sodium.

Read also: Mobile Dining Revolution

Don’t Be Afraid to Special Order

Many menu items can be made healthier with tweaks and substitutions. Ask to hold the sauce or dressing, or have it served on the side. Request a wheat bun for your hamburger or whole-grain bread for your sandwich.

Be Aware of "Healthy" Dishes

Don’t assume that healthy-sounding dishes are always your best option. Some fast food salads have dressings and fried toppings that make them higher in calories and saturated fat than burger alternatives.

Control Condiments and Dressings

Be mindful of calorie- and fat-packed salad dressings, spreads, sauces, and sides like cheese and sour cream. Mayonnaise- and oil-based sauces can add a lot of calories.

Choose Zero- or Low-Calorie Beverages

Soda can be a significant source of hidden calories. The average large soda packs around 300 calories, mainly from added sugar. Avoid lemonade and fruit-from-concentrate drinks, which add calories and sugar without providing many nutrients. Opt for water, diet soda, unsweetened iced tea, or sparkling water. Diet soda in moderation is a great option to reduce sugar, so long as artificial sweeteners do not give you headaches or stomach aches.

Select Sides Wisely

Watch out for menu items that come with high-calorie sides like fries, chips, rice, noodles, onion rings, coleslaw, macaroni and cheese, biscuits, and mashed potatoes with gravy. Look for more nutrient-dense alternatives to French fries to avoid that post-meal sluggish feeling. Choose healthier sides like apple or orange slices, a baked potato, a fruit and yogurt parfait, beans, chili, steamed rice, or baked potato chips.

Skip High-Fat Toppings

Avoid bacon bits, cheese, croutons, and crispy noodles. It’s tempting to add bacon to sandwiches and salads for extra flavor, but bacon has very few nutrients and is high in saturated fat and calories.

Restaurant-Specific Strategies

Burger Restaurants

Stick to a single patty: Rather than double or triple burgers.
Hold the mayonnaise: Eliminating mayonnaise can save around 100 calories.
Go easy on special sauces: Ask for the sauce on the side to control the amount you use.
Say no to bacon, cheese, and onion rings: These are calorie-laden toppings.
Skip the fries or go small: Choose alternative sides.
Check out the kid’s menu: These portions are smaller and often healthier.
Lettuce bun hack: Kaliga recommends the lettuce bun hack for any burger you order at McDonald’s. “Ordering a burger without the bun and adding extra lettuce and tomato lowers carbs while increasing nutrients - and instantly slashes around 100 calories off your meal,” she said.

Chicken Restaurants

Choose baked, broiled, or grilled chicken: Over fried or breaded chicken. Avoid crispy or fried when possible. Grilled, steams, or broiled entrees are often lower in fat but still flavorful.
Monitor sauces: Be careful with honey mustard and barbecue sauce.
Consider your sides: Avoid the crispy chicken sandwich, which may be flavorful, but is fried and fatty. A healthier choice is a grilled chicken sandwich.

Mexican Restaurants

Limit rice and beans: Especially in burritos.
Skip the sour cream: This can add 100 to 200 calories.
Avoid or limit the chips: Be mindful of the toppings added and how much of the shell you eat if consuming taco salads.
Look for Baja-style fish dishes: These are often lighter.
Try soft tortillas: Lower in fat and calories than crispy shells.
Hold the cheese: Reduce calories by skipping the cheese.
Load up on fajita veggies: Increase your nutrient intake.
Chipotle: Kaliga recommends the lettuce bun hack for any burger you order at McDonald’s.

Sandwich Shops

Opt for smaller-sized subs: Control your portion size.
Limit mayonnaise and condiments: Reduce excess calories.
Customize your meal: Do not hesitate to ask for substitutions. Ask for no bun or bread, less condiments, or to add veggies when possible. If you are at Cava or Chipotle, as for extra veggies and salsas. Load up on beans and lentils to boost the fiber content of your bowl.
Subway: In recent years, the chain has been offering chopped salads that can be customized with the protein and vegetables of your choice.Some satisfying options include:The Philly (steak and cheese): 13 g of total carbs, 4 g of which are fiber, and 24 g of proteinTitan Turkey: 11 g of total carbs, 4 g of which are fiber, and 25 g of proteinElite Chicken and Bacon Ranch: 14 g of total carbs, 5 g of which are fiber, and 30 g of proteinThe salads all include peppers, tomatoes, onions, olives, and cucumbers. Consider adding avocados, which are rich in heart-healthy monounsaturated fat and fiber. Eating them at lunch may even lead to lower calorie intake at your next meal.

Pizza Restaurants

Order thin crust: Instead of regular crust, and avoid deep-dish or pan pizza.
Order light cheese: Or substitute lower-calorie ricotta cheese for mozzarella.
Load up on veggie toppings: Increase your nutrient intake.
Limit high-fat meat toppings: Such as pepperoni, bacon, and sausage.
Avoid pasta: Pasta tends to be less healthy than pizza at fast food joints.
Skip the sides: Say no to garlic knots, mozzarella sticks, and cheesy bread to cut out calories, excess carbs, and unhealthy fats.
Domino's: The thin crust option from Domino's is lighter than the hand-tossed, but crispy enough to hold up to all the delicious toppings. This veggie-centric pie is ideal, but if you want to add a bit of protein, opt for chicken. And don't forget the veggie side-what goes better together than salad and pizza?!

Asian Restaurants

Go easy on the rice: Rice packs on carbs and calories. Pass on fried rice, which is high in fat, calories, and sodium.
Limit the noodles: Fried noodles add a lot of calories, carbs, sodium, and unhealthy fat.
Limit or avoid sauce-heavy dishes: Such as orange chicken and Beijing beef. Avoid anything with General Tso’s, Kung Pao, BBQ, or Sweet and Sour in the name.
Use chopsticks: Eating more slowly can help you consume less food.

Breakfast Options

Limit sausage, bacon, and steak: These meats are high in saturated fat.
Be mindful of baked goods: Many are high in sodium and calories.
Focus on fiber: High fiber choices include bran muffins, oatmeal, and granola.
Go easy on the cheese and breakfast sauces: Reduce excess calories.
Say no to the breakfast burrito: Or opt for a smaller portion.
Choose toast or English muffins over biscuits: Reduce fat and calories.
Chick-fil-a: If you're trying to up your protein intake and struggling with breakfast, Chick-fil-a has a fix in the form of this protein-packed breakfast sandwich (27 g!) that features grilled chicken and fluffy egg whites with a slice of melted American cheese on a toasted English muffin.

Low Carb Fast Food Options

For those following a low-carb diet, here are some fast food options:

Submarine Sandwiches

Order your sub in a bowl rather than on a bun. Request that it be prepared as a salad with olive oil and vinegar for the dressing.

Fried Chicken

Grilled chicken is a lower carb option. As for side dishes, green beans and coleslaw are low carb choices.

Coffee and Tea

Coffee and tea are carb-free beverages. Some coffee houses also offer soy or almond milk. Unsweetened versions of these milk substitutes provide minimal carbs.

Chipotle

A salad with meat or chicken, grilled vegetables, fresh tomato salsa, and guacamole is a good option.

Bunless Burgers

A bunless burger wrapped in lettuce is a standard low carb, fast food meal. Customize your burger with cheese, bacon, mustard, mayo, onions, tomato, and guacamole.

Buffalo Wings

Order your wings with no breading or batter.

Bacon or Sausage and Eggs

This traditional breakfast combination is available at most fast food restaurants and contains a minimal amount of carbs.

Arby’s Sandwiches

Any of these can be ordered without the bread for a tasty low carb, high protein meal.

Antipasto Salad

This salad is traditionally served as an appetizer, consisting of assorted meats, cheese, olives, and vegetables topped with an olive-oil-based dressing. However, it can be ordered in a larger portion as an entrée.

Subway Salads

Chain has been offering chopped salads that can be customized with the protein and vegetables of your choice.

Burrito Bowl

A burrito bowl from Qdoba made with ground beef, guacamole, lettuce, fajita vegetables, and fresh salsa is a delicious and satisfying meal that provides just 13 g of carbs.

McDonald’s Egg McMuffin and Sausage McMuffin

Each sandwich contains around 30 g of carbs.

Popeyes: Blackened Chicken Tenders

This is a high-protein option, and blackening seasoning provides bold taste without frying or extra sauces that may hide excess sugar or sodium.

Other Healthy Fast Food Choices

Sweetgreen: Hummus CrunchDouble up on your plant-based protein with this Sweetgreen salad bowl, featuring a bite of regular chickpeas plus creamy hummus. There's also no shortage of fiber- and vitamin-filled veggies, as this salad is also loaded with juicy tomatoes and cucumbers, crispy lettuce and purple cabbage. Wait until you try the flavorful toasty breadcrumbs that add a satisfying crunch.
Krispy Kreme: Original Glaze DonutWhile we wouldn't recommend a daily donut as the key to good health, one here and there isn't the end of the world. If you're going to give in to your craving, make it a classic glazed from Krispy Kreme - enjoy it mindfully, zeroing in on the sweet taste, fluffy texture and anything else about the sweet-treat experience. Then spend the rest of your day focusing on more nourishing meals that contain plenty of fiber-filled veggies and lean protein.
El Pollo Loco: Double Chicken Avocado SaladEl Pollo Loco is a chain known for its fire-grilled chicken, and this salad boasts plenty of that and more. It’s filled with zesty salsa, crisp corn, yummy cheese and creamy avocado. It's so flavor-packed that you can even ask them to skip the ranch dressing or order it on the side because you'll only need a teensy drizzle!
Taco John's: Bean BurritoThe generous amount of fiber and plant-based protein in this warm, tasty burrito from Taco John's provides makes it a nutritional winner.
Wendy’s: ChiliNot only is this tasty dish delicious, its super-healthy ingredients include ground beef, kidney beans, tomatoes, mushroom, green peppers, onion and celery. How can you go wrong for a quick, hunger-busting lunch?
Roy Rogers: Fruit CupIf all you're in need of is a snacky pick-me-up and Roy Rogers is all that's nearby, skip the nourishment-free fries and re-energize with this fruit medley that's packed with vitamins, as well as electrolytes to support optimal hydration.
IHOP: Original Buttermilk PancakesWe're big believers in moderation, so if you're in the mood for pancakes and don't want to make your own, go ahead and enjoy a short stack of IHOP's most classic pancakes. Skip the butter to save on saturated fat, and go easy on the syrup. Better yet: Share the short stack with someone and order a side of eggs and fruit to balance everything out.
Checkers: All American CheeseburgerThe humble cheeseburger is your best bet when stopping by Checkers for a bite. It's one of the few non-fried options, and it'll still get you a decent amount of protein. Ask them if they can pile on extra veggies like onions, lettuce, and tomatoes for some extra nutrition.
Shake Shack: HamburgerA humble hamburger from Shake Shack is delicious (load it up with veggie toppings and spreads!), and it'll cost you fewer calories and has less overall fat and sodium than its fancier counterparts. Knock off a few more calories by getting it wrapped in just lettuce. If you're a plant-based eater, go for the 'Shroom burger.
White Castle: Original SliderYou don't have to feel bad about enjoying a couple Original Sliders from White Castle - it scores better on the "healthy" scale than even the chicken or fish sliders. But here's a surprise: if you're looking for a vegetarian option, go with the Veggie Slider over the Impossible Slider to consume less overall calories and fat.
Burger King: CheeseburgerSure, Burger King offers plenty of other options, but it just seems so fitting to order this chain's namesake. The single cheeseburger comes in at fewer calories and overall fat than even the chicken and plant-based items, and you can pad it with extra veggies and pickles.
Quiznos: Spicy Monterey SubIf you're heading to Quiznos, definitely get yourself a sub-the fan-fave Spicy Monterey, to be specific. The 4" sandwich is piled with oven roasted turkey breast, smoked ham, melted provolone, pickles, LTO, mayo and chili sauce (don't be afraid to ask for extra veggies, and you can also ask for 1/2 the usual amount of meat if you're just in the mood for a taste). Not big on heat? Nix the chili sauce.
Qdoba: Paleo Chicken SaladGood news: Guac isn't extra, it's included! This salad from Qdoba is bursting with taste via good stuff like grilled veggies and chicken, pico de gallo and salsa verde, and of course, that guac! It also has less sodium, saturated fat, and carbs, plus more fiber than other options.
Arbys: Roast Beef GyroThis order definitely "has the meat," but it also delivers plenty of veggie goodness, big Greek-inspired flavor, and is served in a warm pita.
Au Bon Pain: Mediterranean SaladGet your strive-for-five servings of veggies at Au Bon Pain with this vegetarian salad. It's full of greens, peppers, kalamata olives, feta, chickpeas and other veggies to give your body the nutrition it needs.

Fast Food for First Responders

Fast food is often a necessary evil for first responders. Here are some smart eating strategies:

Plan ahead: check out the restaurant before you go.
Keep portions reasonable: resist the urge to supersize and pick the smaller or medium burger size.
Choose healthier sides and dips: load up on healthier sides. Opt for low-fat dressings, balsamic vinaigrette, or oil and vinegar.
Go bun-less: ask for an open-faced or take off half the bun on burgers or sandwiches.
Have a salad: as a full meal with grilled chicken or shrimp or as a side. Avoid excess calories by throwing away the croutons, crunchy noodles, cheese, croutons, and full fat dressing.
Ask for grilled, steamed, or broiled entrees: avoid crispy or fried when possible.
Customize your meal: do not hesitate to ask for substitutions.

The Importance of Protein and Fiber

Kaliga notes that protein helps maintain muscle mass and keeps folks feeling fuller for longer. The Recommended Dietary Allowance is 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight - or 0.36 grams per pound. Recent research found that adequate protein and fiber intake directly affects total sleep time and quality.

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