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5 Fast Food Lunches that Won't Make You Fat

If you're on the road, at an airport, or just in a rush, you probably feel there is no choice but to stop at a fast food joint. But even if you attempt to order healthy by picking seemingly low-calorie foods, like a chicken sandwich over a hamburger, you may end up eating as many if not more calories and fat than the "bad" food.

In Eat This Not That, his popular how-to-eat-out guide, Dave Zinczenko, the editor-in-chief of Men's Health magazine, analyzed the options and gave an A- rating to--Au Bon Pain, Chick-fil-a, Jamba Juice, and Subway--because, he said, they have the most low-calorie options available (as long as you avoid mayo, high calorie dressings and sweetened drinks).

If those spots aren't available? Here are five, under-500 calorie meals from the most ubiquitous fast food chains (the restaurant links go straight to their nutritional information web page for the full low-down):

Wendy's: Ultimate Chicken Grill Sandwich with a Mandarin Orange Cup and a Medium Iced Tea. 480 calories, 7 g fat (1.5 g saturated), 980 mg sodium. Sadly, my favorite spicy chicken sandwich is on their do-not-eat list, boasting an extra 9.5 grams of fat.

Subway's 6-inch Double Roast Beef Sub with Veggie Delite Salad with Fat-Free Italian Dressing and Medium Iced Tea. 455 calories, 8 g fat (3.5 g saturated fat), 2,100 mg sodium. A much healthier choice than their mayo-drenched tuna.

McDonald's Premium Grilled Chicken Classic Sandwich with a Side Salad with Newman's Own Low Fat Balsamic Vinaigrette, and a Medium Iced Tea. 480 calories, 13 g fat (2 g saturated fat), 1,945 mg sodium. This has the same amount of calories as the quarter pounder, but has no unhealthy trans fats.

Cosi's Bombay Chicken Salad with a tall cafe blend coffee. 481 calories, 17 g fat,1,094 mg sodium. Skip the free bread.

Pizza Hut's Two Slices Thin 'N Crispy Pizza (12") with Quartered Ham & Pineapple, and Medium Diet Coke. 360 calories, 12 g fat (5 g saturated fat), 1,110 mg sodium. Definitely stick with the thin crust.

Do you have any favorites to add to the list? Let me know your favorite low-cal, low-fat fast food lunches and I'll double-check the calorie/fat content.

Related:

Laurie Tarkan is an award-winning health journalist who writes for the New York Times, national magazines and websites including Health, Prevention, iVillage and the Huffington Post. Follow her on twitter.
Photo courtesy flickr user Bob B. Brown
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