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.
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