14 fast food chains Serving Up healthy food

Usually, when people think of fast food, they think of fatty, greasy, processed food that makes you feel horrible after eating it. This might be the case for most fast-food restaurants, but did you know there are healthy options out there?

I’ve compiled a list of the most healthy fast-food restaurants in America that will leave you feeling good about yourself and ready to take on the day.

Chipotle

When people are looking for a healthier option, they might not think that Mexican food would be the best option. This couldn’t be further from the truth! Chipotle is a great way to get a high volume of protein, veggies, and grains all in one meal.

With about 3,500 locations around the world, chances are you have a Chipotle near you! For the healthiest option, opt for a bowl instead of a burrito to avoid high-calorie carbs. Then, for your protein, choose grilled chicken or sofritas (tofu). Next, for rice and beans choose brown rice which has added fiber and nutrients, and black or pinto beans. Lastly, for your veggies, choose the fajita veggies and Fresh Tomato Salsa. Avoid cheese, sour cream, and creamy dressings to keep your meal nice and healthy.

Chick-fil-A

Chick-Fil-A seems to be getting more and more popular by the day and for a good reason! They have healthy options that will leave you feeling full and good about yourself. Some of the best healthy options they have are the Grilled Chicken Nuggets, Grilled Chicken Sandwich, and the Market Salad. These options have lots of protein, veggies, and other nutrients that will leave you feeling full for longer.

With about 3,000 locations in the US, there’s bound to be one near you. So if you’re craving a burger or some other greasy snack, head to Chick-Fil-A instead and get something that’s equally delicious!

Subway

We all know about Jared from the Subway commercials (a terrible person) who lost 245 lbs by eating only Subway for 11 months! The way that he did it was by ordering a six-inch on a healthy bread option (like wheat bread) and not adding mayo or cheese to his sandwich. Then, for dinner, he would get a foot-long with only veggies. That’s it!

This was back in 1999, and now, Subway has lots of other healthy options besides just sandwiches. Some of these things include the Veggie Delight and salad if you are really looking to crack down on calories.

Panera Bread

I’ll admit, Panera has gone downhill in the last few years, but they do have some of the healthiest options when it comes to fast food. Some of their healthiest options are the Chicken Noodle Soup, Mediterranean Veggie Salad, and the Mediterranean Grain Bowl. These all are packed with whole grains, protein, and other nutrients.

With over 2,000 locations in the US, there could be one close to you. As I said, the quality isn’t what it used to be, but it is a healthy option if you are looking for fast food.

Jersey Mike’s

Another famous sandwich place is Jersey Mike’s. Some of the healthiest options here are the Turkey & Provolone sub, a chicken or turkey wrap, and the Garden Salad. With the sandwich options, order it on wheat bread is possible and without mayo or cheese. For the wrap, the turkey wrap has the least amount of calories and fatty additives.

There are about 3,000 locations in the US that will help you choose the healthier option when you’re trying to think of where to eat on a time crunch.

Starbucks

This is another place that people might not consider healthy, but they definitely have healthy options! When it comes to drinks, order a Cold Brew Coffee, Iced Americano, or just a black coffee. You can customize these options and ask them to just add little amounts of almond milk, soy milk, or even coconut milk to bring a little creaminess to your drink.

They also have some healthy food options as well! There’s the Spinach, Feta & Egg White Wrap, the Egg White & Roasted Red Pepper Egg Bites, the Rolled & Steel-Cut Oatmeal with Blueberries, and the Protein Boxes. These are all low-fat, healthy options that pair perfectly with whatever coffee you end up going with.

Jimmy John’s

This is the best sandwich option that we have on the list. They have a thing called the Unwich, which is just a lettuce wrap sandwich. You can get any sandwich Unwich style, which will take out a lot of the carbs. You should also skip the mayo and just add mustard if you are trying to be extra healthy.

Jimmy John’s has locations in 45 of the 50 states and has over 2,600 restaurants. They also have a great delivery service, so you can order it to the office if you are in a pinch!

El Pollo Loco

This is personally my favorite place on the list. El Pollo Loco is a Mexican food restaurant that is famous for its fire-grilled chicken that’s full of flavor and always cooked to perfection. Some of the healthy options that you can get here are a skinless chicken breast, tortilla soup, and a side salad. The combination of these three things will make for the perfect lunch on the go and keep you satisfied until dinner.

There are only about 500 of these restaurants in the entire US and are mainly located on the West Coast (sorry East Coast people). Their salsas here are the best salsas out of all the healthy fast-food restaurants out there and the avocado salsa (the best one) is only 20 calories per serving.

QDOBA

QDOBA is mainly on the East Coast and serves delicious Mexican food. Their salads will be the healthiest option here, followed by their burrito bowls, and lastly, their tacos. I like the Grilled Chicken Bowl with quinoa and black beans when I’m trying to eat healthily.

They have over 700 locations and are continuously growing across the US and have plans to double their growth over the next seven years. Hopefully, this means more locations on the West Coast!

Just Salad

Liars! There’s much more than just salads here! They also have wraps, bowls, and smoothies, which makes this place a no-brainer when it comes to eating healthy. The most caloric thing that they have on the menu is the Honey Crispy Chicken Wrap, which is 660 calories, but all of their salads are under 400 calories and look so tasty!

There are over 80 Just Salad locations all on the East Coast in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Pennsylvania, and Massachusetts. You’ll be sure to love these incredible salads that are the perfect combo of healthy and delicious.

Cafe Rio

Cafe Rio is a place that not many people have heard of. It’s like QDBOA, but a little fresher tasting and has fewer locations. They currently have 260 on mainly the West Coast and Maryland. Some of the healthy options here include a grilled chicken salad with cilantro lime dressing, a vegetarian or chicken burrito, or a vegetarian or chicken bowl.

Their pico de gallo and salsa fresca are the perfect addition to anything you get. If you are really cracking down on calories, then just get salsa instead of dressing on your salad.

Zoës Kitchen

Greek food is some of the best healthy food out there and at Zoës Kitchen, that’s what they’re serving up! Quinoa Salad is the most healthy thing on the menu with only 320 calories. Then there’s the Power Grain Bowl, or you can just get Chicken Kabob with a side of roasted veggies for the ultimate meal health hack!

As of now, there are only 35 locations in 13 states after they were bought out by Cava, which is another Mediterranean restaurant with similar options but has over 300 locations. So, if you don’t have a Zoës Kitchen, check to see if there’s a Cava near you!

sweetgreen

This restaurant is a generally healthy place to eat overall, but if you are counting calories, then you need to be careful. Some of the options here can have up to 1,000+ calories. Your best bet will be to stick to the salad options, with the Hummus Crunch and Super Green Goddess being the lowest in calories at just around 400.

This place is exploding in popularity and currently has around 260 locations, with a goal of having 1,000 locations by 2030. They are located all over the US and chances are that one is coming to a town near you in the future!

Jamba Juice

Last on the list, we have a place that everyone’s heard of, Jamba Juice. It seemed like everyone couldn’t get enough of it in the early 2000s, but since then they’ve kind of fallen off the map, literally. On average, they’ve shut down 17 stores per year for the past 3 years but still have 762 stores left in the US.

Some of the healthiest smoothie options are the Greens ‘n Ginger Smoothie, Mega Mango Smoothie, and the Strawberry Whirl Smoothie, which all have under 400 calories for a size large. The problem with smoothies is that they don’t fill you up for very long and are more of a snack.

What do you think?

Were there any restaurants that I missed on this list? Which is your favorite? Let me know in the comments! Thanks for reading!