Reviewed here: McDonald’s, Burger King, Starbucks, Subway, Dunkin’ Doughnuts, Chipotle, Taco Bell.
We’ve all been there: you are leaving a meeting and driving back to the office in the middle of the afternoon, and your low on energy and realize you haven’t eaten lunch. There’s a McDonald’s on the way home. And a Wendy’s.And a Domino’s.
At first you discard the idea, because you know the health risks involved in eating too much junk food. But, in the end you convince yourself there has to be something “lighter” on the menu that fits into your heath goals. So you go ahead and pull through the drive-thru.
You see a picture of a salad, but you know if won’t fill you up. Right next it, you see a deal on the double cheeseburger menu, and your mouth waters. The salad looks pretty sad next to that juicy double cheeseburger.
You know you probably shouldn’t, go for it, but you feel like you don’t really have a choice if you want to eat at all. Ok. You go ahead and order, but you’ll ask for it without the special sauce you know is loaded with calories.
Yes, few people can say they haven’t been there. While fast food satisfies our hunger in the moment, we usually don’t feel very good about it afterwards.
Can you eat healthy at a fast food restaurant? Are there items you should avoid at all costs? Which one has the healthiest options?
In this article we take a closer look at the menus of some of the most popular fast foods restaurants and highlight some the most dangerous and the healthiest options to give you the tools to decide what to eat.
1. McDonald’s® Nutrition
McDonald’s is the biggest name in the game when it comes to fast food hamburgers. It’s hard to see a yellow “M” without thinking about the double arches. Have you ever taken time to look at the menu before? Below are some of the most popular McDonald’s menu items with some of the main menu items.
Serving Size
Calories
Calories from Fat
Total Fat (g)
Sat. Fat (g)
Trans Fat (g)
Carbs (g)
Dietary Fiber (g)
Sugars (g)
Protein (g)
BUGERS & SANDWICHES
Hamburger
100 g
250
80
9
3,5
0,5
31
2
6
12
Cheeseburger
114 g
300
110
12
6
0,5
33
2
6
15
Double Cheeseburger
165 g
440
210
23
11
1,5
34
2
7
25
McDouble
151 g
390
170
19
8
1
33
2
7
22
Quarter Pounder
169 g
410
170
19
7
1
37
2
8
24
Quarter Pounder with Cheese
198 g
510
230
26
12
1,5
40
3
9
29
Double Quarter Pounder with Cheese
279 g
740
380
42
19
2,5
40
3
9
48
Big Mac
214 g
540
260
29
10
1,5
45
3
9
25
Big N’ Tasty with Cheese
220 g
510
250
28
11
1,5
38
3
8
27
Angus Bacon & Cheese
291 g
790
350
39
17
2
63
4
13
45
Filet-O-Fish
142 g
380
170
18
3,5
0
38
2
5
15
McChicken
143 g
360
150
16
3
0
40
2
5
14
McRib
209 g
500
240
26
10
0
44
3
11
22
Premium Grilled Chicken Classic Sandwich
226 g
420
90
10
2
0
51
3
11
32
Premium Crispy Chicken Classic Sandwich
230 g
530
180
20
3,5
0
59
3
12
28
Mac Snack Wrap
126 g
330
170
19
7
1
26
1
3
15
Serving Size
Calories
Calories from Fat
Total Fat (g)
Sat. Fat (g)
Trans Fat (g)
Carbs (g)
Dietary Fiber (g)
Sugars (g)
Protein (g)
DESSERTS
Fruit ‘n Yogurt Parfait (7 oz)
149 g
160
20
2
1
0
31
1
21
4
Hot Fudge Sundae
179 g
330
90
10
7
0
54
2
48
8
McFlurry with M&M’S Candies (12 fl oz cup)
348 g
620
180
20
12
1
96
1
85
14
BREAKFAST
Egg McMuffin
137 g
300
110
12
5
0
30
2
3
18
Bacon, Egg & Cheese Biscuit
154 g
480
240
27
12
0
43
3
4
15
Sausage Biscuit with Egg
177 g
570
330
37
15
0
42
3
3
18
Sausage, Egg & Cheese McGriddles
201 g
560
290
32
12
0
48
2
15
20
Sausage McGriddles
141 g
420
200
22
8
0
44
2
15
11
Big Breakfast
283 g
800
470
52
18
0
56
4
3
28
Deluxe Breakfast w/o Syrup & Margarine
434 g
1150
540
60
20
0
116
7
17
36
SALADS
Premium Southwest Salad with Grilled Chicken
350 g
320
80
9
3
0
30
6
11
30
Premium Southwest Salad with Crispy Chicken
353 g
430
180
20
4
0
38
6
12
26
Creamy Ranch Sauce
43 g
200
200
22
3,5
0
2
0
1
0
Tangy Honey Mustard Sauce
43 g
70
20
2,5
0
0
13
0
9
1
FRIES AND DRINKS
Large French Fries
154 g
500
220
25
3,5
0
63
6
0
6
Small French Fries
71 g
230
100
11
1,5
0
29
3
0
3
Coca-Cola Classic (Medium)
21 fl oz
210
0
0
0
0
58
0
58
0
Sprite (Medium)
21 fl oz
210
0
0
0
0
56
0
56
0
At first glance, this table can be quite overwhelming. While most of us have a general idea of how to understand calories, the rest of the information could seem like a lot. So, to understand, let’s look at a few items a little more closely in the format we are most familiar with: the nutrition label.
The Double Quarter Pounder With Cheese look like this:
Ok, so this McDonald’s sandwich alone has 740 calories, almost half of the 2000 calories an average person needs. Additionally, you eat almost all of the % daily value of saturated fat (95%), and 60% of the % daily value of sodium. It also has 2.5g of trans fat, which should be eliminated from the diet, if possible.
Most people don’t get just the burger; they also get fries and a soda. A large order of fries adds 500 calories and 3.5g of fat (another 13%), and a medium coke adds another 210 calories
This puts the person eating this menu at 1000 calories, and past the % daily value for saturated fat. If you make the same choice, in just one sitting, you have eaten half of your daily allowance of calories, 130% of your daily allowance for saturated fat and over 70% of your daily allowance for sodium. Not to mention 52% of our daily allowance of cholesterol (keep in mind that the percentages are based on outdated information, but it does give us an idea of what we are putting into our body).
So, let’s assume we want to make the better choice and pick a salad. So we go for the McDonald’s Premium Southwest Salad with grilled (rather than crispy) chicken. The salad itself looks better at first glance: 320 calories, and only 3g saturated fat (15%). However, we are still consuming 23% of our daily allowance of cholesterol, and a whopping 42% of our daily allowance of sodium.
That may be really confusing… it’s just a salad with grilled chicken! Often the seasoning used to intensify the taste of the chicken is chock full of sodium.
Keep in mind that this doesn’t include the dressing, so unless you like your salad dry, you’ll probably ask for some ranch dressing. The serving of ranch dressing is 200 calories, all of which are from fat, and delivers an additional 320mg of sodium (14%).
Trying to eat healthy, you’ve consumed over half of your daily allowance of sodium, and over 500 calories on a salad (with water to drink), which, for most people, isn’t necessarily enough to keep them full until their next meal.
The honey mustard sauce looks better for your salad. It’s only 70 calories, has only 2.5g of fat, and only 170mg (7%) of your % daily value of sodium.
There are ways to make healthier choices at McDonald’s, but you have to familiarize yourself with nutritional information. Of course, we haven’t looked at the ingredients in this article, which is a whole different discussion.
2. Taco Bell® Nutrition
Taco Bell has a huge menu, and some of the things go in and out seasonally, or vary by location. Here we have included most of the more traditional menu items for your reference, and we will discuss some of the items highlighted in yellow.
Serving Size
Calories
Calories from Fat
Total Fat (g)
Sat. Fat (g)
Trans Fat (g)
Carbs (g)
Dietary Fiber (g)
Sugars (g)
Protein (g)
BURRITOS
1/2 Ib. Cheesy Potato Burrito
248 g
530
230
25
8
0,5
57
7
5
19
1/2 Ib. Nacho Crunch Burrito
234 g
520
230
25
8
0,5
54
6
5
19
7-Layer Burrito
283 g
510
160
18
6
0
68
12
5
18
Bean Burrito
198 g
370
90
10
3,5
0
55
11
3
14
Beefy 5-Layer Burrito
248 g
550
190
22
8
0,5
69
9
6
20
Burrito Supreme – Beef
248 g
420
140
15
7
0
52
9
5
17
Burrito Supreme – Chicken
248 g
390
110
12
5
0
51
7
5
21
Burrito Supreme – Steak
248 g
380
110
12
5
0
51
7
5
18
Cheesy Bean and Rice Burrito
227 g
480
190
21
5
0
60
8
5
13
Cheesy Double Beef Burrito
227 g
470
180
20
6
0,5
54
6
4
18
Chili Cheese Burrito
156 g
370
150
16
8
0,5
40
4
3
16
Fresco Bean Burrito
213 g
340
70
8
2,5
0
56
11
4
12
Grilled Chicken Burrito
177 g
440
180
20
5
0
48
3
3
16
Grilled Stuft Burrito – Beef
325 g
700
270
30
10
1
79
12
6
27
Grilled Stuft Burrito – Chicken
325 g
650
210
24
7
0
77
9
5
34
Grilled Stuft Burrito – Steak
325 g
640
220
24
8
0
76
9
6
28
Fresco Burrito Supreme – Chicken
241 g
340
70
8
2,5
0
50
8
4
18
Volcano Burrito
303 g
800
380
42
12
1
81
8
6
24
CHALUPAS
Chalupa Baja – Beef
153 g
410
240
26
5
0,5
31
5
4
13
Chalupa Baja – Chicken
153 g
390
210
23
4
0
29
3
4
16
Chalupa Baja – Steak
153 g
380
210
23
4
0
29
3
4
13
Chalupa Nacho Cheese – Beef
153 g
370
190
22
3,5
0
31
4
4
12
Chalupa Nacho Cheese – Chicken
153 g
340
160
18
2
0
30
3
4
15
Chalupa Supreme – Beef
153 g
370
190
21
5
0,5
31
4
4
13
Chalupa Supreme – Chicken
153 g
350
160
18
4
0
30
3
4
17
Chalupa Supreme – Steak
153 g
340
170
18
4
0
29
3
4
14
Serving Size
Calories
Calories from Fat
Total Fat (g)
Sat. Fat (g)
Trans Fat (g)
Carbs (g)
Dietary Fiber (g)
Sugars (g)
Protein (g)
GORDITAS
Gordita Baja – Beef
153 g
340
160
18
5
0
30
4
6
13
Gordita Baja – Chicken
153 g
320
130
15
3,5
0
29
3
6
16
Gordita Baja – Steak
153 g
310
140
15
3,5
0
28
3
6
14
Gordita Nacho Cheese – Chicken
153 g
270
90
10
1,5
0
30
2
6
15
Gordita Nacho Cheese – Steak
153 g
260
100
11
2
0
29
2
6
12
Gordita Supreme – Beef
153 g
300
120
13
5
0
31
4
6
13
Gordita Supreme – Chicken
153 g
270
90
10
3,5
0
29
2
6
17
DESSERTS
Cinnamon Twists
35 g
170
60
7
0
0
26
1
10
1
Caramel Apple Empanada
85 g
310
140
15
2,5
0
39
2
13
3
NACHOS
Nachos
99 g
330
190
21
2
0
31
2
2
4
Nachos BellGrande
305 g
770
380
42
7
0,5
78
15
5
20
Nachos Supreme
191 g
440
220
24
5
0
42
8
3
13
Triple Layer Nachos
142 g
350
160
18
1,5
0
39
7
2
7
Volcano Nachos
354 g
1000
560
62
9
1
89
16
6
22
QUESADILLAS
Cheese Quesadilla
142 g
470
240
26
11
0,5
40
4
3
19
Chicken Quesadilla
184 g
520
250
28
12
0,5
41
4
3
28
Steak Quesadilla
184 g
510
250
28
12
1
40
4
3
25
SALADS
Express Taco Salad w/ Chips
447 g
660
300
34
10
1
67
11
7
25
Chicken Ranch Taco Salad
420 g
910
490
54
10
0,5
71
9
6
35
Chipotle Steak Taco Salad
420 g
900
510
57
11
0,5
70
8
7
28
Fiesta Taco Salad
463 g
770
370
41
10
1
75
12
8
27
TACOS
Fresco Crunchy Taco
92 g
150
70
7
2,5
0
13
3
1
7
Fresco Grilled Steak Soft Taco
128 g
160
40
4,5
1,5
0
21
2
3
9
Fresco Ranchero Chicken Soft Taco
135 g
170
35
4
1,5
0
22
2
3
12
Fresco Soft Taco
113 g
180
60
7
3
0
22
3
2
8
Crunchwrap Supreme
254 g
540
190
21
7
0
71
6
7
16
MexiMelt
128 g
280
130
14
7
0,5
23
4
2
15
Chicken Soft Taco
99 g
200
70
8
3
0
19
1
1
12
Crispy Potato Soft Taco
106 g
260
120
13
3
0
31
3
2
6
Crunchy Taco
78 g
170
90
10
3,5
0
12
3
1
8
Double Decker Taco
156 g
330
120
13
5
0
38
8
2
14
Double Decker Taco Supreme
191 g
360
140
15
6
0
41
8
3
15
Grilled Steak Soft Taco
128 g
250
130
14
4
0
20
2
2
11
Pacific Shrimp Taco
112 g
180
60
7
1,5
0
21
2
2
8
Ranchero Chicken Soft Taco
135 g
270
120
14
4
0
21
2
2
14
Soft Taco Supreme – Beef
135 g
240
100
11
5
0
24
3
3
11
Taco Supreme
113 g
200
100
12
5
0
15
3
2
9
Volcano Taco
92 g
240
150
17
5
0
14
3
1
8
Soft Taco – Beef
99 g
210
80
9
4
0
21
3
2
10
The first thing that pops out at me is all of the “Volcano” items on the menu: like the Volcano Nachos and the Volcano Burrito. Check out the nutritional information for the Volcano Nachos: 1000 calories and almost all of the percent daily value of fat and sodium and half of the percent daily value for saturated fat. What?! It makes you wonder what they put in the nachos that make those values skyrocket like that.
This doesn’t need much further discussion… either share the nachos with a group, or avoid them if you want to respect your body.
The salad items also stand out, because it’s not much better. The Taco Bell Chipotle Steak Taco Salad has 900 calories, almost 90% of the % Daily Value of Fat (including over half of the % Daily Value of Saturated Fat), and ¾ of the Daily Value of Sodium.
But it’s a salad! Yes, a salad served in a bowl of fried dough. This is without the dressing of course, but the information can still look quite surprising.
If you go for a salad to make a healthier choice at Taco Bell, you are better off choosing two Fresco Soft Tacos, which, while they will still have over half of your daily allowance of sodium, will have a third of the calories and a third of the fat.
Nonetheless, eating “healthy” at Taco Bell isn’t really an option.
3. Subway Nutrition
Subway’s nutrition information can be a little more complicated, for better or for worse, since you have the choice of “building” your own sandwich, or choose one from the pre-designed menu.
People tend to see Subway as a “healthier” alternative in the fast food industry, and in many ways it is. It has a range of fresh vegetables you can put into your sandwich, which adds some important nutrients to your meal, and most of the bread is baked right in the store.
Serving Size
Calories
Calories from Fat
Total Fat (g)
Sat. Fat (g)
Trans Fat (g)
Carbs (g)
Dietary Fiber (g)
Sugars (g)
Protein (g)
BREADS
6” 9-Grain Wheat Bread
78 g
210
20
2
0,5
0
41
4
3
8
6” Italian White Bread
71 g
200
20
2
0,5
0
38
1
5
7
6” Parmesan Oregano Bread
75 g
220
25
2,5
1
0
41
2
5
8
6” Honey Oat Bread
89 g
260
25
3
0,5
0
49
5
8
9
6” Hearty Italian Bread
75 g
220
20
2
1
0
41
2
5
8
6” Monterey Cheddar Bread
82 g
240
50
5
3
0
39
1
5
10
6” Italian Herbs & Cheese Bread
82 g
250
45
5
2
0
41
2
5
10
6” Roasted Garlic Bread
82 g
230
25
2,5
0,5
0
45
2
7
8
Flatbread
94 g
240
45
5
1
0
41
2
1
8
Mini Italian Bread
47 g
130
15
1,5
0
0
26
1
3
5
Mini Wheat Bread
52 g
140
15
1,5
0
0
28
3
2
5
Wrap
103 g
310
70
8
2,5
0
51
1
0
8
CHEESE
Monterey Cheddar,Shredded Cheese
14 g
50
40
4,5
3
0
1
0
0
3
Natural Cheddar Cheese
15 g
60
45
5
3
0
0
0
0
4
Pepperjack Cheese
14 g
50
35
4
2,5
0
0
0
0
3
Provolone Cheese
14 g
50
35
4
2
0
0
0
0
4
Swiss Cheese
14 g
50
35
4,5
2,5
0
0
0
0
4
Serving Size
Calories
Calories from Fat
Total Fat (g)
Sat. Fat (g)
Trans Fat (g)
Carbs (g)
Dietary Fiber (g)
Sugars (g)
Protein (g)
MEATS
Roasted Chicken Patty
71 g
90
20
2,5
0,5
0
4
0
2
15
Chicken Strips
71 g
80
15
1,5
0,5
0
0
0
0
16
Cold Cut Combo Meats
71 g
140
100
11
3,5
0
2
0
1
10
Egg Patty
85 g
110
70
8
2
0
3
1
0
9
Ham
57 g
60
15
2
0,5
0
2
0
2
9
Italian BMT Meats
64 g
180
130
14
5
0
2
0
2
11
Meatballs
198 g
310
150
17
6
1
25
4
11
13
Roast Beef
71 g
80
20
2,5
1
0
1
0
1
18
Seafood Sensation
71 g
190
150
16
2,5
0
7
0
1
5
Steak (no cheese)
71 g
112
50
4
2
0
4
0
1
15
Subway Club Meats
78 g
90
20
2,5
1
0
2
0
1
17
Tuna
71 g
260
220
24
4
0
0
0
0
10
Turkey Breast
57 g
50
10
1
0
0
2
0
1
9
Veggie Patty
85 g
160
45
5
0,5
0
12
3
2
15
VEGETABLES
Banana Peppers (3 rings)
4 g
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
Cucumbers (3 slices)
17 g
5
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
Green Peppers (3 strips)
7 g
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
Jalapeno Peppers (3 rings)
4 g
5
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
Lettuce
21 g
5
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
Onions
14 g
5
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
Pickles (3 chips)
9 g
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
Olives (3 rings)
3 g
5
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
Tomatoes (3 wheels)
34 g
5
0
0
0
0
2
0
0
0
Serving Size
Calories
Calories from Fat
Total Fat (g)
Sat. Fat (g)
Trans Fat (g)
Carbs (g)
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