30 Healthier Fast Food Items Under 350 Calories

We’ve all seen the posts and pictures of people “meal prepping” and cooking for hours on Sunday to place all of their healthy  meals in Tupperware containers, neatly stacked in the fridge to prepare for the upcoming week. While that IS a great way to stay on track with your weight loss and fitness goals, let’s be honest, we don’t always have the time, energy, motivation or knowledge to meal prep. If you’ve been living under a rock and don’t know what meal prepping is, don’t worry, I got you covered! I’ll be posting a blog on meal prepping soon with some easy, delicious meals (that are not grilled chicken and broccoli).

The biggest mistake people make in the drive-thru, when trying to make a healthy decision, is just to order a salad.  While not all drive-thru salads are bad, most, like Caesar and Chef salads, are loaded with fat, sodium and calories, especially when  you factor in the dressing.

Here are some great tips and 30 healthier fast food options that you can find at some of the major chains while on the go and short on time.

Tips:

1. Think like a kid. Most kids want a small meal or snack and aren’t really into all the cheese, sauces, or heavy breads.
2. Most major chains now have Apps and Nutrition Calculators online to customize your meal and calculate all of the nutrition facts for you. No need to think about it. Just enter the items, hit calculate and you got your nutrition facts right in front of you. Some even include allergy sensitive options.
3. Use a substitute for dressing, like salsa, lemon juice, oil & vinegar or use a dressing that is low in calories, sugars and sodium.
4. I know it’s hard, but if you can, try to eat half of whatever it is you ordered and save the rest for your mid afternoon pick me up in a couple hrs. I know I get excited knowing I have 1/2 a burrito waiting in the fridge for me!
5. When in doubt, remove the bun from your burger or grilled chicken sandwich, no fries, side salads with low-fat dressing or bowls minus the rice, creams or heavy cheeses.

Taco Bell

1. Fresco Soft Taco (Shredded Chicken or Steak) – 140 Calories, 3.5g Fat, 10g Protein, 16g Carbs, 470mg sodium
2. Fresco Crunchy Taco (Beef) – 140 Calories, 7g fat, 6g Protein, 13g Carbs, 300mg sodium
3. Power Bowl (Chicken, No Sour Cream/Guac) – 230 Calories, 9g Fat, 24g Protein, 15g Carbs, 790mg sodium
4. Shredded Chicken Mini Quesadilla – 180 Calories, 8g Fat, 12g Protein, 15g Carbs, 520mg sodium
5. Spicy Tostada (No sauce) – 180 Calories, 7g fat, 6g Protein, 22g Carbs, 410mg sodium
6. Black Beans – 80 Calories, 1.5g Fat, 4g Protein, 12g Carbs, 200mg sodium
7. Chips & Salsa – 250 Calories, 11g Fat, 4g Protein, 33g Carbs, 470mg sodium

McDonald’s

1. Egg White Delight – 250 Calories, 8g Fat, 17g Protein, 29g Carbs
2. Oatmeal (No brown sugar or fruit) – 160 Calories, 2.5g Fat, 6g Protein, 30g Carbs
3. Hashbrown – 150 Calories, 9g Fat, 1g Protein, 16g Carbs
4. Small Fries – 230 Calories, 11g Fat, 3g Protein, 29g Carbs
5. Hamburger – 250 Calories, 8g Fat, 12g Protein, 32g Carbs (Remove 1 of the buns for less carbs)
6. Cheeseburger – 300 Calories, 12g Fat, 15g Protein, 33g Carbs( Remove 1 of the buns for less carbs)
7. Chicken Nuggets – 180 Calories, 11g Fat, 10g Protein, 11g Carbs (Not including any sauce)
8. Apple Slices – 15 Calories, 0g Fat, 0g Protein, 4g Carbs
9. Cuties – 35 Calories, 0g Fat, 0g Protein, 8g Carbs
10. Side Salad – 15 Calories, 0g Fat, 1g Protein, 3g Carbs (Use Lite or Low Fat Dressing)

Chick-Fil-A

1. Grilled Nuggets – 140 Calories, 3g Fat, 23g Protein, 4g Carbs, 530mg sodium
2. Side Salad – 80 Calories, 4.5g Fat, 5g Protein, 6g Carbs, 110mg sodium (Be careful of dressing)
3. Super Food Side – 140 Calories, 7g Fat, 3g Protein, 16g Carbs, 15mg sodium
4. Grilled Market Salad – 320 Calories, 14g Fat, 26g Protein, 26g Carbs, 600mg sodium (Not including dressing)
5. Fruit Cup – 50 Calories, og Fat, 1g Protein, 13g Carbs

Wendy’s

1. Steel Cut Oatmeal (No Toppings) – 120 Calories, 2g fat, 4g Protein, 27g Carbs, 180mg sodium
2. Small Chili – 170 Calories, 5g Fat, 15g Protein, 16g Carbs, 780mg sodium
3. Side Salad – 210 Calories, 13g fat, 4g Protein, 18g Carbs, 380mg sodium
4. Power Mediterranean Chicken Salad (Half size) – 240 Calories, 9g Fat, 20g Protein, 22g Carbs, 520 mg sodium
5. Jr Hamburger – 240 Calories, 10g Fat, 14g Protein, 25g Carbs, 620mg sodium
6. Value Natural-Cut Fries – 230 Calories, 10g Fat, 3g Protein, 30g Carbs, 230mg sodium
7. Apple Slices – 35 Calories, 0g Fat, 0g Protein, 9g Carbs

Chipotle

1. Burrito or Salad Bowl (Chicken, Steak, Barbacoa, Sofritas) – 145-180 Calories, 7g fat, 32g Protein, 310mg sodium
   1. Black Beans – 120 Calories, 1g Fat, 7g Protein, 22g Carbs, 260mg sodium
   2. Pinto Beans – 115 Calories, 1g Fat, 6g Protein, 21g Carbs, 300mg sodium
   3. Fajita Vegetables – 20 Calories, .5g Fat, 1g Protein, 4g Carbs, 170mg sodium
   4. Cheese – 100 Calories, 7.5g Fat, 6g Protein, 1g Carb, 190mg sodium
   5. Salsa – 30 Calories, 0g Fat, 0g Protein, 3g Carbs, 350mg sodium