The Top 10 Healthy Food Quick Meals in America

The Top 10 Healthiest Fast Food and Casual Dining Establishments in America

Who hasn’t made a sharp U-turn into a fast food restaurant on the way home from a late meeting or soccer match, healthy food quick meals or opened a sandwich while speeding down the highway? Since we essentially live in our cars, we require quick food that is also, ideally, healthful.

Guess what? After surveying the top 100 fast food chains in the country based on the quantity of locations, we discovered that many of them are developing menu items that increasingly resemble things we would prepare ourselves if we had the time, such as wholesome salads and soups, as well as sensible desserts. Better yet: They provide hearty Mediterranean, Asian, and Mexican food.

How we did it

We evaluated the chains based on a set of criteria developed in consultation with our panel of experts. The criteria included things like the utilisation of organic produce, low sodium content in entrées, and the application of healthy fats and preparations. The top 10 restaurants were then determined by tallying these scores.

One major surprise was that McDonald’s, a classic fast food restaurant, made it into our top 10. Yes, it invented the Big Mac, but did you know that it also makes a mean parfait of yoghurt and granola? These are the notables who are producing healthful food with grabbed food.

 

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Panera Bread

Our judges were astounded by this bakery-café’s extensive menu, which offers nutritious options for every meal.

In addition, Panera took first place for kid-friendly cuisine, serving RD-approved crowd-pleasers like grilled organic cheese on white whole-grain bread, squeezable organic yoghurt, and PB&J (with all-natural peanut butter).

We adore: Nutritious and flavorful combinations, such as a half-Turkey Artichoke on focaccia bread paired with a bowl of soup made with black beans or garden vegetables.

Danger zone: The counter is stocked with cheese danishes and sticky buns.

 

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Jason’s Deli

How did this rising star secure the runner-up spot? primarily due to its commitment to organic food: roughly 25% of the ingredients used in Jason’s Deli are organic. Its inventive salads, such as the Nutty Mixed-Up Salad, also encourage you to order the greens.

The portion-control option, which offers reduced sizes of items like stuffed baked potatoes for $1 less, was highly praised by our judges. Jason’s menu offers nutritional information along with a selection of incredibly healthful sandwiches.

We adore: Having an organic whole-wheat wrapper on which to construct any kind of sandwich.

Danger zone: Some sandwiches have high sodium content; if sodium intake is an issue, choose the very healthful options.

 

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Au Bon Pain

Serving up sandwiches, soups, salads and hot entrées made with whole grains, vegetables and hormone-free chicken, Au Bon Pain is a pioneer in the field of healthy fast food.

An amazing feature is that Au Bon Pain uses computer kiosks to provide nutritional information on the spot, so you know the calories, fat, and sodium content of every option before you even place an order. The judge, Amy Jamieson-Petonic, commends the approach as “a great way to empower customers.”

Delicious low-calorie soups, such as Fire Roasted Exotic Grains and Vegetables and Jamaican Black Bean.

Danger zone: If you’re not careful, the sodium levels could rise.

 

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Noodles and Company

You won’t find your usual oily Asian food court restaurant at Noodles and Company. In actuality, it eliminates the grease (using only nutritious soybean oil for sautéing) and goes beyond Asian cuisine. Here, you have a choice of three different meal styles: Asian, Mediterranean, or American. Within each of these styles, there are four different noodle bowl options. You can also add lean proteins, such as organic tofu, hormone- and antibiotic-free chicken, beef, and prawns.

We adore: Whole-grain linguine, which is typically difficult to locate when dining out.

Desserts are the danger zone. Two varieties of cookies and a 530-calorie, 19-gram-fat Rice Krispy Treat bar are your only options!

 

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Corner Bakery Cafe

What distinguishes Corner Bakery? A great breakfast menu—a rarity in the world of quick service restaurants. We adore the Farmer’s Scrambler, which consists of scrambled eggs with potatoes, red and green bell peppers, onions, and cheddar cheese. (If you order it with egg whites, it only has 260 calories.) Additionally, there’s Swiss oatmeal, a chilled breakfast cereal from Europe made with low-fat yoghurt, skim milk, rolled oats, green apples, bananas, currants, and dried cranberries.

We adore: Nutritious oven-roasted chicken served with most salads and pasta dishes.

Danger zone: The nutritional information is only available on their website.

Chipotle

Every patron at Chipotle that orders from a buffet has total control over her salad, taco, and burrito. (Taco Bell, take that!) Plus, you get to construct it using locally sourced, fresh ingredients. Indeed, Chipolte received great reviews for its dedication to organic food, meats free of hormones and antibiotics, and produce from local vendors—a first for a chain this size. If you select add-ons like the green tomatillo salsa and fajita veggies, many of its entrées can be made low-sodium.

We adore: Burrito bowls, as they allow you to forgo the tortilla and additional carbohydrates.

Danger zone: One drawback of a buffet is that it can lead to wild behaviour. Thus, you must use minimal amounts of sour cream and cheese.

 

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Atlanta Bread

Healthiest Fast Food – There must be a Seinfeld enthusiast at Atlanta Bread: Its breakfast menu features muffin tops, which are half the size of regular muffins; the low-fat pumpkin muffin top has 200 calories, while regular-size muffins have 320–640 calories. However, this chain offers advantages beyond its slim muffins. Whole-grain bread, freshly made sandwiches (including paninis), and substantial, nutritious soups and salads are also available at this creative bakery. It also received praise for its excellent sides, which included a corn salad and fire-roasted black beans.

The grilled wild Alaskan salmon fillet served over greens with a fire-roasted black bean and corn salsa and a pineapple-mango vinaigrette is one of our favourite entrée salads.

Danger zone: Some restaurants serve bread with their pasta entrees.

McDonald’s

McDonald’s is setting the standard for major burger chains by redesigning its menu to include more heart- and waist-friendly options. Consider the Happy Meals, which come with low-fat milk or fruit juice in place of soda and a side order of apple dippers (with low-fat caramel). (At this point, getting your child to go for them is the trick!) If you must have fries, McDonald’s offers small orders that only have 230 calories and are made with a healthy canola blend oil.

The entire panel applauds McDonald’s for clearly outlining the nutritional data on the rear of their tray liners.

We adore: For protein without a lot of fat, the chain’s 260–270 calorie Snack Wraps (pick grilled chicken).

Danger zone: Supersizing and enormous sodas are still prevalent here, even though McDonald’s made our list. You are free to ask for a little.

 

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Einstein Bros. Bagels

Yes, we are aware that bagels contain a significant amount of carbohydrates, but the real problem arises when you spread butter or cream cheese on them. At this chain, there are no worries: Einstein Bros. provides a great way to add healthy fat to breakfast (or lunch) with its healthier options, such as hummus, peanut butter, and reduced-fat shmears. Additionally, it offers a bagel made of Good Grains with an amazing 4 grammes of fibre.

Feel like having a salad? Any size can be ordered in half. The bagel dog—imagine a Pig-in-a-Blanket with bagel-style bread serving as the “blanket”—and an improved fruit salad received high marks from our panel of judges for children.

Loved by us: The high-fiber Veg Out on a bagel with sesame seeds.

“Overstuffed” size sandwiches are a risk.

 

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Taco Del Mar

It’s possible that you’ve noticed a growing trend in Baja-style Mexican cooking, which emphasises fresh ingredients and fish over beef and chicken. Here, it’s simple to obtain whole grains, and burritos made with whole-wheat tortillas are an option. Highly praised is the chain’s recently introduced 320-calorie chicken burrito, which is sold at most locations. The fact that Taco Del Mar bakes its fish and taco shells rather than frying them and has outlawed lard in its beans also impressed our judges.
We adore: The 460- to 555-calorie burrito, which is large enough to fill you up while controlling sodium and fat content.
Breakfasts are a danger zone. Avoid the Mondo Breakfast Burritos in particular, as they contain over 1,000 calories.

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