Healthiest menu items at chain restaurantes

[TheKiwi]

I live in a small college town, surrounded by mainly chain food restaurants such as Applebees, Olive Garden, Chili's, Longhorn Steakhouse, McDonalds, Dunkin Donuts, Burger King, and Wendy's. Whenever I go out for dinner with friends, budgets are usually pretty tight, and we usually end up going to one of these chain restaurants. As a healthy eater, I'm looking for the healthiest foods at these restarants. I thought this would be a good thread for sharing healthy food items at fast food/chain restaurants!

 

[TheKiwi]

I'll start it off.

Whenever I go to Applebee's, I get the Cajun Lime Tilapia. It has only 310 calories, which isn't bad for a full meal at a restaurant. It also has 9 grams of fiber. Here's the description:

Grilled Cajun-seasoned tilapia fillet flavored with lime juice and topped with a black bean & corn salsa. Served on a bed of rice pilaf with a side of fresh seasonal vegetables.

Mmm...

 

[markie]

In general, anything grilled chicken is gonna be the healthiest thing on the menu.

here is a good article on eating healthy as possible at fast food: http://www.helpguide.org/life/fast_food_nutrition.htm

 

[Ianastar]

Here's a good site to find out nutritional information from your favorite eat out places.

www.dwlz.com

 

[TheKiwi]

Thank you guys for the links!

 

[ladyday]

I've given up trying to eat healthy at places like McDonalds or Taco Bell. They are stirctly indulgence places where I go to do damage

 

[Trista]

Subway is usually your best option...

 

[pavement]

I wish there were more healthy fast-food chains. I like Subway, but it just gets a little old.

I think we're heading into a time where a restaurant could really benefit off having a wider selection of healthy foods on their menu. I wish they get a little more inventive.. McDonald's fruit bowl was a little boring.. But it still beats putting it together yourself.

 

[Choisir]

IIRC a hamburger (not a big extra, big mac or anything) at mcdonalds is only 250 calories. Probably has a lot of fat still but if you're just trying to lose weight doesn't matter

Frustrating because it's not even on their overhead menus (they assume no one would want anythign that small) but if you ask them it does exist.

 

[markie]

IIRC a hamburger (not a big extra, big mac or anything) at mcdonalds is only 250 calories. Probably has a lot of fat still but if you're just trying to lose weight doesn't matter

Frustrating because it's not even on their overhead menus (they assume no one would want anythign that small) but if you ask them it does exist.

I don't eat hamburgers but I think you just say you want a 'dollar menu burger' for that.

 

[mcflyandgemmafan]

Usually when I go to McDonald's I get their Caesar Salad with the grilled chicken instead of the crispy chicken. It seems to be one of the better options and then I get a Dasani water with that. I don't go to chain restaurants that often but most if not all of their sites have nutrition info so you can look at it before you go.

 

[morgan38]

If you're looking for a desert, those ice creams cones at McDonalds surprisingly don't have that many calories.

 

[cutxpaste]

Usually when I go to McDonald's I get their Caesar Salad with the grilled chicken instead of the crispy chicken. It seems to be one of the better options and then I get a Dasani water with that. I don't go to chain restaurants that often but most if not all of their sites have nutrition info so you can look at it before you go.

same here! but then again i dont go very often... usually only on road trips when i am STARVING

 

[Erin]

I've given up trying to eat healthy at places like McDonalds or Taco Bell. They are stirctly indulgence places where I go to do damage

At McDonald's I get their Asian salad... I order it with the low-cal dressing, and of course with grilled chicken. If you're looking for a snack they have those "fruit salads" that have 200 calories each or their little parfaits that are 300 calories.

As for Taco Bell, I order a spicy chicken soft taco and only eat the inside. The meat's not the BEST, but I usually add hot sauce and have that lettuce and tomato in the middle and it makes for a bit of a snack. I usually order a couple.

As for other places, when I eat at Arby's I usually have a roast beef sandwich with only one half the bun. I concentrate a lot on the protein in these fast food meals...

At Wendy's I LOVE their madarin chicken salad, but usually take the oranges off so I'm left with chicken, salad, and almonds.

So, overall, your best bet at restaurants are the salad, as long as the meat is grilled and you go with a low-calorie option dressing.

 

[morgan38]

Try the website calorieking.com. It has full nutritional information for dozens of chain restaurants and for other foods.

 

[thebeautybrains]

If you're going to go to McDonalds, try the ice cream cone. It's only a mere 150 calories!

 

[Organic]

http://www.amazon.com/Restaurant-Confidential-Michael-F-Jacobson/dp/0761100350/sr=8-1/qid=1165974854/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/002-0644425-7559259?ie=UTF8&s=books