Healthy Meal Options when Fast Food Dining Isn't an Option

Eating healthy requires careful planning and timing. Healthy meals and snacks can be prepared at home early in the morning and taken to work or school or healthy restaurant options must be strategically scheduled throughout the course of the day. However, for most people on the run or who live on a daily time crunch, sometimes grabbing a bite to eat leaves nothing more than a fast food option in sight. Don't deny hunger in spite of biting into a calorie saturated meal. Many fast food restaurants have redesigned their menus adding some healthier eating options. If the idea of "healthy" fast food still makes you cringe, at least grab one of their low calorie snacks to keep you up until you reach your nearest farmer's market.

Mc Donald's

Chicken is usually the obvious healthy choice but when comparing the Mc Chicken sandwich to a regular hamburger, the burger's the better choice with 250 calories, vs. the Mc Chicken's 360 calories.

Suggested Snack: Fruit 'n Yogurt Parfait a small dollar option only carries 160 calories.

Burger King

The BK Veggie Burger is another healthy choice in disguise. Packed with mayo and oils it totals 420 calories versus the four piece chicken tenders with 170 calories before dipping sauce.

Suggested Snack: Skip the dip and choose the chicken as a light snack option.

Wendy's

Here the obvious choices fool us again. The Ultimate Chicken Grill Sandwich packs on 370 calories while the Roasted Turkey and Basil Frescata weighs in with 420 calories. The winner again is the plain and classic Jr. Cheeseburger taking the lead with the least calories with only 240. Suggested Snack: Plain Baked Potato with 270 calories; But avoid the toppings or it can become as fatty a double bacon cheeseburger

Subway

Subway does a good job displaying each items calorie; however, once we start loading our subs with their tempting toppings, we tend to lose the calorie count.

Suggested Snack: Keep it simple, opt for the Veggie Delite with 230 calories or the Grilled Chicken Breast with baby spinach for 140 calories. Stick with 6 inch subs and tell them to hold the fatty oils and mayo.