Fast Food: Healthier Choices at Your Favorite Spots
Whether you are taking the kids home from soccer practice, rushing from work to an appointment, or simply having a day when cooking isn’t a priority, fast food can sometimes be the most practical choice.
Trying to keep fast food to a minimum can be helpful as it tends to be calorie dense, less filling, higher in sodium and have a lower nutritional value than foods we make at home. However it can serve as a practical quick option for when you’re on the go! Below is a list of some of the most popular lower calorie and protein rich options on the menu.The nutritional information provided here was sourced from online menus and may vary slightly based on location and specific toppings used. The information is accurate as of July, 2024, for standard recipes. All the fast food chains below provide nutrition facts on their menus and online so you can find more information or details about an item that isn’t listed here.
McDonald's
| Item | Calories | Protein (g) | Carbs (g) | Sugar (g) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Breakfast | ||||
| Sausage ‘N Egg McMuffin | 430 | 20 | 30 | - |
| Egg McMuffin | 290 | 16 | 28 | - |
| Breakfast Burrito | 290 | 13 | 23 | - |
| Lunch/Dinner | ||||
| Junior Chicken | 380 | 13 | 36 | - |
| 6 piece Chicken McNuggets | 250 | 16 | 15 | - |
| Cheeseburger | 290 | 14 | 32 | - |
| Hamburger | 240 | 12 | 32 | - |
| Ranch Chicken Snack Wrap with Grilled Chicken | 260 | 18 | 22 | - |
| Dessert | ||||
| Vanilla Cone | 220 | - | 40 | 30 |
| Baked Apple Pie | 270 | - | 34 | 12 |
| Yoghurt Tube | 25 | - | 4 | 3 |
| Double Glazed Li’L Donut | 130 | - | 21 | 10 |
| Cookies and Cream Li’L Donut | 130 | - | 16 | 6 |
| Beverages | ||||
| Diet Coke | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Black coffee | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Cappuccino with skim milk | 80 | 11 | 12 | 11 |
| Sugar free vanilla iced coffee | 100 | 2 | 7 | 2 |
Tim Hortons
| Item | Calories | Protein (g) | Carbs (g) | Sugar (g) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Breakfast | ||||
| Egg and Cheese Breakfast Sandwich on an English Muffin | 270 | 14 | 27 | - |
| Bacon English Muffin Sandwich | 330 | 17 | 27 | - |
| Bacon and Cheese Omelette Bites | 210 | 15 | 6 | - |
| Spinach and Egg Omelette Bites | 130 | 13 | 6 | - |
| Yogurt Parfait | 250 | 8 | 40 | - |
| Lunch/Dinner | ||||
| Classic Chicken Wrap | 380 | 24 | 36 | - |
| Chicken Bacon Ranch Wrap | 420 | 27 | 36 | - |
| Roast Beef Craveable | 460 | 21 | 41 | - |
| Crispy Chicken Craveable | 470 | 21 | 55 | - |
| BLT Sandwich | 490 | 16 | 59 | - |
| Regular Chilli | 310 | 19 | 22 | - |
| Beverages | ||||
| Black coffee | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Iced coffee | 120 | 8 | 12 | 8 |
| Tea | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Cappuccino made with 2% milk | 120 | 8 | 11 | - |
| Dessert | ||||
| Chocolate/Maple/Strawberry Dip Donut | 220 | - | 33 | 12 |
| Sugar Loop Donut | 200 | - | 39 | 8 |
| Chocolate Chunk Cookie | 220 | - | 31 | 16 |
Subway
| Item | Calories | Protein (g) | Carbs (g) | Sugar (g) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Breakfast | ||||
| Egg & Bacon Sidekicks | 300 | 14 | 23 | - |
| Egg & Cheese Sidekicks | 280 | 13 | 23 | - |
| Egg & Ham SideKicks | 290 | 14 | 24 | - |
| Sandwiches | ||||
| 6’ Veggie Delite Sub | 210 | 10 | 39 | - |
| 6’ Rotisserie-Style Chicken Sub | 310 | 25 | 41 | - |
| 6’ Black Forest Ham/Turkey Breast Sub | 250 | 18-19 | 43 | - |
| 6’ Sweet Onion Chicken Teriyaki Sub | 360 | 23 | 57 | - |
| Salads | ||||
| Rotisserie-Style Chicken Salad | 150 | 20 | 10 | - |
| Steak Salad | 160 | 17 | 13 | - |
| Sweet Onion Chicken Teriyaki Salad | 240 | 18 | 34 | - |
| Meatball Marinara Salad | 290 | 18 | 22 | - |
A&W
| Item | Calories | Protein (g) | Carbs (g) | Sugar (g) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Breakfast | ||||
| Breakfast Wrap | 230 | 13 | 18 | - |
| Cheese and Egger, on an English muffin | 360 | 14 | 30 | - |
| Lunch/Dinner | ||||
| Mama Burger | 400 | 20 | 35 | - |
| Buddy Burger | 334 | 13 | 36 | - |
| Baby Burger | 240 | 12 | 29 | - |
| Spicy Chipotle Chicken Wrap | 290 | 11 | 28 | - |
| 3 Chicken Strips | 300 | 19.5 | 21 | - |
| Beverages | ||||
| Diet A&W Root Beer | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dessert | ||||
| Apple Turnover | 280 | - | 38 | 14 |
Wendy's
| Item | Calories | Protein (g) | Carbs (g) | Sugar (g) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Breakfast | ||||
| Egg & Cheese Croissant | 370 | 13 | 34 | - |
| Egg & Cheese English Muffin | 320 | 13 | 31 | - |
| Bacon, Egg & Cheese English Muffin | 380 | 17 | 31 | - |
| Lunch/Dinner | ||||
| Jr. Hamburger Deluxe | 320 | 14 | 26 | - |
| Jr. Cheeseburger Deluxe | 360 | 16 | 27 | - |
| 6-Piece Crispy Chicken Nuggets | 190 | 11 | 13 | - |
| Classic Chicken Strips | 380 | 25 | 26 | - |
| Grilled Chicken Wrap (1 wrap) | 300 | 16 | 25 | - |
| Apple Pecan Chicken Salad, with dressing | 490 | 29 | 41 | - |
| Large Chili | 330 | 21 | 30 | - |
| Dessert | ||||
| Junior Frosty (chocolate or vanilla) | 190 | - | 31-32 | 27-28 |
Burger King
| Item | Calories | Protein (g) | Carbs (g) | Sugar (g) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Breakfast | ||||
| Bacon Breakfast Wrap | 310 | 18 | 16 | - |
| Egg and Cheese Wrap | 210 | 10 | 21 | - |
| Egg & Cheese English Muffin | 342 | 19 | 31 | - |
| Lunch/Dinner | ||||
| Hamburger | 241 | 14 | 26 | - |
| Cheeseburger | 324 | 18 | 27 | - |
| Bacon Cheeseburger | 360 | 21 | 28 | - |
| Whopper Jr. | 323 | 14 | 27 | - |
| Spicy Chicken Jr. | 288 | 14 | 41 | - |
| Spicy Chicken Wrap | 380 | 23 | 42 | - |
| Veggie Burger | 331 | 15 | 42 | - |
| Dessert | ||||
| Soft Serve Cone | 190 | - | 32 | 21 |
| Strawberry Sundae | 257 | - | 49 | 44 |
| Apple Turnover | 250 | - | 33 | 11 |
Popeye's
| Item | Calories | Protein (g) | Carbs (g) | Sugar (g) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lunch/Dinner | ||||
| 2 piece Chicken Leg | 300 | 34 | 6 | - |
| 2 piece Chicken Wing | 300 | 20 | 10 | - |
| 3 Chicken Tenders, Classic or Spicy | 350 | 31 | 22 | - |
| Butterfly Shrimp | 300 | 12 | 26 | - |
| Sides | ||||
| Mac & Cheese, Regular | 150 | 5 | 25 | - |
| Red Beans & Rice, Regular | 180 | 7 | 28 | - |
| Mashed Potatoes with Cajun Gravy, Regular | 110 | 4 | 15 | - |
| Coleslaw, Regular | 190 | 1 | 13 | - |
| Dessert | ||||
| Cinnamon Apple Pie | 250 | 3 | 33 | 11 |
| Strawberry Cream Cheese Pie | 340 | 4 | 31 | 7 |
Starbucks
Plain coffee or tea will have minimal calories - but here are some other balanced choices; using cow's milk or soy milk in beverages will increase the protein content of drinks; using zero sugar syrups and decreasing the number of pumps will significantly decrease the sugar content and calories of drinks; using lower fat dairy will decrease the fat content and calories of drinks
| Item | Calories | Protein (g) | Carbs (g) | Sugar (g) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cold Beverages | ||||
| Tall Vanilla Sweet Cream Nitro Cold Brew | 90 | 1 | - | 9 |
| Tall Iced Flat White | 110 | 6 | - | 8 |
| Tall Iced Oat Latte | 120 | 3 | - | 5 |
| Tall Iced Caffe Latte | 100 | 6 | - | 9 |
| Tall Iced Hazelnut Oat Shaken Espresso | 100 | 2 | - | 9 |
| Tall Iced Black Tea | 45 | 0 | - | 11 |
| Tall Iced Green Tea | 30 | 0 | - | 8 |
| Tall Iced Passion Tango Tea | 30 | 0 | - | 8 |
| Hot Beverages | ||||
| Tall Caffe Misto | 80 | 5 | - | 8 |
| Tall Americano Misto | 90 | 6 | - | 8 |
| Tall Cappuccino | 100 | 7 | - | 9 |
| Espresso Con Panna | 35 | 1 | - | 0 |
| Tall Flat White | 170 | 9 | - | 13 |
| Tall Oat Latte | 130 | 3 | - | 5 |
| Tall Caffe Latte | 150 | 10 | - | 14 |
| Breakfast | ||||
| Bacon Style Turkey, Cheddar and Egg White Sandwich | 230 | 17 | 28 | - |
| Bacon, Gouda and Egg Sandwich | 360 | 19 | 35 | - |
| Spinach Feta and Egg White Wrap | 290 | 20 | 34 | - |
| Potato, Cheddar and Chive Bakes | 210 | 12 | 11 | - |
| Bacon and Gruyere Egg Bites | 320 | 20 | 6 | - |
| Egg White and Roasted Red Pepper Egg Bites | 170 | 12 | 11 | - |
| Lunch | ||||
| Crispy Grilled Cheese on Sourdough | 450 | 20 | 47 | - |
| Tomato and Mozzarella on Focaccia | 380 | 17 | 48 | - |
| Artisan Charcuterie Snack Box | 260 | 14 | 13 | - |
| Dessert/Snacks | ||||
| Cake Pops | 140-170 | 1-2 | - | 14-18 |
| Madeleines | 220 | 3 | - | 17 |
| Petite Vanilla Bean Scone | 130 | 2 | - | 9 |
| Gluten Free Marshmallow Dream Bar | 230 | 1 | - | 24 |
| Justin's Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups | 210 | 4 | - | 17 |
| Starbucks Chocolate Covered Espresso Beans | 260 | 3 | - | 22 |
| Squirrel Brand Creme Brulee/Classic Almonds | 240-260 | 8-9 | - | 2-10 |
| Marble Cheese Stick | 70 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| Crispy Apple Chips | 45 | 0 | - | 7 |
Remember, occasional fast food consumption will not significantly impact your health or weight! However, if you find yourself relying on fast food frequently, weight loss or weight loss maintenance can be more difficult. If you want to discuss strategies around fast food in more depth, let your Constant Health dietitian know!