America's Healthiest Fast-Food Breakfasts

Times have changed
Used to be, when you grabbed breakfast on the go, it was a diet disaster: nothing but fat-and-calorie bombs like butter-soaked croissants and jumbo muffins. Now, it’s much easier to do right by your body: Fast-food legends like McDonald’s and IHOP, as well as newbies like Cosi and Panera Bread, offer surprisingly healthy options that are filling, light, and much easier on your arteries.

Choose wisely
The key to finding a healthy breakfast, says Christine Gerbstadt, MD, RD, spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association, is finding a good-for-you mix of complex carbs (like whole grains), protein, and healthy fats to keep you satisfied. So with that in mind, we asked our team of experts to choose and rank the best a.m. grub. Here, the standouts—and why each one made the cut.

Eat a Healthiest Fast Food Breakfast

Fast food in general, is not synonymous with a healthy diet, but that does not mean you start the day with a nutritious food drive-through. They have a filling and healthy breakfast has a positive tone for the rest of their days, where a meal is not healthy, you feel lethargic and hungry for business. They offer levels of fatty fast food. With a little research and some small changes, you can enjoy the benefits of healthy eating for breakfast on the go.

Avoid fat crackers and bread to rise. Instead, opt for English muffins, bagels or whole wheat tortillas. Egg bacon sausage and fat, increase lean ham and cheese to keep the side.

Best Fast-food oatmeal with fruit and nuts instead of sugar. The oat fiber and protein and healthy fats in nuts help complete meal.

Healthiest Fast Food Breakfasts

Next time you’re in a hurry, fuel up with these quick yet healthy fast food breakfast options. You’ll be pleasantly surprised. By: Karen Ansel, RD

Breakfast On-the-Go

Breakfast may be the most important meal of the day, but it’s also the one we have the least time for. But before you go without – or grab an oversized bagel or donut – check out the latest fast food offerings. Many are actually good for you and slimming too.

Starbucks: Protein Plate

When it comes to breakfast on the run, it can be hard to find one with plenty of protein that’s not also oozing with saturated fat. Enter Starbucks’ Protein Plate, an energizing combo of fruit, peanut butter, a hard cooked egg, and a mini bagel. Together these deliver the perfect balance of protein, complex carbs and healthy fats to help you power through your morning. One serving provides 370 calories, 5 grams of fiber, 17 grams each of protein and fat, and 5 grams of saturated fat. Pair it with a cup of green tea for an added antioxidant boost.

Don't Ruin Your Diet: Get a Healthy Fast-Food Breakfast

You're short on time, but you still need breakfast. Buttery and salty fast-food sandwiches don't sound too healthy. Health magazine has come to the rescue. It has compiled a list of the healthiest and most nutritious fast-food breakfast options. Check out some of the magazine's top picks.

Subway's Western Egg White & Cheese Muffin Melt

This delicious sandwich contains egg whites, black forest ham, green peppers, American and Monterey Jack cheeses and red onion. Needless to say, it doesn't taste like a diet breakfast.

Calories 160; Fat 4g (sat 1.5g); Protein 15g; Carbohydrate 19g; Fiber 5g; Sodium 680mg

Dunkin' Donuts' Egg White Turkey Sausage Wake-Up Wrap

Wake up with this tasty breakfast wrap. Dunkin' Donuts' takes on your favorite egg sandwich, offering all the taste with a fraction of the calories.

Calories 150; Fat 5g (sat 2.5g); Protein 11g; Carbohydrate 14g; Fiber 1g; Sodium 400mg

Healthiest fast food: Drive thru choices that won't crash your diet

If you're like us, those new year's resolutions have long since seemed like an unbearable cramping of your lifestyle. Who can save money when there are so many sales? How can one workout after work when it means missing happy hour?

Inevitably our high-minded ideas fall to the wayside.

But if your resolution was a diet, you've got a shot. Eating healthy is important, but on those days when you just can't handle any more quinoa, it's OK to give a little — without the wagon-crashing guilt.

Yes, even on a diet you can indulge in a little drive-thru delight. We've gathered some of the best options from the most popular fast food chains, all with around 400 calories, the amount nutritionists say keeps you satisfied, for when your brain says "healthy" and your stomach says "cheeseburger."

Healthiest Fast Food Breakfasts

With options like sausage, egg and cheese biscuits and fried hash brown potatoes, finding a healthy breakfast on-the-go can be a challenge. But a handful of healthy options can be found at fast food outlets, CBS News reported.

Nutritionist Tanya Zuckerbrot, contributor to Cooking Light magazine, gave viewers of "The Early Show" on CBS the lowdown on eating a healthy breakfast on the run.

If you're getting your caffeine fix at Starbucks, go for the Protein Plate: a combo of fruit, peanut butter, a hard boiled egg and a mini bagel that totals 370 calories, 5 grams of fiber and 17 grams each of protein and fat, CBS reported.

Healthiest Fast Food Breakfasts: 10 Best Picks

Times have changed. It used to be, when you grabbed breakfast on the go, it was a diet disaster: nothing but fat-and-calorie bombs like butter-soaked croissants and jumbo muffins.

Now, it's much easier to do right by your body: Fast-food legends like McDonald's and IHOP, as well as newbies like Cosi and Panera Bread, offer surprisingly healthy options that are filling, light, and much easier on your arteries.

The key to finding a healthy breakfast, says Dr. Christine Gerbstadt, spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association, is finding a good-for-you mix of complex carbs (like whole grains), protein, and healthy fats to keep you satisfied. So with that in mind, we asked our team of experts to choose and rank the best a.m. grub. Here, from our friends at Health.com, are America's healthiest fast-food breakfasts.