America's Top 10 Healthiest Fast Food Restaurants

Health magazine rates the top 10 healthiest fast food restaurants in America based on their efforts to provide nutritious fare.

Who hasn’t unwrapped a sandwich while driving down the highway or pulled a hard U-turn into a fast-food joint on the way home from a late meeting or soccer game? We practically live in our cars, so we need quick food, and please, we’d like it to be healthy.

Well, guess what: We surveyed the nation’s 100 largest fast-food chains, as defined by the number of locations, and found many are creating menus that look more and more like what we’d cook ourselves (if we had the time)—from nutritious soups and healthy salads to fresh whole grains and sensible desserts. Even better: They’re offering good-news Mexican, Asian, and Mediterranean fare.

Using criteria that was created with the help of our expert panel, we scored the chains on such factors as the use of healthy fats and preparations, healthy sodium counts in entrees, availability of nutritional information, and the use of organic produce to determine the 10 highest-ranking restaurants.

One big surprise: A traditional fast-food chain, McDonald’s, cracked our top 10. Sure, it’s the home of the Big Mac, but did you know it also serves a mean yogurt-and-granola parfait? Here, the standouts that are making grabbed food healthy food.

7 Practical Healthiest Fast Food Choices For People On The Go

It’s no secret that dining out isn’t usually as healthy as eating at home, and trying to find healthy fast food choices may sound like a bit of an oxymoron.  But as much as we may want to avoid it, the reality is that we’re are going to eat out.  All of us have hectic lives, and spending a couple of hours each day – every day – in the kitchen just isn’t practical.  The trend toward dining out been going on for a long time, and that trend extends to other countries as well.  So understanding your healthy fast food options is paramount to understanding how to lose belly fat, as well as long-term success with weight loss.

Healthiest Fast Food Choices

A recent study by the sociology department at the University of Houston highlighted the changing landscape, with respect to America’s dining habits.  It’s probably no surprise that households where both parents work outside the home make greater use of fast food outlets.  Families that spend more time in the car also eat out more.  Both of these are logical, sound conclusions.  One item researchers found somewhat striking was a surprisingly strong influence of the father’s behavior of the dining habits of kids, with respect to the amount of fast food families consume.

10 Healthiest Fast Food Joints in the US

We have often heard that junk food is bad for us, but that rarely stops us from pulling over at one such restaurant for a quick snack on our way to work or when we’re simply not in the mood to cook. With this in mind, Health Magazine set out to find the top 10 healthiest fast food restaurants in the US, to at least offer Americans the option of staying healthy if it’s impossible for them to stay away from fast food.

The chains who made the cut were judged according to a strict set of criteria ranging from portion sizes and use of organic ingredients, to whether they included plenty of vegetables or calorie-counts on their menus. They were first of all included in the cut according to the number of locations nationwide. The biggest surprise of this survey was that a traditional fast food chain, often criticized for oversizing, McDonald’s also made it at number 8.

The conclusion of the survey is that fast food restaurants can, and do, offer a variety of foods that can often be as good as anything that we might cook at home. From nutritious soups to sensible deserts and plenty of fruit, these ten chains that Health magazine “investigated” have it all. They also include menus ideal for children because they’re healthy and, at the same time, delicious.

5 Healthiest Fast Food Chains

Today we would like to discuss a topic slightly contradictory to our nature. Let me preface this by saying that I am not endorsing these as everyday options. We feel that home cooking with fresh, organic produce is always the most beneficial way to eat, but there are times when you may need to know just which fast food chain to choose. Here is your answer.

Health.com’s panel of experts recently conducted a study of the top 100 fast food chains. Among other factors, they took into account healthy preparations, use of healthy fats, healthy sodium counts, use of organic produce and availability of nutritional information.

Our main complaints with this study are that it seems chains were scored based primarily on the healthy items in their menu, not taking into account the unhealthy options. In addition, each of the top 5 chains features offerings loaded with various breads and grains. We typically advocate a diet consisting primarily of protein, vegetables, fruits and healthy fats but do recognize that most of the major fast food chains offer this outside the context of a salad. That said, lets get to the list.

Which Healthiest Fast Food Chain Is?

Believe it or not, Taco Bell and Chick-Fil-A are considered two of America's healthiest restaurants.

66 chain restaurants were put to the test.

Experts with "Eat this, Not that" calculated the total number of calories per entree, looked at serving size and looked at side-dish choices.

Restaurants were penalized for excessive amounts of trans-fat and gut-busting desserts.

Check out those restaurants that scored a B+ or higher:

5 Healthy Fast Food Alternatives

You’re always on the go and may not have time to come home and cook every night – I get it! But the mistake many busy Americans’ make is rushing through the unhealthiest fast-food drives. There are nutritious alternatives to fast service rather than a quick quarter-pounder and 5-piece nugget. Here is my list of New Jersey’s 5 healthiest fast-food stops:

Muscle Maker Grill – You see the Jersey shore cast members frequently dine here, because it offers the same quick, convenient benefits of fast food, but without all of the unwanted fats, oils and carbohydrates. The menu offers healthy alternatives of American, Asian, Cajun, Italian, Mexican and Southwestern dishes.

Energy Kitchen – Has a menu full of tasty high-protein, high-fiber meals and smoothies that are all made within minutes. Most of these fantastic fast-food locations are in Manhattan, but they are quickly spreading to the garden state including the opening of the Hoboken location (96 Hudson Street).

Ten Healthiest Fast Food Chains

This economy makes it tough to ignore fast food: It's inexpensive, and satisfying.

With people looking to save every penny, it's tough to say "no" to a meal for $6 that fills you up.

Trouble is, for decades now, fast food has been written off as ultimately unhealthy and fattening. So much of it is fried, processed, or both.

But in its March issue, Health magazine tells about the top ten healthiest fast food chains in the country.

It examines why they're healthy, what the healthiest meals are to eat there, and what to avoid. The chains were scored and ranked on such factors as the use of healthy fats and preparations, healthy sodium counts in entrees, availability of nutrition information, and the use of organic produce.

One big surprise: A traditional fast-food chain, McDonald's, cracked the top 10.

On The Early Show and on the show's Saturday Edition, Health's senior food and nutrition editor, Frances Largeman-Roth, discussed several of the top ten, and what you can order at those eateries to keep your meal as healthy as possible.

Top 10 Healthiest Fast Food Restaurants

The website Health.com has come out with a list of the 10 healthiest fast food restaurants.

They created the list after surveying the nation’s 100 largest fast food chains.

The restaurants were rated on factors such 'as the use of healthy fats and preparations, healthy sodium counts in entrées, availability of nutritional information, and the use of organic produce."

Four of the top ten fast food restaurants on the list can be found in our state.  Panera Bread, Chipotle, McDonald’s and Taco Del Mar all made the top 10.

If you're surprised to see McDonalds on the list, Health.com says despite the unhealthy burgers and fries, the fast food giant also serves a mean yogurt-and-granola parfait as well as other healthy alternatives.

Top 10 Healthiest Fast Food Restaurants

Because many of us are so time deprived, we don't always have time to shop, cook and consume a healthy meal.  Fast food fare has become a viable option because it is convenient, affordable and stimulates our taste buds.  Unfortunately, a lot of these eat and run dining experiences are not always the healthiest choice.  If you are always on the go, please take advantage of my top 10 list of the healthiest fast food restaurants.

After surveying the nation's 100 largest fast-food chains, the staff at Health Magazine scored the chains on such factors as the use of healthy fats and preparations, healthy sodium counts in entrées, availability of nutritional information and the use of organic produce to determine the 10 highest-ranking healthy restaurants.

Each year Health Magazine rates the top healthiest restaurants in the US.  I have analyzed their list, added my comments and made a few menu recommendations.

US's Top 10 Healthiest Fast Food Restaurants

Yes, that is a McDonald's logo because, believe it or not, it made the list!

We know everyone loves fast food. EVERYONE! We're a fast food nation, so instead of denying it, lets just embrace it and try to find the healthiest options.

Ranked on factors such as the use of healthy fats and preparations, healthy sodium counts in entrées, availability of nutritional information, and the use of organic produce, a panel of experts has determined the top 10 healthiest fast food restaurants in America!

The panel surveyed the nation’s 100 largest fast food chains, as defined by the number of locations, and here is what they found: