Eat This, Not That!

When you think of fast food you probably don’t think of the words healthy and affordable in the same sentence right? Nowadays there sometimes seems to be only two options: one, eat a healthy meal but break the bank, or two, save some money but end up sacrificing healthy menu options. Well now you can have a healthy meal AND have it be cheap!

The age old question: McDonald’s versus Wendy’s. On the left hand side is one of the most classic and favorite combos in the history of fast food. Unfortunately, a classic big mac with fries and a drink is not only unhealthier than the Wendy’s option, but it costs more too! With a Wendy’s baked potato, value menu sandwich (without mayonnaise), and a chili, you get not only more food, but also at less than half the fat.

Quick question you might be wondering, “why no mayonnaise on the sandwich from Wendy’s?” Did you know that sometimes the condiments on a sandwich or a salad can comprise of more fat grams than the actual meal itself?

Chick-fil-A sauce is actually 13 grams of fat per packet, that’s more fat grams than the actual chicken sandwich or nuggets that come from the meal themselves! The biggest culprit is the buttermilk ranch sauce that comes with the salads for dressing. Weighing in at 30 grams of fat, the dressing alone can make one of the healthy salad options quickly become the worst thing on the menu with the highest amount of fat.

For breakfast options, you are generally going to be stuck with something stuck a little under five dollars, but the actual health content of the food varies drastically. Chick-fil-A offers a healthier breakfast than your typical big breakfast box at McDonalds, with less than half the fat grams from the entire meal itself.

Eating at Moe’s and Chipotle for some “upscale” fast food can be a bit more expensive, but the choice can still be made better by opting for the healthier menu options. Making slight adjustments such as substituting the steak or ground beef for chick, tofu, or pork can make a huge difference. Here we have a typical nacho combo at Moe’s with queso versus any one of the three variations of Moe’s bowls with chicken, tofu, or pork.

Chick-fil-A boasts one of the healthiest menu options in the fast food industry at the moment: the chargrilled chicken sandwich at only 5g of fat. While you could substitute fries for a healthier option, I decided to keep them in to make it a fairer comparison. Even with fries, Chick-fil-A beats out the Burger King Whopper combo with less than half the fat of the meal.

Hope you guys enjoyed these comparisons and remember them next time you go for some fast food, because fast food does not always have to be unhealthy for you!

-RA Bruce Daryooni