Healthy Chains?

Question

So you're trying to eat healthy but you're on the run and no time to make yourself a healthy meal. Where do you go and what do you order? 

I like Baja Fresh's chicken salads and it seems like el pollo locco is a good low carb choice (especially low fat is you tear off the skin). I also find myself ordering salads at Corner Bakery with dressing on the side (their chopped salad is so good).

Answer

Actually, as someone now in the fitness industry, I have looked at all those places with "healthy" menus, read the nutrition info posted on the web or in the restaraunt.

None of the mentioned above would qualify as "healthy". With the fats and preservatives, as well as mega salt content, you might as well just have a whopper. Smoothies are thought of as healthy, and I guess are better than milkshakes, but not by much. The whopping sugar content, as well as , believe it or not, salt in some of them are criminal. Fruit juice is just sugar, as most of the healthy fiber is removed. And how many of the smoothie joints use full fat ice cream or frozen yogurt, often from a commercial brand that uses trans fats?

Also, the nutrition industry generally prefers lower, yet healthy multi grain and whole grain carbs to the famed "low carb" food choices, which remove carbohydrates but then replace the flavor with added fat-usually trans fats.

I would say the healthiest chain is probably the deli or salad bar at your local supermarket chain. Any fast or regular food chain has to get most of their food to the location in a frozen, bulk and easily storable manner. This equals high volume purchasing, and also necessatates additives, preservatives and more. The necessity of having all locations provide consistant flavor calls for artificial and "natural" flavoring. Keep in mind that the basic definition of "natural flavorings" is basically "tastes that are like those found naturally" NOT "flavored by a natural food product".

Ignore Subway, it really isn't much better than McDonald's, and most people order a foot long over the half sandwich, and then add baked, trans fat high chips and a sugar and sodium blitzing soda.

Answer

Two options that I think are pretty good and quite tasty for fast food:

Chipotle's salads if you get beans, guac (high in good fat), grilled veggies, tomato and corn salsa and no meat/cheese/cream, etc. Don't even need the vinegrette cause the other stuff has so much flavor. Prob is pretty high in salt, but personally I don't worry that much about salt (don't eat tons of processed food).

Wendy's chili: gives you some beans, some meat, some veggies (maybe) all in a tasty low-cal (and cheap!) package. Just avoid their hot sauce which is disgusting. And they'll give you sour cream if you want more flavor (and need more fat in that meal).

Krissywat--I think Diana's point is that most of the smoothie chain's use a "base" that is high in sugar without a lot of fibor/nutrition. So when you order it with yogurt and soy powder that is added to their normal sugary base. When I make smoothies at home I just use fruit as the base with some milk if necessary. Adding low-fat milk or yogurt with fruit is definitely a health option.

Diana, I have to disagree with you a little. My sense is that there is no evidence that trans fats are worse than saturated fat (even though they "seem worse" to me too).

Answer

My healthy choices from restaurants (considering everything is relative).

Five Guys: Small hamburger with tomato, lettuce, mustard, onion and pickles.

Penn Station: lite size veggie sub...mushrooms, onions, green peppers, banana peppers, provolone (skip the provolone is trying to be REAL healthy), lettuce, tomato ,spices and vinegar (no oil)

Chipolte: Vegetarian burrito bowl with lettuce, black beans, salsa and guacamole. 

Wendy's: Junior hamburger, side salad with FF dressing

McDonald's: grilled chicken Caesar salad with low fat Italian dressing or the new Oriental chicken salad (grilled)

Answer

Folks, a reminder please.

"Healthy" is a relative term. If you want to debate the spectrum of meanings behind that description, please do so on our Not About Food board, where nutrition and diet discussions are appropriate.

Please bring us back to the question of which chain restaurants serve (relatively speaking) "healthy" foods.

Answer

One place that really saved me from the typical fast food chains for lunch was Panera Bread.

http://www.panerabread.com

A very recent discovery, kind of like a cross between Chipotle and Baja Fresh is Moe's Southwestern Grill. They actually have tofu tacos.

http://www.moes.com

Whenever I travel, I find any Whole Foods, Wild Oats, or similar stores at my destination, or along my route.

When driving, I always take a cooler full of drinks, with maybe a vegetable salad, cubed cheese, nuts, and a large container of water. Anything to keep me from having to eat the worst chain food for lack of time.

Answer

i've found the nyc chain better burger to have some tasty, healthy options. i particularly like their soy burger.

Answer

As a member of Weight Watchers, I have looked up a lot of the fast-food places on their site or on related ones (members will know the drill). They just give you "points," arrived at by a combination of fat, calories and fiber but that's a fine start. (Sodium is not figured in at all, and if that is an issue for you you may be in trouble with any kind of fast food.) 

Among Mexican ff joints, La Salsa is quite good provided you avoid tacos with "Baja" in the name. The menu varies, but last time I went to one they had a taco with fish that was not deep-fried and had none of the Baja sauce. 

Wendy's chili is also respectable, but chili at other places is ridiculously salty and fatty, so watch out. Items at places like Panera and Corner Bakery are hit or miss with some being not bad at all and some being awful, in my opinion. (Overall I look for something with lowish WW points and enough protien-- like sodium, not figured into points count-- to get me to the next meal.) 

Delis and salad bars are what you make of them. You've still got issues with sodium and with working some protein into the meal, unless that is not an issue for you. (This is very individual but for me, a salad with only token amounts of protein, or protein in the form of something like cheddar cheese, does not provide long-term fuel. Better to grab a carton of plain yogurt.)

Answer

In a word, no. There are no truly healthy chains. Unless they serve fruit (probably not organic, though, so that's another issue) there's nothing on the menu that could be deemed healthy from a whole foods nutritionist's perspective. 

The problem with most dieticians advice is that they are working off the Food Pyramid, which IMO is entirely useless. Low fat doesn't mean squat if the product is heavily processed. Sugar free you say? Well, that probably means the sugar has been substituted with a non-nutritious/potentially toxic sugar replacement like Splenda or Nutrisweet. 
And, the new hoopla surrounding soy is dangerous, especially for people who have underlying digestive or thyroid issues. Keep in mind that soy is not and has never been used as a supplement in any culture - it's used mainly as a condiment and is typically fermented. 
So, if you have to eat at a chain on a frequent basis I'd say, no, there really isn't too much by way of healthy offerings. Unless you're talking organic salads sans dressing, but for most people that isn't very filling.

Answer

It's certainly not a major chain (4 locations, looking to build more), but O'Naturals mission is "healthy fast food". The food is fine (but not better than that), the atmosphere is nice.

http://www.onaturals.com/

Answer

I didn't see anyone mention Jack in the Box chicken fajita pita. Its good and I think either 7 or 9 grams of fat. Would have to look it up to be sure.

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