Some fast food chains are known for their unhealthy food, but you should know that there are also healthier alternatives. Some offer vegetarian and gluten-free options. Some are only available in the United States, but most are international. Read on to learn more about these healthier fast food chains.
Ruby Tuesday
While Ruby Tuesday is not the first fast food restaurant to be considered healthy, several companies have made it a point to improve their food and menus. One example is the chain’s pretzel buns. In 2013, the company introduced pretzel buns as one of its signature flavors. Now, the chain has over 400 locations.
Despite its healthy reputation, Ruby Tuesday has also made the occasional unflattering list. In 2011, CBS News’ Burger Breakdown ranked the company’s turkey avocado burger as one of the worst sounding burgers. It contains 878 calories, 54 grams of fat, and 2441 milligrams of sodium, more than a classic burger. The American Heart Association recommends consuming less than 2400 mg of sodium daily.
The traditional chicken parmesan at Ruby Tuesday contains approximately 1,500 calories, 14 grams of saturated fat, and 6 grams of carbohydrates. This is the healthiest of Ruby Tuesday’s burgers, but it’s not exactly a light meal. A single serving of grilled shrimp has about 700 calories and three hundred milligrams of sodium. Another popular option is the ruby Tuesday ribs, which are slow-cooked for several hours. The ribs contain low sodium and are very high in protein.
Ruby Tuesday is an American chain restaurant with locations throughout the United States. The restaurant offers a wide variety of foods, including burgers, sandwiches, salads, baked fries, and more. The company opened its first location in Knoxville, Tennessee, in 1972 and has grown to nearly 800 locations in more than 25 countries. Customers can order online and pick up their food at a local store or order online for takeout or delivery.
Ruby Tuesday also offers several healthy sides to choose from. The premium sides include soups of the day, roasted baby portobello mushrooms, and macaroni and cheese. The Ruby Tuesday menu offers several salads and half-cup servings for those seeking a salad. Additionally, Ruby Tuesday offers vegetarian and vegan options.
McDonald’s
The fast food chain has a plethora of healthier options available to diners. Some even have vegetarian or gluten-free meals. Although most fast food restaurants are international, some are in the United States. Below are some of the healthiest options at McDonald’s.
If you’re looking to eat a burger and fries but don’t want to break the bank, you can always opt for a salad or fruit. A classic chicken burger from McDonald’s will only set you back 320 calories, but it will provide you with more than enough protein and fiber to help keep your body functioning correctly.
The burgers are also full of healthy ingredients. For instance, the Chicken McMuffin contains about 360 calories and six grams of fat. In addition, you can get a salad made of mixed greens, black beans, and cilantro. In addition, various options are available for those with dietary restrictions and allergies.
You can also get a breakfast that’s packed with nutrients. The Egg White Delight McMuffin has only 280 calories. In addition, it contains fiber and little to no fat. Other lunch and dinner options at McDonald’s are a plain hamburger (250 calories) and the Artisan Grilled Chicken Sandwich, which has 37 grams of protein and seven grams of fiber. Both these meals are also loaded with vitamins and vegetables.
Despite McDonald’s health benefits, it has received some bad press. In 2006, a customer found a dead rat in her salad. In 2016, another customer found a fried chicken head in her salad. In 2015, a female customer found a human tooth in her salad. But overall, McDonald’s is the healthiest fast food restaurant in the United States.
Taco Bell
Taco Bell has worked hard to improve its health profile over the past decade. The company hired an in-house dietician in 2012 and has been quietly overhauling its menu. The company also offers a vegetarian menu, certified by the American Vegetarian Association. The menu is easily accessible through the mobile app, which is the best way to view the variety of food options available.
The company has taken several steps to improve its menu, including switching to cage-free eggs and reducing sodium content by 15 percent. Menu options have also changed, including a low-calorie “Fresco” and a high-protein “Cantina” menu. There’s even a vegetarian menu, with several options certified by the American Vegetarian Association and a vegan-friendly version.
The menu at Taco Bell is very diverse. Many items can be customized to suit your needs. While there are a few high-calorie options on the Taco Bell menu, most of its menu items are within the 300-400 calorie range. The same can’t be said of Burger King’s menu, which offers several high-calorie items, such as the Triple Whopper with cheese.
Taco Bell offers several menu options that are low-calorie, low-fat, and low-sodium. For example, the low-calorie Fresco Style burrito eliminates high-calorie ingredients such as mayo. Instead of cheeses and mayo, the burrito is made with diced tomatoes. Taco Bell also offers seven healthiest vegetarian options.
Subway
Subway offers a variety of healthy menu items, including salads and chicken wraps. The most nutritious menu items come from the Fresh Fit section of the menu and are low in calories and high in protein. They also meet the American Heart Association’s Heart-Check Certification, meaning they meet the nutritional requirements for heart health.
Subway’s healthy food is also affordable. Its healthy offerings include a wide range of salads and fresh vegetables. It also offers the No Bready Bowl, a sandwich made from salad-like ingredients. It also provides calorie information for its menu items online.
Subway’s sandwich offerings are more health-conscious than other fast food restaurants. Their six-inch rotisserie-style chicken sandwich contains about 300 calories, 6 grams of fat, 39 grams of carbohydrates, and 23 grams of protein. These meals also have low sodium content and plenty of fiber. You can also customize your sandwiches by adding extra veggies or green peppers.
Several factors were considered when grading the healthiness of different fast food restaurants. Some of them were the quality of their menu items, environmental factors, and other factors. Subway had a NEMS score of 41, while McDonald’s scored 22.
Subway’s Spicy Italian sandwich has more saturated fat than McDonald’s Big Mac, which is more than 40 percent of the recommended daily amount of fat. It also has almost half of the recommended daily sodium. A six-inch sub contains 45 percent of saturated fat.
Subway also offers a good value for money. It’s the healthiest fast food restaurant in America. It also provides delicious BBQ ribs and half a chicken roasted to perfection.
White Castle
After watching the infamous 1906 documentary, “The Jungle,” the co-founder of White Castle decided to enter the burger market with a bold move. He hired a physiological chemistry professor from the University of Minnesota to convince customers that the company’s burgers are healthy. The professor fed a medical student named Bernard Flesche only White Castle burgers for 13 weeks, allowing him to eat up to 20 burgers daily. The results of the study were impressive. White Castle’s sales tripled in the ten years following the survey.
White Castle’s menu isn’t filled with healthy options, but many of its menu items are still relatively healthy. The chicken-filled chicken-ring slider, for example, contains just 36 grams of fat and 690 milligrams of sodium. Try the Double Cheese Slider, which features two beef patties and American cheese slices for a heartier, meatier option. These sandwiches are low-fat and low-calorie, with less than 500 calories per serving.
Although White Castle has a long history, the chain has never opened a location in Kansas. The company’s roots can be traced back to Roy W. Allen’s 1919 opening of a root beer stand in Lodi, California. He bought the recipe from a pharmacist.
While the original White Castle restaurant may not have been the healthiest fast food restaurant in the world, the restaurant’s founders wanted to change the perception of hamburgers in public. To do this, they designed their restaurants to make viewing the food preparation process easy. They also painted the buildings white, which suggested cleanliness. This made White Castle famous in the American Midwest and East. The company’s success helped change people’s thoughts about hamburger meat across the country. It was a significant factor in the evolution of the fast food industry.
White Castle has 377 outlets across the United States, with a more significant presence in the Midwest and Tennessee. The restaurant chain also has a company in Las Vegas, Scottsdale, Orlando, and Shanghai, China. However, its locations are relatively small compared to its competitors, such as McDonald’s and Wendy’s.
