Top 10 Healthiest Fast Food Restaurants in the World
Jenny Jones
105
2024-09-10 11:32:31
Fast food is not a healthy choice for a meal because it is mostly linked to high fat, high calorie, and high salt content. Many people in this world prefer to eat outside whenever feasible, which has led to a great number of restaurants.
It is almost a standard to eat fast food during the day because of our busy lives. People have generally been drawn to fast food because of its accessibility and flavor. However, people today demand that their meals be nutritious as well because they are more health-conscious.
Many fast food restaurants provide healthier options on their menus, allowing you to still make healthy meal choices. However, some restaurants specialize in health-conscious fast foods. You have a lot of options if you're looking to improve your lifestyle or reduce weight. In this article, we have discussed the top 10 healthiest fast food restaurants.
Top 10 Fast Food Restaurants 2024
Here is the list of top 10 best fast food restaurants
1. Panera Bread
Industry: Cafe, Coffee Shop, Bakery
Area Served: United States, Canada
Headquarters: Fenton, Missouri, United States
Number of Locations: More than 2000
Panera Bread is a fast-casual bakery-café brand based in the US and Canada that has over 2,000 locations nationwide. There are many healthy meal options on Panera's menu. Its menu includes nutritional information, and its outlets are mostly near freeway exits.
If you're looking for a quick and healthy supper, Panera Bread is an excellent choice as it's one top 10 fast food restaurants. There are plenty of salads on the menu that use fresh veggies to reduce calories. Low-fat meats and plant-based proteins like beans and healthy grains are typically the healthiest options at Panera.
Panera offers healthy ingredients-packed salad bowls and soups. Yogurt and oats are among the wholesome and substantial breakfast choices.
Top 5 Healthy Foods at Panera Bread
- Green Goddess Chicken Cobb Salad
- Mediterranean Greens with Grains
- Southwest Chicken Ranch Salad
- Balsamic Chicken Greens with Grains
- Fuji Apple Chicken Salad
2. Chipotle
Industry: Restaurants
Area Served: Canada, United States, France, Germany, Kuwait, United Kingdom
Headquarters: Newport Beach, California, U.S.
Number of Locations: 3,500
Often referred to as just Chipotle, Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc., is a global chain of fast-casual restaurants that focuses on bowls, tacos, and Mission burritos prepared fresh in front of customers.
Customers at Chipotle can create their own meals. People can make salads or bowls of burritos that are high in fibre and protein and low in fat. Since a single tortilla contains 320 calories, salads and bowls rank among the healthiest options. The proteins with the fewest calories are steak and sofritas.
Chipotle provides a balanced meal that might satisfy your needs for cutting calories, increasing protein, or both. They make an effort to serve only locally sourced, organic food. They also offer meat from animals that are raised naturally.
Top 5 Healthy Foods at Chipotle
- Steak and Black Bean Salad
- Chicken and Rice Bowl
- Chicken and Tomatillo-Green Chili Salsa Burrito
- Veggie Bowl
- Wholesome Bowl
3. Taco Bell
Industry: Restaurants
Area Served: 32 countries
Headquarters: 1 Glen Bell Way, Irvine, California, U.S.
Number of Locations: 8,564
Taco Bell is among the top 10 fast food restaurants in the world, with options to customize their large menu to be low-calorie, vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free. The menu has about 75% of items under 500 calories, making it an excellent choice for short meals and fast food.
Any menu dish can also be prepared "Fresco-Style," which replaces diced tomatoes for cheese, sour cream, and sauces with mayonnaise. By doing this, Taco Bell becomes one of the healthiest fast food chains, with a soft taco having only 160 calories and a Burrito Supreme having 340 calories.
Taco Bell offers a very large menu that makes it simple to customize an order to your dietary requirements. Even for the people who do not like meat or want to reduce their meat content Taco has a Vegetarian specific menu.
Top 5 Healthy Foods at Taco Bell
- Cheesy Toasted Breakfast Burrito - Potato
- Power Menu Veggie Bowl
- Crunchy Tacos
- Burrito Supreme "Fresco Style"
- Bean Burrito
4. Chick-fil-A
Industry: Restaurants
Area Served: United States, Canada
Headquarters: 5200 Buffington Road, Atlanta, Georgia, United States
Number of Locations: 3,059
The biggest chain of fast food restaurants in America that specializes in chicken sandwiches is known as Chick-fil-A, Inc. One of the most popular fast food restaurants in America is Chick-fil-A. Because of the fried chicken, milkshakes, and fries, it's simple to have a meal that's heavy in calories, carbs, salt, and fat.
But because of the range of selections available, it's also among the healthiest fast food franchises. There are low-calorie options like the chicken wrap and chicken noodle soup, as well as low-sodium options like the kale salad.
Another option is to use a gluten-free bun instead of the white one. Greek yogurt parfaits and egg white sandwiches are two of the healthiest breakfast options. But be careful with the sauces—they can easily increase the number of calories and fat in each packet.
Top 5 Healthy Foods at Chick-Fil-A
- Greek Yogurt Parfait
- Egg White Grill
- Grilled Chicken Sandwich
- Chick-fil-A Market Salad
- Grilled Nuggets
5. Panda Express
Industry: Food Service
Area Served: United States, Canada, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, United Arab Emirates, Japan, Guatemala, El Salvador, Aruba, Philippines, Germany
Headquarters: 1683 Walnut Grove Avenue, Rosemead, California, U.S.
Number of Locations: 2,200
An American fast food restaurant chain called Panda Express focuses on serving American Chinese food. It is the biggest restaurant chain in the Asian market in the US, with more than 2,200 outlets. The abundance of fried foods and high sodium content in American-Chinese cuisine may make it less healthy than other cuisines.
But because of its "Wok Smart" menu, Panda Express is among the healthiest fast food restaurants. This menu offers meals with less than 300 calories and at least eight grams of protein, making it a fantastic choice for those looking for healthier options when on the go.
Together with grilled shrimp and chicken dinners, the restaurant also serves super greens, steamed brown rice, and a number of tofu dishes. Additionally, it offers kid-friendly meals that include a bottle of water and apple crisps.
Top 5 Healthy Foods at Panda Express
- String Bean Chicken Breast with Steamed Brown Rice
- Grilled Teriyaki Chicken with Steamed White Rice
- The Wok-Smart Black Pepper Angus Steak
- Broccoli Beef with Steamed Brown Rice
- Mushroom Chicken with Super Greens
6. Sweetgreen
Industry: Restaurants
Area Served: 21 states of United States
Headquarters: Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Number of Locations: 221
American fast-casual restaurant chain Sweetgreen specializes in salads. Though it's not one of the most well-known brands, Sweetgreen is among the healthiest fast food restaurants. It has locations in twenty-one states. Their goal was to offer "fast food" that was sustainable and wholesome, focusing on a farm-to-table experience.
Sweetgreen prioritizes plant-based ingredients and uses premium oils, such as avocado and extra-virgin olive oils, rather than less costly seed oils. It serves rice and quinoa bowls and salads with bases of kale, lettuce, arugula, or spinach.
They can be topped with a range of dressings and sauces, as well as nuts, seeds, beans, veggies, and proteins. Naturally, it's one of the healthier options because it starts with salad or quinoa bowls. But, you should be careful when adding toppings because they rapidly increase in calories.
Top 5 Healthy Foods at Sweetgreen
- Carmelized Garlic Steak Plate
- Hot Honey Chicken Plate
- Miso Glazed Steelhead Plate
- Chicken Pesto Parm
- Shroomami Bowl
7. CAVA
Industry: Restaurants
Area Served: United States
Headquarters: Washington, D.C., United States
Number of Locations: 309
Due to its Mediterranean menu, fast-casual restaurant CAVA is among the healthiest fast food franchises. One of the healthiest diets in the world is the Mediterranean one. It's easy to order nutritious, vegetable-rich Greek and Mediterranean-inspired fast cuisine from this Mediterranean-style fast food restaurant.
You can fill bowls and pitas from CAVA with hummus, falafels, grilled dinners, and eggplants. The company's RightRice has fewer carbohydrates and more protein and fiber than white rice because it is created from a mixture of rice, lentils, chickpeas, and green peas.
A tasty and nutrient-dense lunch may be made with bowls that are full with different veggies and lean proteins, all of which come in under 800 calories. The healthiest dishes at this restaurant are the roasted veggies and grilled chicken. When it comes to calories and nutrition, CAVA is among the healthiest fast food restaurants. You can either create your own bowls or buy a pre-made dish from the menu.
Top 5 Healthy Foods at CAVA
- Steak Mezze Salad
- Tahini Caesar Bowl
- Harissa Avocado Bowl
- Greek Chicken Pita
- Spicy Greens Bowl
8. Wendy's
Industry: Restaurants
Area Served: Almost 30 countries
Headquarters: 1 Dave Thomas Boulevard, Dublin, Ohio, U.S.
Number of Locations: 7,240
This is the world's third-largest fast food hamburger restaurant. French fries, chicken sandwiches, and hamburgers make up the majority of their menu. However, people have some other options when it comes to fitness and wellness.
In addition, Wendy's offers an excellent variety of salads for a fast food restaurant. Taco salad, apple pecan, Parmesan Caesar, and Cobb are available at Wendy's. Vegetarians can also order these salads without the meat.
Additionally, Wendy's has baked potatoes, apple bits, and grilled chicken wraps can be ordered as sides. There is something for every mood and craving on the healthier Wendy's menu, which includes some of their burgers, breakfast sandwiches, baked potatoes, cups of chili, salads, and kid's meals.
Top 5 Healthy Foods at Wendy's
- Apple Pecan Salad
- Bacon, Egg & Cheese Muffin
- Parmesan Caesar Salad
- Bacon, Egg & Cheese Biscuit
- Grilled Chicken Ranch Wrap
9. Subway
Industry: Restaurants
Area Served: 100+ countries
Headquarters: Shelton, Connecticut and Miami, Florida, U.S.
Number of Locations: 37,000 approx
One of the largest fast food chains in the world, Subway is known for its submarine sandwiches and wraps. Subway is famous because of its "Fresh Fit" section of the menu. Additionally, they are authorized by the American Heart Association to serve heart-healthy dishes, including the Veggie Delite and the chicken teriyaki sandwich with sweet onions.
These sandwiches have lettuce, tomatoes, onions, green peppers, and cucumbers on nine-grain wheat bread. Due to its customizable menu options, which include wholegrain bread and an abundance of vegetables, Subway is also one of the healthiest fast food restaurants. In addition to salads, Subway offers good, healthful options if you're not in the mood for sandwiches.
Top 5 Healthy Foods at Subway
- Oven-Roasted Turkey
- Rotisserie-Style Chicken
- Black Forest Ham
- Veggie Delite
- Roast Beef
10. Noodles and Company
Industry: Fast Casual
Area Served: United States
Headquarters: Broomfield, Colorado, U.S.
Number of Locations: 448
The oily Asian food court restaurant Noodles and Company isn't like the others. It actually eliminates the fat and extends beyond Asian cuisine. When sautéing, they only use nutritious soybean oil.
Here, you have a choice of three different meal styles: Asian, Mediterranean, or American. Within each of these styles, there are four different noodle bowl selections. You can also include hormone-free lean proteins and antibiotic-free chicken, beef, shrimp, and organic tofu.
You can also get a noodle bowl at Noodles & Company with veggies, your choice of sauce, and either beef, tofu, grilled chicken, Impossible "chicken," or shrimp. The restaurant business also provides customers with the choice to switch from traditional pasta to gluten-free shells, high-protein leanguini noodles, or zucchini noodles. There are also salads and soups to choose from.
Aside from this particular line, their pre-made pasta bowls also include shrimp, tofu, and grilled chicken, all of which are potential solid sources of protein.
Top 5 Healthy Foods at Noodles and Company
- Zucchini Roasted Garlic Cream
- Backyard BBQ Salad
- Chicken Noodle Soup
- The Med Salad with Chicken
- Zucchini Rosa with Grilled Chicken
Conclusion
A healthy lifestyle must include a balanced diet. Your body gets fuel from a well-balanced meal, which can also help you stay at your target weight. Fast food is often not the healthiest choice, despite being a quick and easy one. On the other hand, a lot of fast food restaurants provide healthier options.
Some of the healthiest fast food restaurants offer lower-calorie, lower-salt, and lower-fat options. You can still enjoy the quickness and convenience of fast food, by choosing the right healthy fast food restaurant.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. Which nation produces the best food?
Ans: Italy is famous for producing the best food in the world.
Q. Which food is consumed worldwide the most?
Ans: Rice is the most widely eaten food in the world.
Q. What is the rarest food in the world?
Ans: Murnong is the rarest food in the world. It is found in Southern Australia.
