Fast food is synonymous with being filled with high fat and carbs. Sure, it’s not the best food in the world to eat, but let’s face it; most of it is pretty darn tasty. At times it seems you need to be a detective when you’re looking for fast food low carb options, but it shouldn’t be that difficult.
The greatest thing about being on the Atkin’s diet is, you don’t tend to feel like you’re on a diet.
With fast food establishments popping up on every corner, it tends to make this whole weight loss journey more of a challenge. The thing is, it doesn’t have to be.
Regardless of what diet you’re on, you can dine on fast food, but like everything moderation is key. If you’re looking to find out what foods you can eat if you find yourself face to face with Ronald McDonald or the Chick-fil-a cow, you’ll want to check out my low-carb restaurant database.
What are some of the best fast food low carb options?
Breakfast
If you need to grab something to go on your way into the office and you forgot your hardboiled eggs in the fridge, these are some of the best breakfast options:
- Starbucks – Bacon and Gruyere Sous Vide Egg Bites – 9 grams
- Hardees – Low Carb Breakfast Bowl – 10 grams
- Panera Bread – Scrambled Egg – 1 gram
- McDonald’s – Egg McMuffin – 2 grams (take the egg out of the McMuffin)
Hamburgers & Sandwiches
Right off the bat, you’re going to want to stay clear of the french fries, ketchup, and any buns or bread.
A few fast-food restaurants like McDonald’s, Hardee’s, Wendy’s, and Burger King will be more than happy to serve your hamburger without the bun.
Hamburgers make for a perfect meal if you’re jonesing for a fast food meal. Most plain hamburgers have only 1 gram of carbs.
If you’re not into hamburgers, grilled chicken nuggets are a perfect go-to. If you need to dip the nuggets, why not dip them in mayonnaise with a hint of hot sauce or blue cheese dressing.
Low carb tip: Ask for your hamburgers wrapped in lettuce instead of a bun. You’ll be surprised how accomodating some fast-food restaurants are.
Don’t like hamburgers? No problem; how does an unwich sound?
Jimmy Johns is probably one of the most Atkin’s food-friendly fast-food restaurants out there. Just order your sandwich without the bread. They call it an unwich. It’s wrapped in lettuce and it’s delicious).
Salads
When you’re ordering a salad from a fast-food restaurant, you need to be extra careful when it comes to what’s in the salad. Many of the fast-food salads contain hidden sugars and croutons.
These salads may seem like their Atkin’s friendly, but look at how many carbs are in them:
- Chick-fil-a Lemon Kale Cesear Salad – 22 grams
- Showmars Grilled Chicken Chef Salad – 10 grams
- Subway Cold Cut Combo – 15 grams
- Zaxbys Garden Cobb Zalad – 35 grams
The best salad to get would be:
- Arby’s Roast Chicken Salad – 8 grams
- Burger King Side Salad (no dressing) – 3 grams
If you can’t control what’s in your salad, it would be best not to order one.
In reality, fast food isn’t a healthy alternative for anyone, let alone someone who’s trying to watch their carbs, sugar, or sodium intake. Sure, the marketing agencies know our weaknesses and they’ll pounce like a honey badger attacking a cobra.
As marketers, it’s their job to promote a fast-food salad as being a healthy alternative to a fried chicken sandwich, when in reality, they’re both pretty close in the non-healthy department.
When you’re on the Atkin’s diet or any diet and you’re dying to some Mickey D’s, you can have it, just make wise choices and remember; moderation is key.
Your turn
What are you favorite fast food low carb foods? Share with a comment.
Leave a Reply