Fast Food Salads

(WeightWatchers.com) -- Some nights the drive-thru seems like the only option. The kids are in the back seat screaming, you're exhausted and you've still got three errands to run before you can call it a day. There's got to be something healthy on that fast food menu. Wait, don't they have salads now? It's the perfect solution! Or is it?

What's In a Name?

Don't be fooled. Fast-food salads are often loaded with high-calorie ingredients like meat, cheese and high-fat dressing, making any good-for-you carrots or tomatoes they may contain irrelevant. In fact, McDonald's Fiesta Salad contains more fat and calories than a Quarter Pounder. (If you include salsa and sour cream, the Fiesta salad clocks in at 450 calories and 27 grams of fat, while the Quarter Pounder is no lightweight at 430 calories and 21 grams of fat).

Are All Salads Created Equal?

Just because a few salads don't turn out to be health bargains doesn't mean that ordering one at a fast-food or chain restaurant has to be a nutritional nightmare. The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) gave several salads at Au Bon Pain, Subway and Panera Bread high ratings. And McDonald's California Cobb salad without chicken comes in at a respectable 190 calories and 12 grams of fat when eaten with the low-fat balsamic dressing. Brie Turner-McGrievy, MS, RD, clinical research coordinator for the PCRM recommends looking for salads that are heavy in veggies, high-fiber beans and even a few nuts (for protein and healthy fats). If there's nothing like that on the menu, see if you can get a salad "your way." Perhaps they can leave off the cheese, fried noodles, croutons or bacon; substitute a low-fat or nonfat dressing for regular or give you grilled, rather than crispy (read: fried), chicken.

But if that's not an option, don't despair. Turner-McGrievy points out that many fast-food restaurants do offer more health-conscious non-salad items like vegetable burgers and bean-based meals. She cites Taco Bell's bean burrito — hold the cheese — as an excellent example.

The Low Down

Still craving one of those high-fat, high-calorie salads? Go for it. Just make sure it's only an occasional treat and balanced by healthier eating the rest of the day. Our Community users have some great tips, too:

• At restaurants that serve soup, see if you can get a low-calorie soup with just half a salad.
• Don't forget that the nutrition information provided is usually for just the salad and NOT the dressing, too.
• Ask for salsa instead of their high-fat dressings.
• The dressings may be high in calories but use just half the pack — you'll find it's more than enough.
• Leave off the croutons and cheese. Otherwise, you may as well have a burger and fries!
  

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