MACRO-FRIENDLY FAST FOOD OPTIONS: ORDERING OUT WHEN TRACKING MACROS
In an ideal world we’d all have plenty of time to prepare our nutritious, perfectly portioned meals for the week and feed our families while still staying on top of our own nutrition. But we know life is far from ideal. We are busy, life is chaotic, time is short and there will be days when you’re on the go, hangry, and need to stop for a meal before you have a meltdown.
EATING OUT IS ALWAYS AN ESTIMATION WHEN IT COMES TO YOUR MACROS.
Restaurant nutrition information can be inaccurate at times, but planning ahead and choosing menu options that align with your macro targets can help you work towards your goals even when on the go and not eating at home.
Today, we’re sharing a few of our favorites options that can help you still hit your macros while eating out - whether you’re on the road traveling or just need a quick bite while navigating your busy day.
OUR TOP THREE MACRO-FRIENDLY FAST FOOD OPTIONS
1 || CHICK FIL A
There are so many great options at Chick-Fil-A and the website has very user friendly information. My favorite hack is to do a mobile order where you can see all nutrition information as you order.
OUR FAVORITES
Grilled Market Salad without the nuts and granola (25P/6F/15C)
Add Light Italian Dressing (0P/1.5F/3C) OR
Add ½ packet Fat Free Honey Mustard (0P/0F/11.5C)
(If you need extra protein, add an extra order of Grilled Nuggets on top for 25P/3.5F/2C)
BE TRADITIONAL
Grilled Chicken Sandwich (29P/6F/36C)
SOMETHING DIFFERENT
Grilled Chicken Cool Wrap (37P/14F/30C)
JUST A SNACK
Superfood Salad (4P/8F/16C)
Chicken Noodle Soup (9P/3.5F/15C)
Greek Yogurt Parfait (13P/9F/30C)
PRO TIP | Careful about condiments! While Chick Fil A offers a lot of macro-friendly options, some of their sauces are far from! A single Chick Fil A Sauce packet has (0P/13F/6C) and the Polynesian Sauce has (0P/6F/13C). This doesn’t mean they’re “bad” or you can’t enjoy them; just be aware of the extra calories that could be added to your day.
2 || CHIPOTLE
Chipotle is always a great option because they have an awesome online nutrition calculator that allows you to completely customize a meal and see detailed nutrition information for that meal.
MY FAVORITE ORDER
Steak burrito bowl with black beans, fajita vegetables, green chili salsa, and cheese (36P/15.5F/34C) (with rice: 40P/19.5C/73C)
PRO TIP | After creating your meal in the Chipotle nutrition calculator, track it easily by just quick adding total protein, fat, and carbs. If you have the Premium version of MFP, you have access to a Quick Add feature. If you don’t have Premium, just search for the individual macros in the database as shown in the photo.
3 || PANERA BREAD
While Panera doesn’t have an online calculator, it does have an easily navigable menu. Here are a few macro-friendly options, meaning they are a bit higher in protein without being super high in overall calories.
Turkey Chili (24P/12F/39C)
Steak & Arugula Sandwich (33P/16F/50C)
BBQ Chicken Flatbread (25P/18F/37C)
Lentil Quinoa Broth Bowl with Chicken (32P/8F/45C)
Soba Noodle Broth Bowl with Chicken (28P/8F/43C)
FAST FOOD RESTAURANTS WITH ONLINE CALCULATORS
McDonalds gets a bad rap, but they do have some decent options and their calculator allows you to customize your order and see the changes in nutrition information as you customize.
Domino’s Cal-O-Meter allows you to build your own pizza, sandwich, or pasta and see the total calories. Click on “View Details” and you can see the total macros.
To access the nutrition calculator, click on a sandwich (or salad, wrap, etc.), and then it will give you detailed nutrition information. From there, click on Nutrition Calculator and customize your order.
Panda Express does not have a nutrition calculator on their website (they do have this list of all nutrition information). However, the Panda Express app has a very easy to use nutrition calculator. If you enter an order on the app as if you are going to order online (without actually ordering), you will be able to see the nutrition information for any custom order you create.
Taco Bell’s online calculator is easy to use and allows you to customize any order. If looking for macro-friendly snacks, there are tons of low-calorie options from the Dollar Menu.
Jason’s Deli has one of the best nutrition calculators out there, with plenty of macro-friendly options on the menu and available by customizing your own order. There are too many great options to list, but I recommend giving Jason’s a try if you have one near you!
TRACKING YOUR MACROS IS ALL ABOUT BALANCE AND FLEXIBILITY
That means being able to enjoy a meal out every once in a while or stop and get fast food without feeling guilt or shame surrounding your food choices.
Even if you don’t eat out frequently, sometimes life gets chaotic and a meal on the go is your only option and that’s ok! You shouldn’t ever have to feel stuck or restricted with your food choices for fear it will ruin your macros. There are plenty of great options out there when you need them. Grab our full guide of more macro-friendly restaurants here.
At the end of the day, do your best and don’t let one meal out completely derail your progress.
For more information on tracking macros while eating out, be sure to check out these blog posts: