I don’t know what it is about summer in London, but I feel like I have ants in my pants- I just can’t seem to sit still. Because of that, my meals have been all over the place and I’m not eating at home as much as normal. In an ideal world, I’d be carrying around packed lunches:
In a real world, that’s pretty rare. If I’m not meeting someone for lunch, I tend to resort to fast food. Before you give me the side-eye, I’m not talking about McDonalds. I know the mention of ‘fast food’ automatically brings up notions of cheap, unhealthy, & overly processed foods. To an extent, it’s understandable why so many fast food chains compromise on ingredients- every business strives to keep costs low.
Fortunately long gone are the days where KFC and Burger King are the only options for quick, yet low cost, meals. More and more on-the-go meal options seem to be popping up. Especially at chains like Starbucks, I’ve noticed a huge trend towards providing customers with healthier options and the use of fresh ingredients. Some of my favorite stops for convenient, affordable, and nutritious (to some extent) food includes:
- Sushi:
- Fro Yo
And while calorie counts & other nutritional information on menus can be a real killjoy, they certainly help me make informed choices in such circumstances.
What’s your favorite “healthy” fast food?
I’m actually so glad you mentioned this, considering when I have only an hour or two between classes in the States I tend to grab quick lunches more often than not! Sushi, Chopp’t (Chopp’d in the UK), Pret, Chipotle and deli sandwiches (usually turkey with mushrooms and brie with mustard on whole wheat) are STANDARDS when I go out, but luckily they’re not too bad on a nutritional level. As long as I make healthy breakfasts and dinners, I feel like this is fine to curb hunger. Honestly, those make your own salad bars are so convenient, since you just pick the toppings and there’s no clean up after! I’m so relieved that you agree!
I completely agree about curbing hungry..and even if it’s not overly hungry, there’s so many healthy snack options available too (read: Pinkberry ;))
I love Pret-a-Manger! And I wouldn’t mind to steal this FroYo just now.
Do you know Tibits? I think it actually started in London and it is a Vegeterian Buffet and Take Away Style restaurant and has GREAT healthy choices. We have 3 of it here in Zurich and you bet I am in there quite frequently 🙂
There’s actually Tibits 10 minutes away from me! I always walk by but maybe I will now try it out given your recommendation! 🙂
Chipotle will always have my heart, but that’s a tiny bit problematic since we don’t have it up here in Canada. That being said, I’ll grab a sub if I’m on the go and need some food, or I’ll make sure to pack something with me. Allergies make it kind of an annoyance to eat out, so I like to make sure I always have something with me just in case.
Oh man…and the worst part is that SO many restaurants now tend to write “May contain traces of peanuts” for legal reasons 🙁
Great post! I feel like since I live in a smaller city, I don’t have as many options as bigger cities. Like when I’m in Toronto I always pass a zillion healthy looking fast food places with menus of salads, sandwiches, rice bowls, and smoothies. Plus I can only get Chipotle in Toronto. 😛 But if I need something fast and healthy in my city, I’ll pick up Subway or takeout from Kindfood.
Random fact but apparently more Subway outlets exist than McDonalds!
Its so annoying how there is this stigma that all fast food is unhealthy- there will always be some options which are frankly, nutritious and delicious, and you have pointed that out nicely! My favourite would easily be Mad Mex (try hard chipotle but 10 times the price) but I certainly wouldn’t say no to a subway sub with avocado and double meat 😉
I am YET to come across a Subway which offers avocado- now THAT would be a treat 🙂
Great post outlining healthy choices in the fast food world! Even the big typical fast food chains are providing healthy choices – I stepped into chik fil a the other day and was pleasantly surprised to see grilled nuggets on the menu! Grilled nuggets and a side salad and hey presto – lunch!
I have a weakness for nuggets and if grilled are on the menu, clearly I need to scope out a Chik Fil A pronto!
So true – there is more to fast or healthy, cheap options than McDonalds! Subway or Pita Pit is a go-to for me when I need to pick something up for lunch, but a lot of the time I look for a large grocery store – they usually have a section of packaged sandwiches, salads, wraps, soups and sushi that will usually get the job done for me. And you’ve now inspired a sushi craving, by the way 😉
Great idea about supermarkets! Aside from packaged salads/sandwiches/wraps, many now tend to have their own in-house salad bars which work out very reasonable!
Mmmmm that Vital Ingredient place looks yummy! I pretty much always pack my lunch because I’m usually too cheap to buy it, but my go to healthy “fast food” is Chipotle and the Whole Foods hot bar. YUM.
Whole Foods (hot or cold bar) is always a good idea…cheap or not 😉
very true..I m impressed at most fast foods places starting to offer somewhat healthier salads and fresh fruit options. Sushi and fro-yos are always delightful 🙂
They’re a winning combo 🙂
Love all your options – I haven’t stepped foot in mcdonalds in a decade probably. Was occassional even before that. The Pret menu is very different in the UK and the US apparently, but I love Pret (on either side of the pond) for my weekday lunches at work. Once I went a whole year with subway sandwiches for lunch (on weekdays only!). I think I might go back to that trend to get healthy. Since I don’t eat fish, I love veggie rolls – avacado, carrots, sweet potato – yumm! but the sushi rice is very high GI. Love, Love, Love Chipotle. Here in NYC , there is an indian version of Chipotle (called Clay Oven) – not as healthy – but fast and yummy!
Oh wow, I just googled Clay Oven & it sounds so awesome- love the idea of customising Indian dishes!
Great tips. I think a lot of people are under the impression that “quick foods” aren’t healthy but you can totally always find them if you look hard enough.
And fast food doesn’t have to include the typical McDonald’s or KFC there are SO many more options these days. Although probably not idea to a packed Lunch, since of the preservatives in the veggies it’s better than nothing! Or a great first step at least.
Absolutely, it’s the lesser of 2 evils 🙂
My three favorite “healthy” fast food restaurants are definitely Subway, Chipotle, and Panera!! Yum :).
I’ve heard great things about Panera, especially their secret menu!
I tried Pret-a-Manger when I was in Chicago and really loved it. 🙂 I’ve heard it’s even better in London! As far as what’s available in Miami, Lime Fresh is probably my favorite place to grab something healthy.
That’s awesome that Pret is in the US too- I thought it was only located around the UK 🙂
These are some good tips! I’m about to be traveling a LOT and defintiely use these healthy options. I like to bring my own protein when I can to avoid all the sodium they add.
Carrying your own protein around is a good idea, especially as so many restaurants tend to skimp on it!
I have to say a lot of restaurants if not most are going towards having so many alterations or substitutions which I think is good. We should never do away with all sort of fast food but having options allows you to make that choice
I completely agree- rather than eradicate items off a menu, adding more options seems sensible!
I;ve actually become a huge fan of pret a manager this summer. 2 just opened- 1 near my work and 1 near my apartment so whenever i need something fast i go for their chicken avocado salad, cobb or chicken caesar salad, and im always really happy with it.
Do they offer a crayfish & avocado salad there? If so, I highly recommend it! 🙂
healthy fast food hands down is chipotle. i can’t live without it. so reasonable and yummy. i also love sushi once a week for lunch. unfortunately pret isn’t close by, but I really like their sandwiches… I always check the fat/calories though. great post.
If only someone would bring Chipotle to Mumbai 🙂
There are indeed so many more healthy fast food choices nowadays than even five years ago! I haven’t heard about Vital Ingredient until now—looks awesome :D!
Love places with good salad bar options!
I think fast food is inevitable. It’s work to have to create every meal from scratch all day, every day and if you have a job, children, other responsibilities, then it seems damn near impossible. So fast food is inevitable. The important thing is finding places like these, where you can eat quickly and cleanly without feeling like crap after. I’m a huge fan of Chipotle and I also love Liquid Planet, which specializes in smoothies, salads, and sandwich wraps. Their “sides” are chips and salsa, chips and hummus, apple and peanut butter or rice and beans. They are a fast food staple for me.
Love the sound of Liquid Planet’s sides, especially as it provides all kinds of options (healthy, unhealthy, sweet, savory)!