Sometimes, with an exceptionally busy schedule it’s difficult to make time for meal preparation or a packed lunch; but even if we do find the time, for those of us who are always on the road, it’s never pleasant opening a lunch which has been sitting in a hot car all morning so our only option is to grab ourselves a hot pie from the servo or a cheeky burger from our nearest and most convenient fast food outlet.
Obviously, this is not indicative of a healthy diet, especially if this is a regular occurrence, but how are we supposed to eat healthy on the go? Luckily, with the health food industry booming and more people than ever becoming conscious of the food and nutrition they are consuming, the fast food industry have been forced to adjust to the new and growing demand for healthier food.
To make your life a little bit easier on the road, we have gone ahead and collected a handful of places you can visit for a quick and easy healthy meal on the go.
McDonalds
If your usual vice is a McChicken with extra mayo or six pack of chicken nuggies, you might have neglected to notice that McDonald’s also features a health section on their menu. The fast food giants supply a handful of healthy meal options comprised mostly of wraps and salads which are reasonably low in calories. Below are some of the low-calorie options they have on offer…
| Wholemeal Crispy Chicken Snack Wrap | 277 calories per serve |
| Wholemeal Grilled Chicken Snack Wrap | 217 calories per serve |
| Classic Crispy Chicken Salad | 278 calories per serve |
| Classic Grilled Chicken Salad | 193 calories per serve |
| Garden Salad | 21 calories per serve |
Zambrero
Everyone’s favourite Mexican is always a good choice if you’re looking for something quick and healthy! This nourishing Mexican joint jam-pack their menu items full of delicious superfoods which will leave you feeling perfectly full without the guilt. If you’re wanting to make sure you’re keeping your calorie intake to a minimum, we suggest choosing from their list of quesadillas, tacos or bowls. Here’s just some of the items we recommend…
| Hard shell taco with chicken | 220 calories per serve |
| Soft taco with chicken | 220 calories per serve |
| Chicken Quesadilla | 217 calories per serve |
| Powerbowl with cauliflower | 286 calories per serve |
Subway
As far as healthy fast food goes, Subway has to be right up there, I mean – they are the poster company for healthy and weight loss. Their menu boasts a plethora of options, with items ranging anywhere between 50 calories to 610. Check out some of their options below…
| Vege delite salad | 50 calories per serve |
| Oven roasted chicken breast salad | 130 calories per serve |
| Six-inch veggie delite sandwich | 230 calories per serve |
| Six-inch turkey breast sandwich | 280 calories per serve |
| Six-inch ham sandwich | 290 calories per serve |
Guzman y Gomez
What can I say, not much beats a damn good Mexican feed, especially when that food is low in calories! Much like Zambrero, Guzman y Gomez’ healthiest menu items are the ones without rice, so that leaves you with tacos, salads and quesadillas. We know that salad probably isn’t your first choice, but Guzman y Gomez has a pretty impressive and diverse list of salads for you to choose from that won’t force you to sacrifice flavour and post-meal satisfaction.
| Mild Grilled Chicken salad | 300 calories per serve |
| Spicy pulled pork salad | 290 calories per serve |
| Spicy slow cooked beef hard shell taco | 240 calories per serve |
| Mild pulled pork soft taco | 160 calories per serve |
Sushi Train
I know what you’re thinking, who has time to peruse a sushi train when you’re flat out busy and on the go? Well, you don’t have to! Pop inside and grab yourself some takeaway with surprisingly minimal calories (that isn’t including the 10 packets of mayo and teriyaki sauce you normally drown it in). To make sure you don’t have to wait for the train to make a full lap, we have listed some of the most popular and low- calorie dishes for you to order directly from the waitstaff.
| Salmon and Avocado Nigiri (2 pieces) | 119 calories per serve |
| Chicken and Avocado Rolls (4 pieces) | 237 calories per serve |
| Salmon Nigiri (2 pieces) | 93 calories per serve |
| Tuna Salad Roll (6 pieces) | 177 calories per serve |
| Gyoza (5 pieces) | 180 calories per serve |
Fast food has been given a pretty bad wrap, but with the many healthy options we still have to choose from, perhaps we should be cutting them a break? Next time you’re out and about and the craving for lunch hits harder than the sweet stench of KFC, try pulling into one of the above fast food joints and try something a little different to your usual burger and fries.
