How to Be a Conscious Eater

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“HEALTHY” FAST FOOD

T

o dive into conscious eating away from home, let’s start

with the sticky business of picking a fast food or fast

casual restaurant to optimize the health of you and your

family. Here are the main considerations:

Calories and portion size. Excessive portion size is the flip side of

the food waste coin. Consider posted calorie counts as one clue

for evaluating a given food establishment. Depending on the

day, the meal, the snack, or the beverage, and whether you’re

looking for a little or a lot calorie-wise, having the informa-

tion can at least ensure you’re making the choice intentionally,

rather than mindlessly.

Nutritious menu options. There’s no definitive “healthiest fast food

chains” ranking, but many lifestyle publications provide lists of

their own. As a general rule, I’m inclined to trust those backed

by registered dietitians, on staff or otherwise. From a culinary

standpoint, I tend to agree with the lists of healthiest fast food

chains provided by the Food Network and The Daily Meal. I also

mostly agree with the benchmark for “healthy” used by each

one, based purely on the anecdotal experience of having eaten

at most of the places on the lists.

The following regional and national chains—which admit-

tedly are all fast casual versus fast food and therefore not as

affordable as, say, a drive-thru burger chain—appear on one

or both of these lists: Asian Box, Cava Grill, Chopt, Freshii,

Modern Market, Noodles & Company, sweetgreen, Tender

Greens, Veggie Grill, and Zoë’s Kitchen.

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