5 Best Fast-Food Chains for Health-Conscious Eaters in 2025

Do you have to stop eating fast food to lose weight? No. Do you have to make some changes or try some new restaurants? It's likely. While fast food has a bad reputation for serving high-calorie foods with lots of cholesterol and bad fats, not every restaurant is as unhealthy as you think. Even your favorite guilty pleasure chains have surprisingly healthy options for even those on strict diets. Here are the 5 best fast food chains for health-conscious eaters in 2025.

Chick-fil-A

Chick-fil-A is famous for serving up super delicious fried chicken sandwiches, breaded nuggets, and waffle-cut fries – not exactly what you want to be eating if you want to lose weight. However, the chicken-only fast food restaurant has several health-conscious options, including their to-die-for grilled chicken nuggets. Marinated to deliciousness and grilled for a smoky finish, the nuggets are high in protein and low in calories 130 calories and 25 grams of protein for an eight count. Other healthy options include salads, grilled chicken sandwiches, and sides, including the kale crunch.

Sweetgreen

Sweetgreen, a fast food brand dedicated to delivering health-conscious food to customers through salads and warm bowls, is a great place to eat delicious food without guilt. The brand recently launched a healthier version of french fries. Ripple Fries, 240 calories per serving, are "freshly cut potatoes, air-fried in avocado oil and seasoned with sea salt and herbs," served with garlic aioli.

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Chiptole

If you order a burrito and fill it with lots of cheese, sour cream, and guacamole, you probably aren't on the road to weight loss. However, there are lots of health-conscious opportunities at Chipotle that you don't want to sleep on. While you can create your own meals, the Mexican fast food joint also offers pre-curated Lifestyle Bowls with everything from balanced macros and high-protein bowls to those suitable for specific diets.

Panera Bread

Panera Bread can be one of the healthiest fast food options if you make the right choices. Many salad and bowl options can offer a good amount of protein and fiber without all the calories. However, you need to be careful of condiments and salad dressings, which can quickly add lots of calories to your meal. A solid option? The Mediterranean Chicken Greens with Grains, a bowl with whole grains, chicken, mixed greens, cucumbers, hummus, Greek dressing, feta, and shawarma seasoning.

Taco Bell

Sure, you can easily order a burrito with over 1,000 calories at Taco Bell, but there are a surprising number of healthy options there as well. Blake, aka @thenutritionnarc, a diet and fitness influencer who lost 23 pounds in two months, regularly shares his go-to orders in his viral videos on YouTube. One of the easiest? Taco Bell's Chicken Soft Taco is "definitely my favorite" he says, with 155 calories and nine grams of protein. "This has to be one of the cheapest options out there as well. It costs like what? $2," he says. The Diet Diva, Tara Collingwood, MS, RDN, CSSD, LD/N, ACSM-CPT, a board-certified sports Dietitian, agrees. "I would recommend ordering two of them and getting extra salsa for veggies and hardly any more calories. And if you're sick of chicken, the beef soft taco is only 180 calories and 9 grams of protein. Get one of each for less than 400 calories," she says.