Chick-Fil-A and Starbucks are two of the most popular “fast food” places our clients frequent. We get it, we’ve got kids and jobs and a busy lives too!
It’s great to have a back-up in mind when you get caught without a plan. If our clients have certain places they go all the time, we make sure they’ve got at least 2 meal options picked out at each place that are “dietitian approved.”
Best Picks at Chick-fil-A:
#1: The Grilled Cool Wrap. At 350 calories, 29g of carbs, 13g of fiber, and 43g of protein, that’s pretty damn balanced. The caveat? The Avocado Lime Ranch, Creamy Salsa and Garden Herb Ranch dressings have crappy ingredients and almost as many calories as the wrap itself. I’m not big on tracking daily calories but I am big on knowing what’s in your food.
What I do: I use the Zesty Buffalo sauce (25 cals per packet) as my “dressing”
The side: Fruit! I would usually never order fruit as a side because you always get that nasty, unripe melon with one lonely strawberry and a few soggy grapes. No thanks. But Chick-fil-A’s fruit is actually delicious! Lots of berries, apples, and mandarin oranges.
Confession: I don’t always get the fruit. Sometimes the fries are just calling my name. When I get the wrap, I don’t feel guilty about it.
#2: The Grilled Market Salad with Grilled Nuggets. 320 cals, 14g fat, 26g carbs, and 27g of protein. Again, very balanced. Get the Light Balsamic Vinaigrette as your dressing and call it a day.
If you’re at Chick-fil-A for breakfast, the Egg White Grill is the best choice (even though I wish they would just use the whole egg and a whole grain English muffin).
For kids: the 5 count grilled nuggets kids meal with applesauce or a fruit cup is my top choice!
About the author: Megan Poczekaj, RDN, LD, is a registered dietitian nutritionist in Orlando, FL. She owns the private practice, Nutrition Awareness, where she teaches other entrepreneurs how to maximize their productivity and performance with nutrition. She is the author of the book The Optimized Life: A Nutrition Guide for Entrepreneurs and co-host of the Nutrition Awareness Podcast.
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