While fast food is notorious for being high in fat, sugar, and sodium, all hope is not lost with this go-to choice you can find at nearly any fast-food chain.

Cobb Salad with grilled chicken is an easy grab at any of your favorite fast-food chains when you need something quick and convenient. Whether you’re running through Wendy’s or Chick-fil-A, cobb salads provide three major components of a weight loss-focused meal: protein, fiber, and healthy fat.

In previous weight loss attempts, you may have focused on restricting your food until you were hungry, fatigued, and weak. However, it doesn’t have to be that way! Healthy weight loss might have periods of restrictions, but overall it should feel manageable in the short term.

One essential aspect of making healthy weight loss manageable is to focus on foods that are naturally filling and satisfying rather than leaving it up to your willpower to count every calorie and “white-knuckle” your way through daily food choices.

Enter: the cobb salad! Let’s dissect why this choice works for weight loss.

Protein

Protein is non-negotiable for weight loss. It’s filling, satiating, and prevents muscle loss during a weight loss phase. Without protein, we tend to get hungry faster and experience a blood sugar “dip” after meals that may make us crave more food to feel better again.6254a4d1642c605c54bf1cab17d50f1e

Swap fried chicken for grilled chicken here to save calories without skimping on total protein.

Fiber

Fiber increases feelings of fullness and satiety in our diet. Traditional cobb salads are packed with fiber, nutrients, and plenty of volume from the greens, tomatoes, avocado, and cucumbers.

Jana Mowrer, RDN, MPH, CDCES, NBC-HWC says “it’s important to work up to a daily fiber intake of 30 grams per day in order to help regulate blood sugar, blood pressure, feed healthy bacteria in our gut, and manage belly bloat overtime helping us achieve our weight loss goals.”

Fat

Healthy fat is both filling and satisfying at meals. This means you can stay full for longer with fewer nagging cravings!

Fat in traditional cobb salads comes from heart-healthy avocado, savory blue cheese, and the dressing. Focus on a vinaigrette or a “light” dressing here for a lower calorie option that still delivers a satisfying taste!

Looking for more? We’ve done the work for you with these top 27 Fast-Food Chicken Sandwiches—Ranked!

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Fast food isn’t on the top of people’s go-to meal list when they are trying to lose weight—and rightfully so. Unfortunately, eating at fast-food restaurants is associated with higher fat and lower vegetable intakes among certain populations, possibly leaving people at an increased risk of experiencing nutritional gaps and eating more empty calories—two contributors to weight gain. Plus, fast food tends to be a major contributor to excessive saturated fat intake, which can wreak havoc on a weight loss plan as well.

Despite the health concerns, over a third of American adults eat fast food on a given day, thanks to the food being served quickly and the convenience factor.

Since eating fast food is strongly associated with weight gain and obesity, it makes sense for people on a weight loss journey to stick to other options when they are trying to see results.

But while it is true that leaning on French fries, regular sodas, and fried chicken sandwiches multiple times a week won’t help you fit into your skinny jeans, the good news is some fast food joints offer some menu choices that are weight loss-friendly while also being convenient and delicious to enjoy.

Generally speaking, opting for choices that are not fried, are not made with added sugars, and are not swimming in creamy sauces will provide you with a lighter meal that can help you achieve your weight loss goals.

And among the healthy fast-food options out there, the #1 best fast-food order for weight loss is a 6-inch Subway Veggie Delite Sandwich, Side Salad, and 100% orange juice. Read on, and for more on how to eat healthy, don’t miss Eating Habits to Lose Abdominal Fat As You Age, Say Dietitians.

As delicious as most fast food sandwiches are, they are lacking when it comes to including fresh vegetables and high-quality protein choices. Many choices contain fatty and salty sauces and can clock in at over 1,000 calories per serving!

Ordering a Subway Veggie Delite sandwich can fuel your body with tons of veggies with no processed meats or unhealthy condiments. Ordering the sandwich on a 6-inch hearty multigrain roll will provide a whopping 7 grams of fiber per serving, helping to give this sandwich some serious staying power and possibly assisting people to avoid hunger pangs shortly after eating.

For the fillings, opting for fresh tomatoes, spinach, green peppers, and red onions will help people meet their veggie quota for the day and add some serious flavor with very few added calories. For a protein source, BelGioioso Fresh Mozzarella provides high-quality protein along with calcium and other important nutrients that can support weight loss as well.

A drizzle of oil and vinegar along with a sprinkle of black pepper will elevate this sandwich even more, and in minutes you will have a gourmet-tasting main dish that is jam-packed with good-for-you ingredients that can help people stick to their weight loss goals.

As your side dish, instead of opting for fried chips or a cookie, a Veggie Delite salad will set you back only 50 calories and will give your meal even more satisfying fiber and nutrients with no added salt, sugars, or fats.

Skip the cheese addition and add a bit of oil and vinegar as a dressing, and you will be well on your way to enjoying a dietitian-approved meal. If you are an avocado lover, you can even add some avocado slices to your salad for some healthy fats and more fiber.

Finally, instead of sipping on soda or lemonade with added sugars, ask for a 16-ounce bottle of Simply Orange Orange Juice and a glass of water, only filled halfway. Mix 8 ounces of your juice with the water for a diluted fruit drink that “counts” as a fruit serving and provides your body with micronutrients that may help your body lose weight, including vitamin C.

RELATED: Secret Side Effects of Drinking Orange Juice, Says Science

A 6-inch Veggie Delite sandwich made on a hearty multigrain roll, a combo of sliced tomatoes, spinach, green peppers, and red onions, fresh Mozzarella cheese, a drizzle of oil and vinegar, and a sprinkle of pepper is a powerhouse fast food main dish that combines whole grains, fresh vegetables, and high-quality protein in one sandwich. Pairing it with a side salad for an additional veggie boost and a drink made of real juice and water balances out this fast food order in a nutritious, delicious, and convenient way.6254a4d1642c605c54bf1cab17d50f1e

And for more, check out these The Worst Fast-Food Menu Items for Weight Loss, According to Dietitians.

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Fast-food is an easy grab-and-go option for when you’re short on time or just don’t feel like whipping something up at home. And yeah, sometimes you just get a craving for a burger and some fries! It’s important to keep in mind, though, that some fast-food items are better than others, so if you’re choosing to stop in a McDonald’s or Burger King to grab something, you’re better off knowing beforehand what your healthiest and unhealthiest options are before you place your order. This way you can best keep your diet goals in check!

In general, going with a salad (dressing on the side) with non-fried or sugary toppings is a solid option great, as well as choosing a sandwich or entrée that has grilled, rather than fried meat and fish. Anything that is loaded with fattening ingredients or that comes in a massive platter size should be a no-go given red light. Still though, here’s a handy guide to the worst fast-food menu items, according to dietitians, so you can make the best decision. And while you’re making healthier choices, go ahead and stock up on The 7 Healthiest Foods to Eat Right Now.

No matter how you spin it, a beef patty combined with bacon and cheese is going to pack a lot of calories and saturated fat.

“Many of these burger options are well above the 500 calorie mark and contain 3/4 or more of the saturated fat amount you should have in a whole day,” says Ginger Hultin MS, RDN, dietitian, and author of Anti-Inflammatory Diet Meal Prep.

Not only do you have to worry about saturated fat, but the sodium content in these burgers can be dangerous, too. Many options often contain more than half the amount of daily sodium limits, like Hardee’s Monster Angus Thickburger, says Ilyse Schapiro MS, RD, CDN. That burger has almost a pound of beef, four strips of bacon, plus three slices of American cheese with mayo. Big yikes!

Breakfast sets the tone for the rest of your day, so you want to make sure you’re starting things off right. That’s why you need to be careful when it comes to ordering a fast-food breakfast.

“Many fast-food restaurants offer some type of eggs, meat, and muffin, biscuit or potato combo, but these are typically very high in calories, and some as high as 800-1,000 just for that one meal,” says Hultin.

McDonald’s Big Breakfast with Hotcakes and Large Biscuit, for example, is a doozy, points out Schapiro. This menu item comes with hotcakes, scrambled eggs, hash browns, sausage, butter, and a biscuit for a meal that is packing 1,340 calories. And that’s just for breakfast!

Large-sized coffee drinks, especially ones that are caramel or mocha flavored or are made with whole milk, tend to be really dense in calories and added sugar. That just makes for a disastrous combination.

“For a mocha drink from various fast-food restaurants, you could be looking at 600-800 calories, nearly a day’s worth of recommended saturated fat intake, and [more than] 50 grams of sugar,” says Hultin. “Easily adapt your order by choosing a smaller size, nixing the whipped cream, asking for ‘light’ syrup, and choosing a lower fat milk,” she suggests.

And just so you know, the Butter Pecan Swirl Frozen Coffee with skim milk from Dunkin’ is one of the worst ones you can order—don’t let the skim milk there fool you!

This is the perfect example of taking something that could be healthy, and quickly seeing how it can turn unhealthy.

“A salad may seem like a safe bet for your weight loss goals but with fried chicken, croutons, and [a] creamy dressing, some salads are higher in calories and fat than a burger,” says Hultin. It’s not that shocking to find a fast-food salad that is upwards of 500 calories, contains more than 10 grams of saturated fat, and is packing added sugar, too. Remember, anything that has the word “crispy” just means fried!

“Many 6-12 inch sub sandwiches fall into the 500-800 calorie range but some are going to be much higher in fat, calories, and sodium than others,” says Hultin. Because of the variety of meats and cheeses used, Italian sub sandwiches, in particular, can easily top 1,000 calories in one sandwich. Schapiro says the Jersey Mike’s Giant Buffalo Chicken Cheesesteak on White Bread is a no-go, as it has 1,850 calories and three times the amount of sodium you are supposed to have in a day. Plus, it has 152 grams of carbs and more than 30 grams of saturated fat.

Looking for more helpful tips? Your ultimate restaurant and supermarket survival guide is here!

“Wings are typically all skin, fat, and fried, plus the dipping sauce is not low calorie either,” says Schapiro. The Checkers/Rally’s 20-Piece Garlic Parmesan Chicken Wings is a good example of how excessive this menu item can be.

“This has 2,040 calories for the entire order, which is enough total calories for the day for many people,” she says. It also has 48 grams of saturated fat, and 3,320 mg of sodium, which is way more than your daily needs for the day, as The American Heart Association recommends no more than 2,300 milligrams of sodium a day for most adults.

Those pies that are loaded with meat-based toppings might be mouth-watering, but they’re not doing your waistline any favors.

Schapiro says a meat-packed pizza on thick bread is definitely a bad option, no matter what. And even the smaller pie sizes, like Pizza Hut’s Meat Lover’s Personal Pan Pizza, can be dangerous, too.

A steak salad isn’t any better than one that is topped with fried chicken. These salads tendsto be high in calories and fat based, too.

“Chipotle’s Steak Salad, if you get all of the toppings, like white rice, black beans, fajita vegetables, roasted chili-corn salsa, sour cream, cheese, guacamole, and vinaigrette, your salad will come to at least 1,305 calories, 117 carbs, plus over your daily recommendation for sodium and fat,” says Schapiro.

Plenty of fast-food chains have decadent milkshakes, but it’s best to resist the temptation, especially when it comes to those larger sizes.

“Typically made with whole milk and whole milk ice cream, milkshakes are high in calories and fat, sometimes even as much as enough calories for your entire day,” says Schapiro. One over-the-top option? A large Oreo Peanut Butter Shake from Sonic, which is packing 1,720 calories, 172 grams of carbs, and 111 grams of sugar. That all is just super bad for your heart and arteries, Schapiro points out.

Oh, the French fry. It’s (arguably) often the most popular fast-food side dish, but you want to keep everything in moderation if you are going to indulge in a few crispers.

“Fries tend to be high in carbs, fat, and sodium, and they don’t have to have cheese on them for them to be bad for you,” says Schapiro. Steer clear of the Five Guys fries, she says, which have a total of 1,314 calories are more than 1,300 milligrams of sodium for a large order. If you can’t resist, get a small and always remember to share.

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