I'm going to include the Fast Food guide with recommendations from Dr. A but I personally agree with Laurie and I try really hard to limit my fast food especially in Phase 1.
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FAST FOOD GUIDE:
Just because you're on the South Beach Diet™ doesn't mean that you can't hit the drive-thru and feast on fast food every now and again. You just need to be careful about which foods you choose. In general, steer clear of white sandwich bread and buns, sugar-filled condiments like ketchup, and items cooked in bad fats, like French fries. Here's a look at some of the healthier food choices when eating on the go.
Wendy's™
Meat Items:
* Grilled Chicken Fillet—toss the bun. All other ingredients are permitted (lettuce, mayonnaise, mustard, onion, dill pickles, and tomato slice).
* Chili—may combine a small chili with a side salad as a meal. Both the shredded cheese and chili seasoning are permitted.
Garden Sensation® Salads:
* Caesar Side Salad—toss the bacon pieces and the home-style garlic croutons. All other ingredients are permitted (romaine, parmesan cheese, and Caesar dressing).
* Side Salad—all ingredients are permitted (iceberg and romaine lettuce, cucumbers, grape tomatoes, red onions, and carrots).
* Chicken BLT—do not use the honey mustard dressing, bacon pieces, or garlic croutons. All other ingredients are permitted (iceberg lettuce, romaine, spring salad mix, cucumbers, grape tomatoes, cheddar cheese, and diced chicken).
* Spring Mix Salad—do not use the honey roasted pecans; request the roasted almonds instead. Do not use the house vinaigrette dressing. All other ingredients are permitted (iceberg and romaine lettuce, spring salad mix, cucumbers, grape tomatoes, red onions, carrots, and cheddar cheese).
* Spinach Chicken Salad—do not use the bacon, croutons, and sweet and bacon salad dressing. All other ingredients are permitted (spinach, chicken, romaine, grape tomatoes, and eggs).
Salad Dressings:
* Blue cheese
* Creamy ranch
* Reduced fat, creamy ranch
* Caesar
Boston Market™
Meat Items:
* 1/4 white meat chicken, no skin or wing
* Skinless Rotisserie Turkey Breast
* Marinated Grilled Chicken
Veggies:
* Green Beans
* Steamed Vegetable Medley
Salads:
* Caesar Side Salad—toss the croutons.
* Caesar Salad Entrée—toss the croutons and eat as main dish.
* Chunky Chicken Salad—eat as main dish.
Desserts:
* Seasonal fresh fruit—refer to fruit listed for Phase 2.
Burger King™
* BK Veggie Burger Sandwich—toss the bun (and no ketchup). May eat with regular or low-fat mayonnaise, tomato slices, pickle slices, onion, and lettuce. Note: This is NOT a vegan product.
* Chicken WHOPPER Sandwich—toss the bun. May eat with regular or low-fat mayonnaise, tomato slices, pickle slices, and lettuce.
* Chicken Whopper JR Sandwich—toss the bun. May eat with regular or low-fat mayonnaise, tomato slices, pickle slices, and lettuce.
* Chili
* Chicken Caesar Salad—no croutons.
* Side Garden Salad
* Santa Fe Fire Grilled Chicken Baguette—toss the baguette.
* Grilled Chicken Caesar Club Baguette—toss the bun and bacon.
* Sourdough Breakfast Sandwich—enjoy 1/2 of the sourdough bun. May order with egg, ham, and cheese. No sausage or bacon!
* Enjoy the wrap in Phase 2, but choose fillings that are South Beach Diet™-friendly. (Be sure to check the amount of saturated fat so you don't overdo it.) You can use the lists of foods above as a guide.
Hardee's®
Breakfast Items (Order Individual Sides):
* Breakfast Ham
* Country Ham
* Scrambled Egg
* Folded Egg
Lunch and Dinner Selections: Currently nothing SBD-friendly
* The chicken in the Charbroiled Chicken Sandwich contains brown sugar
* The Roast Beef Sandwich selections have a whirl on them. A whirl is made from partially hydrogenated soybean oil.
McDonald's™
Sandwiches:
* Chicken McGrill®—toss the bun.
Salads:
* Grilled Chicken Bacon Ranch—toss the bacon bits.
* Bacon Ranch Salad (without chicken)—toss the bacon bits.
* Grilled Chicken Caesar Salad
* Caesar Salad (without chicken)
* Grilled Chicken California Cobb—toss the bacon bits.
* California Cobb (without chicken)—toss the bacon bits.
* Side Salad—toss the croutons.
* The egg and Canadian bacon (found on the Egg McMuffin®) are allowed from the sandwich items.
* The Spanish Egg omelet without the bagel and sausage is allowed.
* Scrambled eggs
* Grilled Chicken Breast Sandwich—toss the bun and order without the honey mustard dressing
* Toaster Sandwich—order the ham, egg and cheese and toss the Texas toast
* Grilled Chicken Wrap—toss the actual flour wrap and ask for the dressing on the side
Back Yard Burgers
* Savory Chicken Sandwich—toss the bun
* Blackened Chicken Sandwich—toss the bun
* Garden Veggie Sandwich (made with a Gardenburger®)—toss the bun
* Garden Fresh Salad
* Charbroiled Chicken Salad
* Blackened Chicken Salad
* SBD-friendly salad dressings: Ranch and fat-free Italian (only 3 grams of sugar per package)
Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC)®
* Original Recipe® chicken breast with skin removed
* Green Beans
I'm going to include the Fast Food guide with recommendations from Dr. A but I personally agree with Laurie and I try really hard to limit my fast food especially in Phase 1.
Sonic
* Grilled Chicken Wrap—toss the actual flour wrap and ask for the dressing on the side
Sonic offers a low carb wrap that is not listed on their menu, is this an ok substitute or had you already considered it before writing the list?
Low Carb is not always Good Carb. Is it made with whole wheat? What else is in it? The focus in South Beach is on whole grains in Phase II with only limited carbs in Phase I.
Low Carb is not always Good Carb. Is it made with whole wheat? What else is in it? The focus in South Beach is on whole grains in Phase II with only limited carbs in Phase I.
I honestly don't know, which is why I asked. I will have to find out next time I stop by there.
Thanks
Baja Fresh side by side is really good and everything comes in its own little section on the plate! Salad with avacado, grilled chicken, guacamole and some salsas...yummm it is great and is enough for two meals!!
TGI Fridays has a low carb menu, and I figured it had to have some okay choices for SBD, so I got the Grilled Buffalo Chicken Salad, made up of a buffalo glazed chicken breast, cheddar cheese (that I don't remember seeing) all over romaine lettuce with a jalapeno ranch dressing. Any opinions on this? I am sure it may have a little to much fat in the dressing, but other than that? It was AMAZING and I would definitly love to add it as a SBD okay place to eat.
I don't know what the sauce is made from so I'm not sure if it would be okay. Or was is in the dressing. Probably not too much sugar since it is an Atkins menu. I would be more concerned if there were bad fats in the dressing when looking at an Atkins Approved menu item.
I tried to look up the nutritional values, but TGI Fridays doesn't post theirs anywhere. They say that their menu changes too much, and since they make things fresh, it wouldn't be accurate to post one.
What about Panera Bread/Atlanta Bread Co./St.Louis Bread Co.?
The Panera website lists the ingredients for all of their foods. They do have a few selections made with "unbleached flour," which includes their Whole Grain bread. It seems semi-ok because of that, however I am curious as to if they would still be allowed since they use some sweeteners.
If anyone has a better idea of how "legal" these are, please let me know, as I am madly in love with Panera.
Thank you so much for the information. I found it very helpful. I eat fast food a lot so it's nice to have options. I am newly married and my husband works late, so there is no need to cook for 1. Eating out doesn't have to be all bad, good to know!