Erin is a licensed and registered dietitian who worked as a health educator for many years, covering topics like meal planning, vegetarianism, eating organic, and healthy eating both in-person and in print.

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If you and your busy family are always on the go, you've probably considered heading through a drive-thru fast food restaurant. However, you may reconsider after learning more about calories in foods from some popular fast food chains. If there's no way around cruising through fast-food restaurants for nourishment, consider some of the healthier (lower-calorie) alternatives rather than settling for greasy, fried foods.

Burger King

While Burger King offers some healthy options, steer clear of the double whopper with cheese as it contains almost 1,000 calories. Burger King's website offers a complete list of nutritional information for each food on the menu.

Food	Calories	Calories from Fat
Grilled chicken sandwich	470	170
Crispy chicken sandwich	670	370
Six-piece chicken nuggets	260	150
French fries (medium)	380	150
Whopper sandwich	660	360
Double whopper with cheese	980	580
Fish sandwich	510	250
Veggie burger	390	140
Garden grilled chicken salad (no dressing)	340	130

Pizza Hut

Pizza isn't necessarily the healthiest fast-food option, but some items on the Pizza Hut's food list are lower in calories than others.

Food	Calories	Calories from Fat
Six-inch personal pan cheese pizza	590	210
Six-inch persona pan supreme pizza	720	320
Six-inch persona pan veggie pizza	550	180
Traditional buffalo wings (two pieces)	110	50
Four-piece fried cheese sticks	380	220
Apple pie	330	160

Kentucky Fried Chicken

When you're in the mood for fried chicken, sometimes Kentucky Fried Chicken can curb cravings. The KFC website provides up-to-date nutritional information for the full menu.

Food	Calories	Calories from Fat
Spicy crispy chicken breast	350	180
Extra crispy tenders	140	60
Hot wings	70	40
Popcorn nuggets (large)	620	350
BBQ baked beans	240	15
Biscuit	180	80
Sweet corn	80	0
Green beans	25	0
Coleslaw	170	110
Mashed potatoes with gravy	120	35

McDonald's

McDonald's offers some healthy and not-so-healthy menu items listed in the online nutritional facts page.

Food	Calories	Calories from Fat
Big Mac	530	240
Quarter pounder with cheese	520	240
Bacon burger	720	360
Hamburger	240	70
Cheeseburger	290	110
Crispy chicken sandwich	510	200
Grilled chicken sandwich	350	80
Fish fillet	390	170
Southwest grilled chicken wrap	520	180
Six-piece chicken nuggets	280	160
Egg McMuffin	300	120
Fruit and yogurt parfait	150	20
Southwest grilled chicken salad	290	80
Apple slices	15	0
Medium French fries	340	140

Subway

Subway is often known as the "healthy fast food" restaurant but beware that some subs are just as high in calories as other fast food alternatives.

Food	Calories	Calories from Fat
Classic tuna	470	230
Cold cut combo	340	110
Oven roasted chicken	320	45
Spicy Italian	470	220
Chicken teriyaki	370	40
Veggie delight	230	20
Bacon, egg, and cheese	460	180
Egg and cheese	380	140
Oven roasted chicken salad (no dressing)	140	25

Arby's

Arby's offers a variety of fast-food options including their signature classic roast beef sandwich.

Food	Calories	Calories from Fat
Classic roast beef	360	120
Double roast beef	510	210
Roast turkey and Swiss	710	260
Pizza slider	300	150
Reuben	680	280
Five-count chicken tenders	600	250
Buttermilk chicken cordon bleu	690	310
Roasted turkey farmhouse salad	230	130
Medium curly fries	410	200
Four-count mozzarella sticks	440	210

Taco Bell

Are you in the mood for Mexican food? Check out the following Taco Bell nutrition facts information below before you order.

Food	Calories	Calories from Fat
Bacon breakfast crunchwrap	670	380
Sausage grilled breakfast burrito	340	160
Seven-layer burrito	440	140
Black bean burrito	390	100
Chicken loaded griller	340	140
Smothered beef burrito	700	300
Four-count Cinnabon delights	310	160
Crunchy beef taco	140	70
Soft beef taco	160	60
Shredded chicken soft taco	150	50
Chicken power bowl	500	180
Black beans	80	10
Pintos and cheese	190	60

Jason's Deli

If you're in the mood for a restaurant that serves fresh foods with a few more healthy options, check out Jason's deli the next time you dine out.

Food	Calories	Calories from Fat
Whole Santa Fe chicken sandwich	690	300
Whole tuna melt	860	470
Whole Chicago club sandwich	570	270
Reuben the Great (lighter portion)	590	200
Mediterranean wrap	340	90
Turkey wrap	390	150
Black bean taco salad	730	390
Spinach veggie wrap	390	160
Zucchini Grillini	570	300
Cole slaw	210	150
Corn/black bean salsa	180	100
Fruit cup	60	0

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Sonic

Sonic offers a variety of healthy (and not-so-healthy) foods suitable for when you're on-the-go.

Food	Calories	Calories from Fat
Sonic burger with ketchup	650	340
Bacon cheeseburger with mayo	820	490
Veggie burger with ketchup	460	130
Asiago Caesar crispy chicken club sandwich	680	350
Six-piece buffalo wings (boneless)	540	290
Medium popcorn chicken	380	190
All-beef hot dog	320	160
Grilled cheese	410	170
Corn dog	230	130
Bagel breakfast sandwich with bacon	600	210

Raising Cane's

In the mood for chicken? Raising Cane's has got you covered. Be careful, though, as just one meal may meet your total calorie intake requirements for an entire day.

Food	Calories	Calories from Fat
Chicken finger	120	45
Box combo	1,270	580
Three-finger combo	1,040	480
Caniac combo	1,780	870
Chicken sandwich	880	390
Texas toast	150	40
Fries	330	140
Coleslaw	100	60

Culvers

Culvers has a good mix of higher- and lower-calorie options.

Food	Calories	Calories from Fat
BBQ cheddar burger	444	167
Triple bacon cheddar butter burger	981	531
Mushroom and Swiss burger	431	176
Pot roast sandwich	363	108
Grilled Rueben melt	588	275
Three-piece cod fillet plate	2,156	1,249
Chicken cashew salad	443	216
Chicken enchilada soup	352	207
Chicken Caesar salad	340	142

Dairy Queen

As with most fast food restaurants, Dairy Queen offers quite a few unhealthy choices (and a few nutritious ones).

Food	Calories	Calories from Fat
Chicken strip basket with gravy	1,020	470
Bacon cheeseburger	620	320
Grilled chicken sandwich	360	150
Crispy chicken wrap	360	190
Chili dog	340	180
BBQ beef sandwich	320	80
Crispy fish sandwich	370	130
Medium banana split blizzard	590	140
Cheese curds	610	400
Grilled chicken garden salad (no dressing)	150	20

Is Fast Food Healthy?

As you can see, many fast foods are loaded with calories and fat. If you're watching your weight and want to reduce disease risks, it's generally best to steer clear of fast food calories. However, many fast food chains do offer some healthy options, such as yogurt, fruit, salads, and grilled chicken.