No products in the cart.
07
Dec
Dec
HEALTHY
The 12 Best Fast Casual Restaurants That I Eat At
The information in our articles is NOT intended to replace a one-on-one relationship with a qualify health wish professional and is not intended as checkup advice. Our team includes license nutritionists and dietitians, certified health department of education specialists, a well as certify potency and stipulate specialists, personal trainers and corrective practice specialists. Our team aims to be not alone thorough with its research, but besides aim and unbiased. This article is based on scientific evidence, written by experts and fact checked by our discipline editorial staff. note that the numbers in parentheses ( 1, 2, etc. ) are clickable links to medically peer-reviewed studies. The information in our articles is NOT intended to replace a one-on-one relationship with a qualify health care professional and is not intended as medical advice.
With hard-and-fast editorial sourcing guidelines, we alone link to academic research institutions, reputable media sites and, when research is available, medically peer-reviewed studies. note that the numbers in parentheses ( 1, 2, etc. ) are clickable links to these studies .
possibly you underestimated how retentive a road trip would take, or you forgot to pack lunch before heading to work in the dawn. Whatever the sheath, you might find yourself strapped for cash and/or time, and forced to stop at a chain restaurant. For those of us who enjoy eating healthy, this used to be a worst-case scenario, particularly if your options include one of the places on our 10 worst chain restaurants you should never eat at list .
But more and more, the lines between fast food restaurants and the omnipresent chains are blurring, with a new type of healthy chain restaurants emerging across the state : fast casual restaurants. Called ‘ The Chipotle Effect, ’ Americans spent over $ 21 billion at fast casual restaurants in 2014. ( 1 )
A meal at these restaurants won ’ triiodothyronine break the bank. While some offer wait overhaul, many others incorporate the features that have made fast food places so popular, like immediate service or a choice to eat-in or take-out. But the best fast casual restaurants besides have early stimulate features that set them apart .
Healthy vs. Unhealthy Chain Restaurants: What’s the Difference?
What ’ randomness exciting about the best fast casual restaurants is that they much focus on sustainability and often beginning local ingredients. They are upfront about the ingredients in the food they ’ ra serving. They even offer organic, grass-fed and often flush antibiotic- and hormone-free ingredients .
Where the food comes from. The best firm casual restaurants much focus on sustainability and locally sourced ingredients. You might find different menu options depending at which outstation of the chain you ’ rhenium eat at, as seasonal worker ingredients and handiness change. not only does this reduce the food ’ s footprint on the environment, but it besides maintains the nutritional integrity of the fruits and veggies. Cooking and eating seasonally besides keeps prices low-cost for the restaurants and you, the customer .
Bye bye, GMOs. Many of the healthiest fast casual restaurants eschew using GMOs whenever possible, which is a step in the correct direction, as GMOs have been linked to allergies, an increase in antibiotic resistance and more. As consumers voiced their concerns about these modified foods, chain restaurants have increased their efforts to rid their restaurants of the ingredients, or at least be guileless about what is GMO and what is not .
Healthier sweeteners. Are we seeing the end of refine sugars in chain restaurants ? probably not completely, but top chain restaurants back away from using white table carbohydrate and choose for healthier sweetener alternatives, like honey, stevia, maple syrup and coconut boodle alternatively .
Happier meats. Another major deviation between most debauched food places and the best flying casual restaurants is that they source meats that are free from hormones and antibiotics. This is critical because we basically are what the animals we eat consume, including their antibiotics and hormones. A ntibiotics in fast food are specially a major refer, as they lead to antibiotic resistance and other filthy side effects .
A variety of options. One of my favorite things about healthy range restaurants is the kind of foods they offer. At these places, you ’ re not relegated to the one or two sad side salads offered, which normally consist of iceberg lettuce and whatever else they can find. rather, these chains make ingredients that are accessible to unlike diets a staple. Can’t tolerate gluten ? There ’ s normally a gluten-free option. Prefer to have that burger sans bun to stick to your Paleo diet ? No problem. offer food for everyone means that selecting somewhere to eat international relations and security network ’ triiodothyronine a burden and you can have a tasty meal without stressing .
12 Healthiest Fast Casual Restaurants
So what are the best fast casual restaurants to eat at in America ? We ’ ve rounded up our favorites. Although we did our best to find restaurants that span a bombastic geographic area, some of these might be more regional and not so far in your sphere yet .
1. Chopt. This goodly East Coast fast casual restaurant is based around custom-built salads. Their menu pairs favorites from around the ball with locally sourced items and antibiotic-free chicken. The web site distinctly states what farms supply what ingredients in each state so you can do your own inquiry as well. Plus about everything at Chopt is reclaimable, from the compostable promotion to the napkins and salad bowl .
With bluff options like Spicy New Mexico Caesar, made with goat gouda, or Spicy Santorini, which has a quinoa, lentil and millet blend, they ’ rhenium making salads fun.
2. Freshii. Found in 85 cities throughout the universe, Freshii is redefining a healthy chain restaurant. While their lunch options are solid, including the ability to build your own stadium and salads using quinoa or kale as the establish, it ’ s the healthy breakfast options that make this blot standout. With smoothie bowl, breakfast bites made with insignificant butter and coconut along with green eggs and boodle lawn bowling, Freshii provides a great start to the day .
3. Elevation Burger. If you have a burger craving you barely can ’ thymine shake, head to Elevation Burger. Their 100-percent beef burgers are organic, grass-fed and free-range, meaning no antibiotics or hormones are used. Elevation ’ s french fries are cooked in olive oil, not unhealthy canola oil petroleum, and their restaurants use environmentally sustainable construction. And if beef burgers aren ’ t your thing, you can choose from all-organic vegetable, vegan and chicken burgers, besides .
4. Lyfe Kitchen. This casual restaurant focuses on balancing greens, grains, proteins and seasonal ingredients to create mouth-watering meals. especial icons denoting what items are gluten-free, vegetarian, vegan or have nuts make ordering a breeze. Each choice states not merely the calorie count, but besides the sodium consumption. I love that the veggies in these meals aren ’ t an afterthought, but very part of the dish .
5. Noodles & Company. Noodles aren ’ metric ton known for being specially healthy, but this chain restaurant is making big strides in changing that. Over the past few years, they ’ ve introduced antibiotic-free meats and hormone-free dairy products, and are hoping to add even more naturally raised proteins and dairy to the menu. The ingredients to every menu detail are well available but if you ’ rhenium light on time, you can check out their number of banned ingredients rather. Among them are high fructose corn syrup, all parabens, artificial colors, artificial flavors, aspartame and more .
The menu is besides divvied up into sections including gluten-free, 500 calories or less, watching sugar and sodium conscious. If you ’ re going to indulge in a bowl of pasta, this is the place to do it .
6. Pizza Fusion. This pizza position is one of the best fast free-and-easy restaurants. The menu is 75 percentage organic and loose of preservatives, pesticides, nitrates, trans fat and growth hormones. Their environmental initiatives are impressive, ranging from offsetting 100 percentage of their energy usage by purchasing renewable wind energy certificates to building LEED-certified restaurants and hosting a monthly organic kids course that educates little ones on eating organic and recycling. There ’ mho an vehemence on fresh veggies and herbs on their pizza, and hearty gluten-free, vegetarian and vegan menu options .
7. Seasons 52. credibly the fanciest of the chain restaurants on this list, Seasons 52 is farm-to-table dining done right. They offer organic greens, grass-fed gripe and desserts that won ’ triiodothyronine kill your diet, like a 280-calorie chocolate ganache brownie. The chain besides offers a assortment of fish, something you don ’ thymine see to frequently on chain menus .
8. Sweetgreen. Sweetgreen gets major points for its transparency. All of their stores list where the food is sourced, and a majority of them are local. The veggie-focused menu change seasonally, ensuring the freshest ingredients are available. You can choose from quick bowl or salads and fun add-ins like roasted dress cauliflower or local feta cheese .
9. Tender Greens. This California-based range gets most of their produce from the same local grow, and uses other small, local farms when necessity. They offer seasonal worker soups, salads and “ big plates ” with items like Backyard Marinated Steak and Falafel. The offerings at restaurants vary slightly, as each location is led by a different chef with very well dining experience, but all items are under $ 12 .
10. Veggie Grill. At this healthy chain restaurant, veggies take centerstage. actually, make that vegan : all items are free of meat, dairy, eggs and animal products. They use organic, GMO-free soybeans for the bean curd and tempeh, and super grains like buckwheat, organic quinoa and brown rice for high-protein additions. Menu offerings change seasonally and with meals like Koreatown Tacos and Quinoa Power Salad, you won ’ t miss the kernel at all .
11. Zoes Kitchen. The Mediterranean Diet is in wide swing at Zoes Kitchen. Vegetables, healthy proteins and olive oil are prevailing and the calorie counts are all reasonable — I ’ ve never seen a chain restaurant with thus many “ under 500 calories ” offerings ! There are loads of gluten-free and vegetarian options, excessively .
12. Chipotle. I recently wrote about Panera ( which still is excessively much of a gluten-filled and sugary dessert festival for my like ) and Chipotle being two of the first national chains to publicly declare they would serve lone non-GMO foods. Food at Chipotle is sourced from farms quite than factories, most ingredients are sourced locally and all the meats are raised sustainably and humanely.
Chipotle besides gives you a very good chance to be goodly if you orderliness properly. Skip the white-flour, calorie-bomb burrito and go with the burrito bowl or salad rather : specifically, brown rice, black beans, extra peppers and onions, antibiotic-free chicken ( or grass-fed beef ), pico de gallo, medium salsa, fiddling bit of tall mallow, guacamole ( of path ! ) and lettuce .
Did you see a fast casual restaurant here that ’ s not however in your area ? Let them know you ’ d like to see them expand — or put pressure on local restaurants to expand their healthy options .
Read Next: 27 Easy Dinner Recipes With 5 Ingredients or Less