How to Eat Healthy at Chick-Fil-A
Welcome to "How to Eat Healthy at Chick-Fil-A," a blog written by Emily Morgan, a dedicated registered dietitian serving clients in both New York City and California. In today's fast-paced world, maintaining a balanced and nutritious diet can be challenging, especially when dining out. However, with a little knowledge and strategic choices, you can still enjoy a delicious meal while prioritizing your health goals at Chick-Fil-A. Join us as we explore smart and savvy strategies to make the most of your visit to this popular fast-food chain without compromising on your well-being.
7 Pieces of Advice Regarding How to Eat Healthy at Chick-Fil-A
Get it grilled!
The grilled nuggets and the grilled chicken sandwich are healthier choices compared to being fried. Why? Because they contain less fat by not being fried in oil, which means they have less calories and are healthier for you overall! This is a wonderful choice if you are looking to keep your meal heart healthy by avoiding unhealthy fats from fried foods. With the grilled chicken sandwich, you’re getting less calories, less saturated fat, and almost half of the amount of sodium!
Healthier Sides Instead of Fries
We love a good waffle fry from Chick-fil-A every now and then, but if you find yourself going through the drive through frequently, try to mix it up with a healthy side to order with your meal next time. An alternative to the fries are the waffle potato chips. The chips only contain 220 calories a bag, versus the side of waffle fries which has 420 calories per serving. Their chips are sprinkled with some sea salt too, so you still get that salty, crisp bite! If you’re feeling super adventurous, the side kale crunch salad, or the fruit cup, are other great low calorie, nutritious sides instead of the fries.
Don’t Forget about the Chicken Tortilla Soup!
Chick-fil-A has a nutritious Chicken Tortilla Soup that is worth noting about! With their soups you can request either a cup (small size) or bowl (large size), but with this particular soup, a little goes a long way when it comes to protein and fiber. The smaller cup offers 370 calories, 17g of fiber, and 23g of protein! Protein and fiber both help you feel fuller longer, therefore getting a working duo from both of these nutrients in this soup is quite the satiety combo! Eating a satiating meal helps you get to that feeling of being full quicker, which decreases your likelihood of over consuming at a meal. Be advised though, the soups are a little higher in sodium, so if your goal is less sodium in your diet, this may not be the most routine way to go.
Let’s Talk Buns.
I know…we are really getting down to the minor details here…But, if you’re wanting to start with a small change, this can be an easy one. Chick-fil-A typically serves a ‘white (buttered) bun’ on most of their sandwiches unless requested otherwise. Did you know they offer an unbuttered version too!? This can be a sneaky option for you to try if you want to eliminate a little extra unhealthy fat out of your diet! Just for sake of comparison, the regular buttered white bun has 180 calories and 6g of fat, while the unbuttered white bun has 150 calories and only 1g of fat!
Sneaky Sauces
The majority of the dipping sauces at Chick-fil-A are high in calories and fat, especially the beloved Chick-fil-A Sauce and the Garden Herb Ranch Sauce. One packet of the Chick-fil-A sauce has 140 calories and 13g of fat. In addition, almost all the dipping sauces are high in sodium. For example, one packet of the Zesty Buffalo Sauce has 570 mg of sodium (about 25% of the recommended Daily Value) Sauces help add flavor to your meal, so it's understandable if it’s difficult to completely cut it out. If that’s the case, the main thing to keep in mind when it comes to dipping sauces is to try to stick with just one serving packet instead of multiple. Once you start doubling up on dipping sauces, the calories, fat, and sodium quickly adds up! So, going back to the Chick-fil-A Sauce, two sauce packets now becomes 280 calories and 26 g of fat. And remember, this is just in the dipping sauce alone! If you’re looking for a low calorie, low fat, and low sodium dipping sauce option to try, the Honey Roasted BBQ sauce hits the mark!
Should I Just Get a Salad?
Salads can be a great option to get a serving of healthy greens in for your meal, so in that case, go for it! Some of the salads Chick-fil-A offers are the Market Salad, Cobb Salad, and the Spicy Southwest Salad. However, their salads can be higher in calories, fat, and sodium than one might initially assume with a salad! For example, the Cobb Salad has 850 calories, 61 g of fat, and 2220 mg of sodium! If you’re wanting a lower calorie, fat, and sodium option, ask for grilled chicken and request for a healthier dressing option (if you’re willing to!) Some of their dressing options lower in calories and fat are the Light Balsamic Vinaigrette, Fat Free Honey Mustard, and the Light Italian dressing. Another tip if you prefer to stick with the regular dressing, is to go lighter on the serving by pouring less on your salad rather than the whole packet. You may find yourself not needing all of that dressing and still being satisfied!
Salad’s don’t fill me up… But I still want something healthy!
The Chick-fil-A Cool Wrap is one of the healthier options to get off their menu. It contains fresh mixed lettuce greens, a blend of shredded monterey jack and cheddar cheeses, grilled chicken, and the wrap itself is made from flaxseed flour flatbread. The flaxseed wrap is what gives you a high source of fiber with 14g! In addition to fiber, this wrap also gives you a good source of protein from the grilled chicken. The protein and fiber combo will leave you feeling full!
Take the time to explore Chick-fil-A's menu and figure out how much you’re getting nutritionally for your meal.
Chick-fil-A’s Menu and Full Nutrition Facts:
