En español | “Can I eat healthy at Subway or Chipotle?” As a dietitian, it’s a question I get asked a lot. I’m happy to report that yes, you can — but it takes some not-so-casual scouring of the so-called “ fast casual” chains’ menus. Otherwise, your meal could be awash in sodium with little fiber or vitamins to show for it.
I did the work for you at six national chains using a healthy-meal criteria that includes things like having no more than 650 calories, with at least a half-cup of fruits or vegetables and some whole grains.. (Though I had to lift that criteria for Domino’s, which doesn’t yet offer whole-grain crust.) Otherwise, I measured meals according to whether they had 5 grams of fiber, no more than 6.5 grams of saturated fat — and no more than 6 grams of “added” sugar, which comes from white sugar, honey and other sweeteners.
When it came to sodium (sigh), I tried to keep it at 750 milligrams per meal, though that might be a bit high for those who are over 60 and have high blood pressure. If your order exceeds 750 milligrams sodium, compensate by keeping your sodium intake low for the rest of the day.
You might be surprised that one of the lowest-sodium meals came from Subway, and that my Domino’s concoction leaves room for half a (light) beer or
small glass of chianti!
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Janis Jibrin is a registered dietitian, health writer and adjunct professor of nutrition at American University. She lives in Washington, D.C.