Best Fast Food Choices for the South Beach Diet

Eat right when eating out

It is difficult to find acceptable fast food for the South Beach Diet guidelines. Look for grilled, unbreaded chicken sandwiches and ask for the chicken plain to add to a salad. Check the salad dressings for added sugars. Drink water or diet sodas. Here are my selections from fast food menus that won't break your diet.

Subway

Any of the 7 Salads Under 6 Grams of Fat, with oil and vinegar dressing or the fat-free Italian dressing. OK meats: ham, turkey, chicken breast, tuna salad, Subway seafood and crab salad. OK other ingredients: vinegar, olive oil blend, lettuce, tomato, onions, cucumbers, jalapeno peppers, banana peppers, green peppers, mustard, mayonnaise.
Subway Wraps: The high fiber wrap tortilla is OK for the South Beach Diet, but select your own filling ingredients from the list above as many of their advertised wrap combos are not South Beach Diet friendly.

Wendy's

Caesar Side Salad - with the caesar dressing, without the croutons.
Grilled Chicken Fillet - ask for it alone, without the bun or condiments, eat it with the Caesar Side Salad.
Phase 2 or 3:
Chili - while it has carbohydrate, it is low in fat, high in protein and fiber.

McDonald's

Scrambled eggs
Grilled Chicken Caesar Salad
Grilled Chicken Cobb Salad

Burger King

Chicken Caesar Salad (no croutons) 220 calories, 5 grams carbohydrate, 7 grams fat, 3 grams fiber, 35 grams protein, no trans fat. With Italian Lite dressing, add 4 grams carbohydrate, 5 grams fat, 50 calories. With Creamy Caesar dressing, add 4 grams carbohydrate, 140 calories, 13 grams fat, no trans fat.
Side Garden Salad: 25 calories, 5 grams carbohydrate, 2 grams fiber, 0 fat, 1 gram protein.
Order Chicken Whopper or Chicken Whopper Junior without mayo, then toss the bun.

Taco Bell

Order items "Fresco Style" to replace the cheese and sauce with Fiesta Salsa to reduce fat. Order the chicken items, then eat the filling and leave the tortilla and sour cream.