HOUSTON — In today's fast-paced world, it's tempting to eat at fast-food restaurants to save time and money.
Fortunately, most chains now offer healthier options so you don't have to sacrifice your health for convenience or cravings.
A new study by price-tracking website Pricelisto ranks 20 fast-food chains based on the nutritional value of their top five most popular items. They looked at total fat, calories, sugar, sodium, protein, carbohydrates and fiber to calculate scores from Fast Food Nutrition Facts.
Pricelisto says Chipotle is the healthiest fast-food chain in the U.S. They gave the popular Tex-Mex chain a score of 66.71 out of 100. Chipotle's most popular menu items have an average of 320 calories plus 0.67 total fat and 11.7 mg of sodium per 100 calories.
Burger King was runner-up with a score of 65.38 out of 100. The average calorie content for Burger King is 467 with an average of 0.57 g of total fat and 7.90 mg of sodium per 100 calories.
Chick-fil-A ranks a close third with a total score of 64.99 out of 100. Its five most popular items have an average calorie content of 368.33 with an average of 0.74 g of total fat and 14.18 mg of sodium per 100 calories.
Fourth is Panera Bread finished fourth with a of 64.91 out of 100. The average calorie content of their items is 565 with an average of 0.42 g of total fat and 11.42 mg of sodium per 100 calories.
KFC came in fifth with a score of 64.82 out of 100, based on its top five most popular items. The average calorie content of these items is 548.67, with an average of 0.66 g of total fat and 9.51 mg of sodium per 100 calories.
Full list of Top 10 healthiest fast-food chains in the U.S.
1. Chipotle
- 320 average calories
- 0.67 total fat per 100 calories
- 11.7 mg sodium per 100 calories
- Score: 66.71
2. Burger King
- 467 average calories
- 0.57 total fat per 100 calories
- 7.90 mg sodium per 100 calories
- Score: 65.38
3. Chick-Fil-A
- 368 average calories
- 0.74 total fat per 100 calories
- 14 mg sodium per 100 calories
- Score: 64.99
4. Panera Bread
- 565.50 average calories
- 0.42 total fat per 100 calories
- 11.42 mg sodium per 100 calories
- Score: 64.91
5. KFC
- 548 average calories
- 0.66 total fat per 100 calories
- 9.51 mg sodium per 100 calories
- Score: 64.82
6. Taco Bell
- 340 average calories
- 0.90 total fat per 100 calories
- 14.95 mg sodium per 100 calories
- Score: 64.23
7. Panda Express
- 324 average calories
- 0.94 total fat per 100 calories
- 15 total fat per 100 calories
- Score: 63.70
8. McDonald’s
- 507 average calories
- 0.68 total fat per 100 calories
- 9.50 mg sodium per 100 calories
- Score: 63
9. Jimmy Johns
- 827 average calories
- 0.45 total fat per 100 calories
- 7.20 mg sodium per 100 calories
- Score: 62.82
10. Whataburger
- 620 average calories
- 0.56 total fat per 100 calories
- 8 mg sodium per 100 calories
- Score: 62.64
According to Pricelisto, Dairy Queen was at the bottom of the list with a score of 59.22.
