The Best Fast Food Meals For Men

By Emily Lemon On Jul 23, 2022

Jenny Huang

NO, IT’S not just your imagination: There are more healthy-ish fast-food options than ever. We asked registered dietitians* and crunched restaurant nutrition data for mostly new meals that hit near or above our gold-standard of 30 grams of muscle building protein and 10 grams of stomach-filling fiber. We then hit the ground to taste-test the finalists (tough job!) and pick the winners.

From fully loaded taco bowls to double-stacked burgers to vegetable-laden pizzas—these are our delicious, nutritious winners from the Men’s Health Fit Man’s Guide to Fast Food. (Plus, what you can learn from each meal to eat even better at home.)

Dig in.

Meet Our Experts

The trusted voices who helped us find fast food’s latest and greatest.

DEZI ABEYTA, R.D.N., owner of Foodtalk Nutrition: “Ask for sauce on the side: Having worked in the food industry myself, I’ll tell you that we’re not measuring anything out into actual serving sizes.”

CHRIS MOHR, PH.D., R.D., founder of Mohr Results: “Taco Bell is an underground vegetarian and vegan haven; you can customize everything so much.”

ABBY LANGER, R.D., author of Good Food, Bad Diet: “Anything that claims to ‘boost your metabolism’ is a total scam— especially a sugar-packed smoothie.”

BRIAN ST. PIERRE, R.D., C.S.C.S., director of nutrition at Precision Nutrition: “I like poke bowls, which have exploded nationwide. You can get lean protein—particularly from fish—and fiber from seaweed and other veggies, too.”

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1

Best Chicken Salad: Starbucks Chicken & Quinoa Protein Bowl

Most fast-food chicken salads share one ingredient: boredom. Starbucks wakes things up with quinoa, roasted corn, smoked paprika, cotija cheese, and jicama.

Per bowl: 420 calories, 27g protein, 42g carbs (9g fiber), 17g fat

STEAL THIS MOVE: Next time you’re making a salad, try jicama, a crispy-crunchy vegetable crouton swap.

2

Best Plant-Based Muscle-Meal: Chipotle Vegetarian Lifestyle Bowl

Chipotle’s “sofritas”—a smoky-spicy, soy-protein-based blend—makes a solid base for fajita vegetables, beans, lettuce, and cheese.

Per bowl: 880 calories, 29g protein, 85g carbs (22g fiber), 48g fat

STEAL THIS MOVE:Batch-roast a mess of slicedpeppers and onions in a 400°F oven. Add to omelets, nachos, and salads.

3

Best Snack: Smoothie King Lean1 Strawberry

Yes, a smoothie is a snack—especially this no-added-sugar blend of strawberries and protein powder.

Per small smoothie: 200 calories, 19g protein, 27g carbs (5g fiber), 5g fat

STEAL THIS MOVE: Who needs milk? Strawberries are juicy
enough to thicken DIY protein shakes.

4

Best Sandwich: Subway Roast Beef

The chain revamped its menus last year, and this option tastes great on its new multigrain bread loaded up with vegetables.

Per foot-long: 590 calories, 45g protein, 83g carbs (8g fiber), 10g fat

STEAL THIS MOVE: Try building a sandwich with smashed avocado or guacamole as the condiment—way heart- healthier than blue-cheese dressing.

5

Best On-the-Go Breakfast: Dunkin’ Bacon & Cheddar Omelet Bites

This variety has four more grams of protein and 100 percent more flavor than the egg-white offering. Order it with a multigrain bagel to tack on 15 grams of protein and eight grams of fiber.

Per 2 bites: 280 calories, 17g protein, 7g carbs (0g fiber), 19g fat

STEAL THIS MOVE: At home, try eggs with salsa instead of sugary ketchup.

6

Best Pizza: Domino’s Hand Tossed Pacific Veggie

Roasted red peppers, spinach, onions, mushrooms, tomatoes, and olives—all on a garlic-seasoned crust. Add a chicken Caesar salad (yeah, Domino’s has salad!) to double your fiber.

Per 2 slices of small pizza: 440 calories, 17g protein, 51g carbs (3g fiber), 17g fat

STEAL THIS MOVE:Saute a handful of spinach in oil and add to any pizza for an easy way to sneak in greens.

7

Best Taco Bowl: Taco Bell Power Menu Bowl

You don’t need a fried shell to enjoy grilled chicken, black beans, lettuce, tomato, guac, and sour cream. That avocado ranch sauce is addictive, too.

Per bowl: 450 calories, 26g protein, 42g carbs (8g fiber), 20g fat

STEAL THIS MOVE:Beans area cheap, easy way to pump up the protein of almost any meal. Keep cans on hand.

8

Best OG Pick: Wendy’s Large Chili with a Baked Potato

The bean-studded chili is hearty, and a baked potato rounds out the meal with seven more grams of both protein and fiber.

Per order: 610 calories, 29g protein, 92g carbs (15g fiber), 15g fat

STEAL THIS MOVE: Chili is also a high-protein topping for homemade baked potatoes.

9

Best Burger: Burger King Big King

Okay, it’s a Big Mac rip-off. But the King’s nearly doubles the protein.

Per burger: 719 calories, 45g protein, 32g carbs (2g fiber), 46g fat

STEAL THIS MOVE: At home, double upon vegetables: more onions, pickles, lettuce. It’s like a salad but burger-ized!

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