The 9 Best Fast Food Salads

Remember how our parents always tried to get us to eat our vegetables? Perhaps this explains why growing up, many of us were averse to salads with leafy greens. But thanks to ingenuity in the culinary world, salads can be much more than just healthy meals these days. They are even appealing. While most fast-food chains have gone over the top with plenty of options to choose from, you still need to keep an eye out for what is actually good for you and what is just plain terrible for your body. Apart from eating healthy, the taste and appearance of the salad also play a huge role in whether it's worth ordering.

Speaking of health, every salad should have a source of healthy fats, carbs, sodium, essential nutrients, and as much protein as is right for your lifestyle and body weight. The Cleveland Clinic says salads are a great way to get your daily serving of vegetables. They also took it a step further by listing what a healthy salad should contain, some of which are greens, crunchy veggies, fruits, proteins, and more.

But for you to want to eat a salad, it has to appeal to the eyes and taste great. And since many people get their salads on the go now, we've made this list of the nine best fast food salads.

Another salad with grilled chicken just goes to prove that chicken doesn't have to be boring. Chopt makes this Palm Beach salad with romaine, English cucumbers, grape tomatoes, hearts of palm, and avocado. Grilled chicken is just a super savory addition. The fast-food restaurant also adds balsamic vinaigrette. You can order this with confidence knowing that it's both delicious and great for your health.

While avocado adds a good amount of potassium, it also lends a creamy and slightly nutty undertone to the salad mix. The avocado is rich enough that you could consider having the salad without dressing. Aside from potassium, avocado promotes eye and skin health. It also helps lower cholesterol levels. Without the dressing, a serving of this salad contains about 285 calories, 27 grams of protein, 19.5 grams of carbohydrates, 65 milligrams of cholesterol, 10.5 grams of fiber, 12 grams of total fat, 272.5 milligrams of sodium, and 6.5 grams of total sugars (via Chopt).

A plus for this plate of goodness is its low sodium content. It's unusual for a fast food salad and it gives room for you to snack on other things with higher sodium content and still stay within the recommended daily limit.

You'd definitely be making a great choice picking the Asian sesame salad, whether you're making a quick dash to Panera for takeout or you're ordering a sit-in lunch. The meal consists of romaine lettuce, fresh cilantro, sesame seeds, toasted almonds, and wonton strips tossed in an Asian vinaigrette. Sesame seeds are rich in phytosterols and lignans, which help to lower cholesterol levels. So, you can relish this salad knowing that it won't break your heart (pun intended).

The combination of cilantro, almonds, sesame seeds, and chicken produces a well-rounded meal full of just the right amount of protein for one meal, as well as healthy fats, vitamins and sodium. The salad is quite satisfying and is a super diet-control meal.

The calorie count for this Panera specialty is 410. It also has 800 milligrams of sodium, 27 grams of protein, 29 grams of carbohydrates, and 22 grams of total fat with 3 grams of saturated fat. Cholesterol is 70 milligrams and fiber is 6 grams. Total sugars are about 7 grams. With a nutritional profile like this, you could have this once every day, all week. The only catch is that anyone allergic to nuts has to ask for the almonds to be excluded. Apart from this, wolf down happily, please.

This robust Sweetgreen salad is a mix of chopped romaine, shredded cabbage, tomatoes, lime, tortilla chips, red onions, avocado, and roasted chicken tossed in lime cilantro jalapeño vinaigrette. And what's not to love about it? For starters, it's chock-full of fiber which is super amazing for gut health. It also has different veggies, especially avocado, that bring a rush of potassium (via MedicalNewsToday). Potassium is great at maintaining blood pressure.

What about taste? Even before tasting, the visible ingredients are enough to make you salivate. The lime cilantro vinaigrette and lime squeeze lend an extra tangy sweetness to the mix. The jalapeño balances out the salad with its rich spiciness. Sweetgreen makes you even hungrier with the photo of the salad on its menu page. So double points for presentation, health consciousness, and taste.

As for the nutritional information, this is what it contains: 515 calories, 27 grams of protein, 29 grams carbohydrates, 31 grams total fat with 5 grams of saturated fat, 334 milligrams of sodium, 14 grams of fiber, 58 milligrams of cholesterol, and 3 grams total sugars (via Sweetgreen). Quite impressive for one serving. That's one more salad for you to add to your on-the-go options.

A salad can only be so appetizing without dressing, but this garden salad from McAlister's Deli takes the cake. The vegetarian mix contains cheddar-jack cheese, croutons, cucumber, tomatoes, and mixed greens. You can enjoy a bowl of crunchy goodness and a burst of earthy flavors whenever you stop at McAlister's Deli.

The calorie count of this dish is 150. It also has 9 grams of protein, 19g grams of carbohydrates, 25 milligrams of cholesterol, 1 gram of fiber, 260 milligrams of sodium, 10 grams of total fat, and 3 grams of total sugars. And this is for a full plate. It's a great way to enjoy a tasty meal, stay healthy and, most importantly, be full. Extra points for this salad because of the nutrients like lycopene from the tomatoes and the antioxidants in the cucumber combine to treat your heart and skin right. However, for anyone who follows a keto diet, there might be a need for extra protein or fat to make this a fully-balanced meal.