- It’s more than possible to stick to your diet at the high street’s fast food outlets
- We scoured menus at McDonald’s, Burger King, Subway, Nando’s and Pizza Hut
- We found plenty of options and combinations that come in at under 500 kcal
You might think fast food restaurants are the last place you should go if you’re trying to be healthy or shed some weight, and usually you’d be right.
With menus filled with deliciously calorific junk food such as burgers and fries, it’s all too easy to give in to temptation and ruin your healthy eating regime.
But visiting a fast food chain doesn’t automatically mean you need to abandon your diet, as FEMAIL Food&Drink has discovered.
We’ve put together a list of the meals you can have at your favourite high street junk food eateries that all come in at under 500 calories.
And you can even eat burgers and crisps, and drink a fizzy beverage.
NANDO’S
If you order a Fillet Steak Prego Roll with a Mixed Leaf Salad and Chargrilled Veg, your meal will come to a saintly 487 calories
Order the quarter chicken with a Mixed Leaf Salad and a Corn on the Cob (pictured), and your meal will only be between 490 and 463 calories depending on what drink you buy
| Main | Side | Drink | Total calories |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1/4 Chicken – Breast Medium (298 kcal) |
Mixed Leaf Salad – Large (25 kcal) + Corn On The Cob – Regular (144 kcal) |
Diet Coke/Coke Zero (0 kcal) Water (0 kcal) Espresso/Americano (0 kcal) Everyday Tea (23 kcal) |
Max calories: 490 kcal Min calories: 463 kcal |
| Fillet Steak Prego Roll Plain (364 kcal) |
Mixed Leaf Salad – Large (25 kcal) + Chargrilled Veg (98 kcal) |
Diet Coke/Coke Zero (0 kcal) Water (0 kcal) Espresso/Americano (0 kcal) |
487 kcal |
| Grilled Chicken Burger Plain (367 kcal) | Mixed Leaf Salad – Large (25 kcal) + Chargrilled Veg (98 kcal) |
Diet Coke/Coke Zero (0 kcal) Water (0 kcal) Espresso/Americano (0 kcal) |
490 kcal |
| Supergrain Salad Large (359 kcal) | Corn On The Cob – Regular (144 kcal) | Diet Coke/Coke Zero (0 kcal) Water (0 kcal) Espresso/Americano (0 kcal) |
503 kcal |
MCDONALD’S
Good news! You can still tuck into some of your favourite McDonald’s treats and have your meal come in at under 500 calories. Breakfast lovers can order the 295-calorie Egg & Cheese McMuffin, while you can also still enjoy a McChicken Sandwich on a diet as it’s only 388 calories)
A popular Filet-O-Fish comes in at just 329 calories (left), which means you can pair it with healthy sides such as a bag of carrot sticks (right) and the meal will be under 500 calories
| Main | Side | Drink | Total calories |
|---|---|---|---|
| BREAKFASTS | |||
| Egg & Cheese McMuffin (295 kcal) |
Pineapple stick (37 kcal) |
Medium white coffee (30 kcal) Medium black coffee (6 kcal) Tea (12 kcal) Water (0 kcal) |
362 kcal 338 kcal 344 kcal 332 kcal |
| Toasted Bagel with Philadelphia Light (269 kcal) |
Pineapple stick (37 kcal) |
Medium white coffee (30 kcal) Medium black coffee (6 kcal) Tea (12 kcal) Water (0 kcal) |
336 kcal 312 kcal 318 kcal 306 kcal |
| Quaker Oat So Simple (194 kcal) | Pineapple stick (37 kcal) | Medium white coffee (30 kcal) Medium black coffee (6 kcal) Tea (12 kcal) Water (0 kcal) |
261 kcal 237 kcal 243 kcal 231 kcal |
| MAIN MEALS | |||
| The Garlic Mayo Chicken One (345 kcal) |
Pineapple stick (37 kcal) Carrot sticks (34 kcal) Shaker Side Salad with Fajita-style Dressing (39 kcal) |
Sprite Zero/Coca Cola Zero/Diet Coke (0 kcal) Water (0 kcal) Medium white coffee (30 kcal) Medium black coffee (6 kcal) Tea (12 kcal) |
Max calories: 414 kcal Min calories: 379 kcal |
| The Sweet Chilli Chicken One (340 kcal) | Pineapple stick (37 kcal) Carrot sticks (34 kcal) Shaker Side Salad with Fajita-style Dressing (39 kcal) |
Sprite Zero/Coca Cola Zero/Diet Coke (0 kcal) Water (0 kcal) Medium white coffee (30 kcal) Medium black coffee (6 kcal) Tea (12 kcal) |
Max calories: 409 kcal Min calories: 374 kcal |
| Filet-O-Fish (329 kcal) | Pineapple stick (37 kcal) Carrot sticks (34 kcal) Shaker Side Salad with Fajita-style Dressing (39 kcal) |
Sprite Zero/Coca Cola Zero/Diet Coke (0 kcal) Water (0 kcal) Medium white coffee (30 kcal) Medium black coffee (6 kcal) Tea (12 kcal) |
Max calories: 398 kcal Min calories: 363 kcal |
| McChicken Sandwich (388 kcal) | Pineapple stick (37 kcal) Carrot sticks (34 kcal) Shaker Side Salad with Fajita-style Dressing (39 kcal) |
Sprite Zero/Coca Cola Zero/Diet Coke (0 kcal) Water (0 kcal) Medium white coffee (30 kcal) Medium black coffee (6 kcal) Tea (12 kcal) |
Max calories: 457 kcal Min calories: 422 kcal |
| Spicy Vegetable Deluxe (412 kcal) | Pineapple stick (37 kcal) Carrot sticks (34 kcal) Shaker Side Salad with Fajita-style Dressing (39 kcal) |
Sprite Zero/Coca Cola Zero/Diet Coke (0 kcal) Water (0 kcal) Medium white coffee (30 kcal) Medium black coffee (6 kcal) Tea (12 kcal) |
Max calories: 481 kcal Min calories: 446 kcal |
| Crispy Chicken Salad with Fajita-Style Dressing (286 kcal) |
Pineapple stick (37 kcal) Carrot sticks (34 kcal) Shaker Side Salad with Fajita-style Dressing (39 kcal) |
Sprite Zero/Coca Cola Zero/Diet Coke (0 kcal) Water (0 kcal) Medium white coffee (30 kcal) Medium black coffee (6 kcal) Tea (12 kcal) |
Max calories: 355 kcal Min calories: 320 kcal |
PIZZA HUT
Pizza Hut now has a range of lower-calorie flatbread pizzas that are all under 550 calories. To keep your meal under 500 calories, choose the Chicken Delight Flatbread (bottom left), or the Virtuous Veg Flatbread (centre left). You can also enjoy two desserts: a Mango Slush (centre) or Mango Sorbet (bottom centre)
Mains under 500 calories
Chicken Delight Flatbread (450 kcal)
Virtuous Veg Flatbread (384 kcal)
Low-Calorie Desserts
Mango Slush (206 kcal)
Mango Sorbet (179 kcal)
SUBWAY
Subway has a number of low-fat sandwiches on offer, including its 309-calorie Chicken Tikka sub (pictured)
A Turkey and Ham 6-inch sub comes it at just 291 calories, according to the Subway website
| Sub (6-inch on 9-grain bread) |
Side | Drink | Total calories |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken Tikka (309 kcal) | Bag of Walkers Baked Crisps (about 100 kcal) |
Abbeywell Water (0 kcal) | 409 kcal |
| Ham (289 kcal) | Bag of Walkers Baked Crisps (about 100 kcal) |
Abbeywell Water (0 kcal) | 389 kcal |
| Turkey Breast and Ham (291 kcal) |
Bag of Walkers Baked Crisps (about 100 kcal) |
Abbeywell Water (0 kcal) | 391 kcal |
| Chicken Breast (305 kcal) |
Bag of Walkers Baked Crisps (about 100 kcal) |
Abbeywell Water (0 kcal) | 405 kcal |
| Turkey Breast (271 kcal) | Bag of Walkers Baked Crisps (about 100 kcal) |
Abbeywell Water (0 kcal) | 371 kcal |
| Chicken Teriyaki (321 kcal) | Bag of Walkers Baked Crisps (about 100 kcal) |
Abbeywell Water (0 kcal) | 421 kcal |
| Veggie Delite (219 kcal) | Bag of Walkers Baked Crisps (about 100 kcal) |
Abbeywell Water (0 kcal) | 319 kcal |
BURGER KING
At Burger King, you can indulge in fried chicken and burgers. You can order the BLT Chicken Wrap or the Chicken Strips and have your meal come in at under 500 calories
You’ll have to pair your unhealthy mains with saintly sides, however, such as Burger King’s Apple Fries (left) and its Garden Side Salad (right)
| Main | Side | Drink | Total calories |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken Strips (410 kcal) |
Garden Side Salad (15 kcal) + Apple Fries (30 kcal) |
Black Coffee (0 kcal) Abbey Well Mineral Water (0 kcal) Diet Coke (0 kcal) |
455 kcal |
| BLT Chicken Wrap (380 kcal) |
Garden Side Salad (15 kcal) + Apple Fries (30 kcal) |
Black Coffee (0 kcal) Abbey Well Mineral Water (0 kcal) Diet Coke (0 kcal) |
425 kcal |
| King Fish (440 kcal) | Garden Side Salad (15 kcal) + Apple Fries (30 kcal) |
Black Coffee (0 kcal) Abbey Well Mineral Water (0 kcal) Diet Coke (0 kcal) |
485 kcal |
| Double Cheeseburger (430 kcal) |
Garden Side Salad (15 kcal) + Apple Fries (30 kcal) |
Black Coffee (0 kcal) Abbey Well Mineral Water (0 kcal) Diet Coke (0 kcal) |
475 kcal |
| Chicken Burger (390 kcal) |
Garden Side Salad (15 kcal) + Apple Fries (30 kcal) |
Black Coffee (0 kcal) Abbey Well Mineral Water (0 kcal) Diet Coke (0 kcal) |
435 kcal |