The Best Macro-Friendly Fast Food Choices
You might imagine that successful macro trackers only eat nutritious, perfectly prepped meals every day full of lean protein, veggies, and healthy grains. But the truth is that life gets busy for all of us. So we head to the drive-thru lane at the local favorite fast food joint to grab a quick bite. Do you call it a cheat day? Or do you find macro-friendly fast food to keep your healthy eating plan on track?
Either option works. The great thing about the macro diet is that no foods are off-limits. You should never feel bad for eating any meal that doesn’t provide perfectly balanced nutrition. But it is helpful to go into the fast food restaurant armed with information about the different options. That way, you can make a quick choice that serves your needs.
What Is Macro-Friendly Fast Food?
You might wonder what makes some fast food more or less macro-friendly. In general, fast food with good macros includes choices that provide balanced amounts of protein, carbohydrates, and fat. You might want a meal with macros that fall in line with recommendations from the Dietary Guidelines for Americans (20-35% fat, 45-65% carbs, 10-35% protein) or if you are following the popular 40/30/30 diet, you’ll want a meal that provides nearly equal amounts of each macro.
However, some people following a macro diet may have ratios that are less balanced. For instance, someone on a keto diet or in the early weeks of the Galveston diet for menopause would need more fat, moderate protein, and very few carbs.
In general, the best macro-friendly fast food will be a meal that aligns with your own personalized macro targets so that you don’t have to spend the rest of the day selecting foods to compensate for your fast-food choices.
But also, remember that your macros don’t have to be perfect every day to reap the benefits of a macro diet. As I explain in Macro Diet for Dummies, many successful macro trackers are able to stick to their plan and reach their long-term goals because they allow themselves the flexibility to take time off occasionally from tracking macros.
If you go to fast food restaurants regularly, however, you’ll want to be sure you know which foods will help you reach your daily macro targets most effectively. In evaluating fast food with good macros, I’ve chosen different targets and various ratios so you have different options to choose from.
Common Macros at Fast Food Restaurants
Even if you choose the best macro-friendly fast food, you may not end up with food that provides optimal nutrition. As you might imagine, most menu choices are high in fat, especially saturated fat. If you are on a keto diet or a keto variation, this will work in your favor. But if you are trying to reduce your fat intake, you’ll have to choose menu items carefully.
Listed below are macro-friendly choices for different types of diets (high fat, moderate fat, low fat), but in general, they were selected because they are higher in protein and provide modest carbs. Also, keep in mind that the macro percentages may not always add up perfectly to 100%. This is due to the fact that when restaurants and food manufacturers provide nutrition data, the numbers are often rounded up or rounded down, making calculations slightly off.
If you are trying to reduce your fat intake, you can help balance your macros throughout the day by making your other meals a little lower in fat and higher in lean protein. But also, remember that one fast food meal isn’t likely to ruin your diet.
Macro-Friendly Fast Food at Chick-fil-A
You’ll find plenty of nutritional information on this company’s website. There, you can scan the grid to find Chick-fil-A macro-friendly menu choices that suit your needs. To get a quick idea of Chick-fil-A macros, I’ve summarized several items here. The restaurant delivers plenty of high-protein options, even at breakfast.
Egg White Grill: 300 calories, 7g fat (21%), 35g carbs (46%), 25g protein (33%)
Chicken, Egg & Cheese Bagel: 480 calories, 18g fat (33%), 51g carbs (42%), 27g protein (23%)
Chick-fil-A Nuggets (12-piece): 390 calories, 18g fat (43%), 14g carbs (14%%), 41g protein (42%)
Grilled Nuggets (12-count): 210 calories, 5g fat (21%), 3g carbs (6%%), 38g protein (72%)
Cobb Salad (no toppings): 430 calories, 21g fat (44%), 22g carbs (20%%), 39g protein (36%)
Spicy Chicken Sandwich: 450 calories, 19g fat (38%), 41g carbs (36%%), 29g protein (27%)
Chick-fil-A Chicken Sandwich: 440 calories, 19g fat (39%), 40g carbs (36%%), 29g protein (26%)
The company’s website provides full nutritional information. There, you can also scan the grid to find more Chick-fil-A macro-friendly menu choices that suit your needs.
Macro-Friendly McDonald’s Food
McDonald’s has scaled back their menu in recent years. You won’t find the grilled items or salads that used to be the best macro-friendly McDonald’s choices for those seeking less fat and more protein. All of their chicken sandwiches are now fried, and the burgers tend to be high in fat, so your fat intake is likely to be higher when you dine here. Here are some macro-friendly McDonald’s items that are higher in protein to help balance out the fat and carbs.
Egg McMuffin (no butter): 280 calories, 10g fat (32%), 32g carbs (45), 17g protein (24%)
Hamburger: 250 calories, 9g fat (32%), 31g carbs (49%), 12g protein (19%)
McCrispy (no butter): 420 calories, 15g fat (32%), 46g carbs (44%), 26g protein (24%)
Double Quarter Pounder w Cheese: 740 calories, 42g fat (51%), 43g carbs (23%), 48g protein (26%)
Quarter Pounder + 2 Apple Slices: 450 calories, 17g fat (35%), 49g carbs (45%), 25g protein (22%)
Vanilla Cone: 200 calories, 5g fat (23%), 33g carbs (65%), 5g protein (10%)
To see more nutrition information, McDonald’s provides a nutrition calculator on its website. You can select different menu items and customize your choices to see the macros. But if you want to scan and compare different foods, you can find the full menu in graph form at Nutritionix.
Macro-Friendly Subway Meals
Subway is one of the most popular macro-friendly fast food restaurants because everything is made-to-order. So, customizing your meal is easy. You can add more meat if you want a protein boost, or you can skip the mayo (and other dressings) if you want to dial back on fat. If you are trying to reduce carbs, choose a bowl or a salad.
These are the best macro-friendly Subway sandwiches, salads, and bowls. In general, they are the highest-protein choices in each category. But remember that you can choose your own ingredients, so if you don’t like what you see here, you can still get a meal that meets your needs.
Chicken Mango Curry Sandwich: 350 calories, 7g fat (18%), 55g carbs (28%), 25g protein (28%)
Chicken & Bacon Ranch Melt: 620 calories, 32g fat (46%), 43g carbs (28%), 39g protein (25%)
Steak and Cheese Bowl: 380 calories, 19g fat (45%), 12g carbs (13%), 42g protein (44%)
MexiCali Bowl: 690 calories, 51g fat (66%), 19g carbs (11%), 43g protein (25%)
Chicken and Bacon Ranch Salad: 490 calories, 36g fat (66%), 13g carbs (11%), 30g protein (25%)
Buffalo Chicken Salad: 300 calories, 19g fat (57%), 13g carbs (17%), 20g protein (27%)
Check out the nutrition facts provided on the company’s website to find more macro-friendly subway choices. You can also find information about Subway macros and customize your menu choices on the Nutritionix Subway page.
Macro-Friendly Fast Food at Wendy’s
If you’re a fan of Wendy’s, you probably go for the burgers. But it’s also likely that you’ll order a frosty to your meal. These are the most popular items on the Wendy’s menu. But if you scan Wendy’s macros (especially Wendy’s Frosty macros), you’ll see that those choices are high in fat. So, if high-fat food is not in line with your nutritional goals, you may have to make some careful choices when you dine here. These are some of the more popular Wendy’s choices, with macros and calories listed below. Included are some choices that are lower in calories and some that are higher in protein (but also high in calories and fat).
Dave’s Double: 860 calories, 57g fat (59%), 37g carbs (17%), 49g protein (24%)
Big Bacon Classic Triple: 1220 calories, 86g fat (63%), 38g carbs (12%), 75g protein (25%)
Jr. Hamburger: 250 calories, 11g fat (39%), 25g carbs (40%), 13g protein (21%)
Spicy Chicken Sandwich: 490 calories, 20g fat (37%), 50g carbs (41%), 28g protein (23%)
Cobb Salad (no dressing): 420 calories, 23g fat (49%), 16g carbs (15%), 36g protein (34%)
Classic Chocolate Frosty (large): 500 calories, 15g fat (27%), 80g carbs (64%), 16g protein (28%)
Nutrition information on the Wendy’s website is tricky to find because you have to select each menu item to see macros and other nutritional information. But at Nutritionix you can see a full menu with nutrition data to compare Wendy’s macros more easily.
Macro-Friendly Taco Bell Food
If your favorite fast food comes from south of the border, then you probably love Taco Bell. They offer macro-friendly meals made with plant-based protein (beans), so if you avoid meat, you’ll have more choices here than at many other restaurants. However, your highest protein options will include steak or poultry. Here are several Taco Bell macro-friendly choices from various categories on their menu.
Cantina Chicken Bowl: 490 calories, 24g fat (44%), 44g carbs (35%), 25g protein (20%)
Chicken Quesadilla: 520 calories, 26g fat (46%), 41g carbs (33%), 26g protein (21%)
Cantina Chicken Burrito: 540 calories, 30g fat (50%), 43g carbs (32%), 25g protein (19%)
Burrito Supreme - Steak: 380 calories, 12g fat (28%), 49g carbs (52%), 19g protein (20%)
Cheesy Bean & Rice Burrito: 420 calories, 17g fat (37%), 55g carbs (53%), 9g protein (9%)
Cantina Chicken Crispy Taco: 290 calories, 16g fat (51%), 17g carbs (24%), 16g protein (23%)
Double Decker Taco Supreme: 330 calories, 15g fat (41%), 38g carbs (46%), 13g protein (16%)
The menu is fairly extensive at this fast-food joint, but nutrition information can be a bit difficult to find. They provide nutrition information on their website, but the set-up makes it hard to compare Taco Bell macros on an item-by-item basis. If you know what you want to eat, you can use the Taco Bell nutrition calculator to find macros.
Macro-Friendly Fast Food at Chipotle
Chipotle is another popular fast-food restaurant for macro trackers. Many of the menu items are high in fat, calories, and carbs, but portion sizes are usually fairly large, and you can customize your food to suit your needs. If you want your Chipotle macro totals to be high in protein and lower in fat, choose beef or poultry, and opt for a salad or bowl rather than an entree that uses a tortilla.
Here are macros for different bowl, salad, burrito, and taco ingredients to help you put together your meal. To get an idea of total meal nutrition, you’ll see Chipotle Chicken Bowl macros and burrito macros as examples.
Flour tortilla (burrito): 320 calories, 9g fat (26%), 50g carbs (63%), and 8g protein (10%)
Barbacoa (per 4-ounce serving): 170 calories, 7g fat (37%), 2g carbs (5%), and 24g protein (57%)
Chicken (per 4-ounce serving): 180 calories, 7g fat (35%), 0g carbs (0%), and 32g protein (71%)
Carnitas (per 4-ounce serving): 210 calories, 12g fat (51%), 0g carbs (0%), and 23g protein (44%)
Steak (per 4-ounce serving): 150 calories, 6g fat (36%), 1g carbs (3%), and 21g protein (56%)
White Rice: 210 calories, 4g fat (17%), 40g carbs (76%), and 4g protein (8%)
Chicken Burrito Bowl (chicken, rice, black beans, salsa, cheese): 655 calories, 21g fat (29%), 67g carbs (41%), and 50g protein (31%)
Chicken Burrito: (chicken, tortilla, rice, black beans, salsa, cheese): 975 calories, 30g fat (28%), 117g carbs (48%), and 58g protein (24%)
To find more Chipotle macros, you can check their scannable PDF or you can go to the company’s website and use the Chipotle Macro Calculator.
Macro-Friendly Starbucks Drinks
Coffee drinks at Starbucks or other coffee shops can be very high in fat and sugar. If your macro diet prioritizes protein, you’ll want to choose drinks that include dairy or soy milk, since those offer more protein than other milk alternatives (like oat milk or almond milk). Starbucks also offers a packaged protein drink that will boost your intake. These are some of the higher protein Starbucks drink choices:
Grande Iced Caffe Latte (16-ounce): 130 calories, 4g fat (28%), 13g carbs (40%), and 8g protein (25%)
Grande Blonde Vanilla Latte (16-ounce): 190 calories, 4g fat (19%), 30g carbs (63%), and 7g protein (15%)
Grande Iced Caramel Macchiato (16-ounce): 250 calories, 7g fat (25%), 37g carbs (59%), and 10g protein (16%)
Grande Flat White (16-ounce): 220 calories, 11g fat (45%), 18g carbs (33%), and 12g protein (22%)
Koai Vanilla Bean Protein Shake (12-ounce): 190 calories, 7g fat (33%), 13g carbs (27%), and 18g protein (85%)
Koai Cacao Bean Protein Shake (12-ounce): 190 calories, 7g fat (33%), 13g carbs (27%), and 18g protein (85%)
On the app you’ll find a Starbucks macro calculator that works when you input your drink order. You can also find more information about Starbucks macros on their website where they provide a downloadable PDF.
