Chick-fil-A is beloved for its welcoming atmosphere and consistently delicious fast food. While the Spicy Deluxe sandwich, crispy Chick-n-Strips and waffle potato fries are the perfect pick-me-up to grab in the drive thru, there are some entrees on the Chick-fil-A menu to steer clear from if you value your health. Here are 6 Chick-fil-A menu items to stay away from:
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1. Bacon, Egg & Cheese Biscuit
You many choose this breakfast item thinking you're enjoying a protein-packed, energizing start to the day. Although this does contain 16 g protein, it also contains other things that this far from worth it. The BEC has over 1200 mg of sodium, 21 g fat, and 420 calories.
This is half of the saturated fat you should eat in one day, and almost all of the sodium you should consume. If you don't want to start the day feeling bloated and sluggish, skip this and go for a fruit cup, chick-n-minis or yogurt parfait to go with your iced coffee.
2. Cobb Salad with Avocado Lime Dressing
A salad is a healthy meal, right? In this case, think again. The Cobb Salad on the Chick-fil-A menu is high-calorie on it's own, with 510 calories and 1,360 mg sodium. However, if you add the avocado lime dressing, the calorie count goes up to 740, and the sodium to 1,890. This is mostly due to the fried chicken nuggets, crumbled bacon, and cheese, all of which turn this salad into fatty, unhealthy option, especially if you get a side like potato chips or mac & cheese.
The Spicy Southwest Salad is slightly lower in calories, but the Grilled Market Salad with light balsamic vinaigrette is the way to go for a truly healthy meal. You can also go for the Grilled Chicken Sandwich and a side salad for under 500 calories.
3. Hash Brown Scramble Burrito
Another sodium-packed option lurking innocently on the Chick-fil-A menu is the Hash Brown Scramble Burrito. You may think that hash browns could never be a bad choice, in any given time or place (I do), but in this case they aren't your friend. This breakfast burrito contains 680 calories, almost 1700 mg of sodium, and 50 g carbs.
This is almost the amount of sodium you'd have in two regular meals, and it's not worth it. You'd be better off getting some grilled nuggets and dipping them in Polynesian, honey roasted BBQ or honey mustard sauce, or going for a Chick-fil-A sandwich. If you're hooked on the idea of hashbrowns, the Hash Brown Scramble Bowl is a great alternative.
4. Cookies & Cream Milkshake
?Although no one goes into a milkshake thinking they're eating health food, this Chick-fil-A menu item has even more calories than you might expect. With 590 calories and 440 mg sodium, this is essentially another meal, without any of the protein or nutrients that might accompany a sandwich or salad.
Plus, it has about three times more sugar than is recommended to eat in one day. Especially if you get this on top of a main dish like the Chicken Cool Wrap or Chick-fil-A Chicken Sandwich, your body will not thank you. Go for a Chocolate Chunk Cookie instead!
5. Chicken Tortilla Soup
When cooler weather rolls around, we crave warm comfort food like Chick-fil-A's Chicken Tortilla Soup. This may sound like a good choice at first glance, and it only has 320 calories, along with healthy ingredients like chicken breast and veggies. The caveat is, the Chicken Tortilla Soup has over 1,000 mg of sodium, which is almost half the amount you're recommended to consume in a day. The Chick-fil-A Chicken Noodle Soup is a better way to go.
6. Chick-fil-A Lemonade
Another stealthy yet unhealthy item on the Chick-fil-A menu is the lemonade. If you hope to be healthy by choosing the lemonade over the frosted lemonade or a soft drink like Dr. Pepper or Coca-Cola, you will be sorely disappointed to learn that the lemonade has even more sugar than its frosted alternative.
Chick-fil-A's lemonade has 220 calories and 55 g sugar, way too much for one glass of lemonade. To go for a healthier beverage, try the orange juice, apple juice, or diet lemonade. If you're in a tea mood, the unsweetened iced tea has 0 calories, and a sweetened iced tea contains only 120. Or, to be super healthy, get a bottled water!
