Are you following a low-carb diet and thinking it’s hard to eat out, especially at fast-food restaurants? Here's good news for you.

Not all meals at fast-food restaurants are based on high-carb items, like bread and tortillas. Since an increasing number of people are now following several low-carb diets, most fast-food restaurants also offer good low-carb options which can be easily customized to fit your lifestyle.

In this article, you will find 15 fast foods you can eat at most restaurants while on a low-carb diet, such as keto diet or paleo diet.

1. Panera Bread power breakfast bowl

Panera Bread is a café-style restaurant that offers coffee, soups, salads, pastries, and sandwiches. They mostly offer high-carb breakfasts items, but they have two selections from their menu that will absolutely work well for low-carb dieters.

The first one is the Power Breakfast Egg Bowl with Steak holding 20-gram protein and 5-gram carbs. It features 2 eggs, steak, avocado, and tomatoes.

The second is the Power Breakfast Egg White Bowl with Turkey holding 7-gram carbs and 25-gram protein. It contains egg whites, spinach, basil, and bell peppers.

It’s good to start the day with a high-protein breakfast, as it reduces levels of the hunger hormone ghrelin, promoting feelings of fullness and reducing appetite.

2. Buffalo wings

Looking for something delicious and fun to eat on a low-carb diet? Then this Buffalo wings might just be what you’re looking for.

Buffalo wings, depending on how they’re cooked, may also be a low-carb option at sports bars and pizza places. They are traditionally covered in a spicy red sauce made from hot red peppers and vinegar. However, other sauces, such as teriyaki, barbecue, and anything sweet or made from honey, can add a significant number of carbs.

Buffalo wings are also sometimes breaded or battered and fried. Before ordering, it’s important that you ask how the wings are prepared and make sure to order those that are not breaded or battered.

Buffalo wings usually come with ranch dressing, celery, and carrots. Although these ingredients are carb-rich as compared with many other vegetables, carrots are fine to consume in small amounts. (A 60-gram carrot strips holds ~ 5-gram net carbs.

A serving of these buffalo wings typically holds 0–3 grams of carbs.

3. Bacon or sausage and eggs

Bacon or sausage and eggs make a simple yet delicious breakfast. Containing a minimal amount of carbohydrates, this popular breakfast combination is made available at many low-carb fast-food restaurants.

What’s more, eggs can help promote fullness and satiety. In fact, a study in overweight young women found that consuming sausage and eggs in the morning can help decrease appetite.

However, most health professionals do not recommend high intake of cured bacon and sausages, as they are processed meat products which have been found to increase risk of cancer and heart disease.

4. Sub in a tub

Submarine sandwiches are carb-rich. A typical sub contains at least 50-gram carbs, most of which are coming from the bun.

Thus, instead of ordering your sub on a bun, you can order your sub in a tub. This allows you to save more than 40 grams of carbs.

Check out the carb counts for this menu:

California club holds 9-gram carbs, 4 of which are fiber

Club supreme holds 11-gram carbs, 2 of which are fiber

Turkey breast and provolone holds 8-gram carbs, 1 of which is fiber

Chicken salad holds 9-gram carbs, 3 of which are fiber

Sub in a tub is available at any sub sandwich shop, like Subway. You can ask to have it prepared as a salad with vinegar and olive oil for the dressing.

5. KFC grilled chicken

Grilled chicken is better than fried chicken. The latter is not a healthy choice as it absorbs a lot of oil during frying.

Heating vegetable oils to high temperatures is not good considering the fact that it produces harmful compounds that may potentially increase the risk of health problems, such as cancer and heart disease.

Added to that, a medium-size piece of fried chicken contains 8–11 grams of carbs.

Grilled chicken, on the other hand, has less than 1 gram of carbs per piece. It is made available at many Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) franchises.

6. Coffee or tea with cream

Coffee and tea are both carb-free, caffeine-rich beverages. They both provide some impressive benefits.

Caffeine is found to enhance your metabolic rate, physical and mental performance, and mood.

Most fast-food eateries and coffee houses often offer half-and-half should you prefer having milk in your cup of joe. A single-serving container contains ~ 0.5-gram carbs.

Sometimes, heavy cream is also available. However, compared to 20 calories of half-and-half, it contains about 50 calories per 15 ml. It’s nearly carb-free though.

Other coffee houses also offer almond milk or soy, which provides minimal carbs per 30-ml serving.

7. Subway double chicken chopped salad

The most popular fast-food sandwich shop in the world is Subway.

In recent years, they offer chopped salads customizable with protein and vegetables of your choice.

Double chicken chopped salad with avocado is probably one of the most nutritious, satisfying options in Subway with 10-gram total carbs (4 of which are fiber) and a whopping 36-gram protein.

What’s more, eating avocados at lunch may even help you lower your calorie intake at your next meal, since they are rich in fiber and heart-healthy monounsaturated fat.

8. Burrito bowl

Burritos are probably everyone’s favorite.

Typical burritos contain meat, vegetables, beans, and rice wrapped in a large flour tortilla, which can easily pack > 100 grams of carbs.

However, almost every Mexican restaurant offers a burrito bowl or “bare” burrito, which allows you to leave out high-carb items, including the tortilla.

A burrito bowl made with meat, salsa, grilled onions, and bell peppers can make a delicious and satisfying meal with less than 10 grams of digestible carbs.

9. McDonald’s breakfast sandwich without the bread

With over 36,000 restaurants worldwide as of 2018, McDonald’s is the most popular fast-food chain today.

Aside from burgers like the Quarter Pounder and the Big Mac, McDonald’s also has very popular breakfast sandwiches: the Egg McMuffin and Sausage McMuffin which consist of an English muffin with one egg, ham or sausage, and a slice of American cheese.

Although each sandwich holds 29-gram carbs, ordering any of the two without the muffin will reduce the carb content to < 2 grams.

Each sandwich only provides ~ 12 grams of protein, so ordering the two low-carb sandwiches is also a good idea.

10. Arby’s sandwich without the bun

One of the largest fast-food sandwich chains in the US is Arby’s. This chain has many other options, such as turkey, steak, brisket, ham, and chicken, but its original and most popular item is the Roast Beef Classic.

If you’re after a tasty high-protein, low-carb fast food, then ordering these without the bread is a good idea.

11. Arby’s roast turkey farmhouse salad

Featuring roast turkey, mixed greens, cheese, and tomatoes, Arby’s roast turkey farmhouse salad contains 8-gram carbs (2 of which are fiber) and 22-gram protein.

12. Chipotle salad or bowl

Chipotle is a popular Mexican fast-food restaurant that uses high-quality ingredients and emphasizes animal welfare and sustainable farming practices. That said, many people consider this restaurant healthier as compared to other chains.

This popular restaurant makes it very easy to create and provide tasty low-carb meals.

Chipotle salad or bowl with chicken or meat, grilled vegetables, and guacamole holds 14-gram total carbs (8 of which are fiber) and about 30-gram high-quality protein.

A high fiber and protein intake may potentially help you feel full and prevent overeating by increasing the production of the gut hormones cholecystokinin (CCK) and peptide YY (PYY).

What’s more, this Mexican fast-food restaurant has an online nutrition calculator, allowing you to keep track of the exact carb content of your meal.

13. Lettuce-wrapped burger

Lettuce-wrapped burger is a standard low-carb, fast-food meal that is high in protein.

Burger is a customizable meal. You can add the following low-carb toppings depending on your personal preferences:

• cheese (< 1 gram of carbs per slice)
• bacon (< 1 gram of carbs per slice)
• tomato (< 1 gram of digestible carbs per slice)
• guacamole (3 grams of digestible carbs per 60 grams)
• mustard (< 1 gram of carbs per tablespoon)
• mayo (< 1 gram of carbs per tablespoon)
• onions (< 1 gram of digestible carbs per slice)

14. Antipasto salad

Italian fast-food restaurants are famous for pizza, pasta, subs, and other high-carb foods.

Antipasto salad offers a tasty, low-carb alternative which is traditionally served as an appetizer. It contains assorted meats, olives, cheese, and vegetables topped with an olive-oil-based dressing.

But you can order this salad in a larger portion as an entrée, which is protein-rich and contains < 10 grams of digestible carbs.

15. Wendy's Southwest Avocado Chicken Salad

Wendy’s southwest avocado chicken salad consists of low-carb ingredients, including lettuce, avocado, bacon, cheese, tomatoes, and grilled chicken. Thus, this salad is perfect for any low-carb diets, with around 600 calories and 10-gram net carbs.

What’s more, this salad is also filling and satisfying.

Conclusion

With the increasing number of people following low-carb diets, most fast-food restaurants also offer some delicious, low-carb meals as simple substitutions.

Although fast food is not as healthy as your homemade meals, it’s great news that you can also grab a meal at most fast-food restaurants even if you’re following a low-carb diet.