Fast Food Dieting Reference Guide

The terms "fast food" and "dieting" don't usually go together, but the fact of the matter is that sometimes there are limited options or time. Surprisingly, there are a fair amount of menu options if you're following popular diets such as low-carb, vegetarian or Mediterranean.

The folks over at NetQuote went through the menus of five national fast food chains (McDonald's, Wendy's, Starbucks, Chick-fil-a and Taco Bell) and put together a super simple, easy to read guide divided by diet type and by chain. Dieters will be pleasantly satisfied with the offering in many cases. The charts also include calorie totals and the overall percent of the menu that qualifies for different ratings.

Note that their low-carb ratings mean under 16 grams of carbs, which may not be appropriate for stricter low-carb diets.

Some of the highlights:

• At Taco Bell, over 20% of the items are appropriate for a vegetarian diet.
• Over 20% of McDonald's items are appropriate for Pescatarians (vegetarians with exceptions of seafood, eggs and dairy). McDonald's also boasts 16.7% percent of their menu possibly appropriate for carb-restricted diets.
• Surprisingly, just under 6% of Starbucks menu qualifies for a carb-restricted diet. On the other hand, 41.2% of their menu is appropriate for vegetarian.
• For those following the Mediterranean diet, which limits poultry but still includes food items like eggs, cheese and yogurt, Starbucks is the best bet in the list with 14.7% of their menu being appropriate.
• Chick-fil-a's addition of grilled items and nuggets/strips offer some of the better low-carb entree options of the major fast food chains, rather than just sides.
• Check out the complete guide "Fast Food Fits: Main Menu Items That Fit Into Popular Diets" here at NetQuote.com