Which Fast Food Chain Has The Healthiest Salads?

With some fast food salads rivaling options like burgers and sandwiches, chain restaurants have developed great offerings across every category. From calorie count to the amount of protein, there are various elements that go into determining whether something is nutritious — and East Coast salad chain Chopt does a pretty good job at hitting the mark on several factors. It's no surprise that a restaurant known for salads has some of the healthiest, and the chain fared better than its fellow fast casual salad spots, too. Ranging from 300 to 600, the calorie count for Chopts' salads were pretty tame. Of course, these numbers jump when protein is added, but not by much. Adding shrimp to the Chopt Greek Salad takes it from 395 calories to 475, while a serving of grilled chicken takes the Kale Caesar Salad from 298 calories to 428.

Some of Chopt's salads already come with some form of meat, poultry, or seafood, providing dishes with up to 23 grams of protein. One of the best parts about Chopt is that the salads are pretty customizable, so you can adjust the amount of fat, sodium, calories, and more in your dish. Salad dressings can be a sneaky source of sodium and fat, but Chopt has light dressings that offer a healthier route without skimping on the flavor. Opting for the Mexican goddess dressing rather than the Mexican Caesar in Chopt's Mexican Caesar Salad gives you only 30 grams of sodium compared with 200, with the amount of fat dropping by half.

There are only 93 Chopt locations across the United States, so if you cannot find one near you, there are several other fast food chains that offer a host of healthy salads. Sweetgreen has a range of hearty options that you can customize to better fit your dietary needs. The calorie count for its salads ranges from 390 to 740, but it's the sodium level that diners should keep an eye on. Sweetgreen salads tend to reach more than 1,000 milligrams of salt, but swapping out dressings, proteins, and other toppings should help to bring this down.

Although it's not strictly a salad chain, Panera's offerings are great for customers looking for more nutritious fast food options. It offers salads in both half and full sizes, so the calorie amount can go from 70 to 680. Like Chopt and Sweetgreen, Panera's salads have toppings that can be mixed and matched into something that's best for your health needs. Its salads are some of the most popular Cava menu items, and the chain allows diners to build their own salad bowl, similarly to fast casual salad eateries. When ordering from its website, Cava has a calorie count for every element, from the greens and toppings to the dressings and protein. However, some ingredients, like the spicy lamb meatballs and red pepper hummus, have significant amounts of sodium, so take a look at its nutritional guide when ordering.