Low Carb Lunches: McDonald’s, KFC, Taco Bell & Subway

When I first began to eat low carb, one of my biggest hurdles was figuring out what to eat when I was on the go. Most of the time, I pack a lunch and bring it from home, but that’s not always an option. If I have to get lunch from a fast food place, these are some of the low carb choices I make.

McDonald’s – Premium Bacon Ranch Salad with Grilled Chicken, No Dressing

McDonald’s is generally a place I avoid at all costs, but I didn’t pack today and the choices in the town where I work are extremely limited. Not my favorite meal, but it’ll do. No dressing because their ranch has way too many carbs for me. #lowcarbhighfat #lowcarbliving #lowcarb #lchf

A photo posted by Andrea Copley (@acopley10) on Jan 14, 2016 at 9:54am PST

McDonald’s is definitely not my favorite place. The food is overpriced, underwhelming, and offers so few choices, especially when looking for gluten-free and low carb items. Sometimes, however, it’s the only option. When that happens, I purchase the Premium Bacon Ranch Salad with Grilled Chicken. Just beware of the salad dressings! Their version of ranch dressing has 10 net carbs. 

Net Carbs: 6 | Nutritional Info

Subway – Subway Club Chopped Salad with Ranch Dressing

Currently obsessed with #subway chopped salads. This is the club with ranch. Net carbs: 9

A photo posted by Andrea Copley (@acopley10) on Apr 29, 2016 at 10:01am PDT

I only discovered the chopped salads at Subway a few weeks ago. Since that time, I’ve been eating them at least twice per week. Most of the salads are less than 10 net carbs; the ranch dressing has around 3 carbs. The Subway Club is my absolute favorite, though I eat the Oven Roasted Chicken regularly as well.

The nutrition calculator on Subway’s site allows you to add and take away ingredients, helping you to get a good picture of how many carbs are actually in your salad. Items with more natural sugar, like tomatoes and onions will add to the carb count, while extras like bacon and cheese have little impact.

Net Carbs: 9 | Nutrition & Ingredients 

Taco Bell – Chicken Cantina Power Bowl, No Rice, No Beans

Learning to make good choices when eating out is difficult when switching to low carb, especially at fast food restaurants. The Taco Bell Chicken Cantina Bowl is loaded with rice and beans, netting 41 carbs. Omitting those two ingredients, however, drops the carb count to 8. #tacobell #lowcarbhighfat #lowcarb #lchf #lowcarbliving #keto #ketogenic #ketodiet #lifestylechange

A photo posted by Andrea Copley (@acopley10) on May 12, 2016 at 9:50am PDT

Taco Bell is a difficult place to find a low carb meal. Their regular taco meat is not friendly to those that are gluten intolerant, so steak and chicken are the only protein options. With nearly everything being rolled up in delicious, carb-loaded corn tortillas, the Cantina Power Bowls become the only option. They’re still rather filling without the rice and beans; I’ve noticed that they usually substitute in some extra lettuce. If I’m feeling especially hungry, I’ll get a cup of cheese sauce to pour on top. It only adds 2 net carbs.

Net Carbs: 8 | Nutrition & Ingredients

KFC – Grilled Chicken Breast & Green Beans

I got busy working and missed my regular lunch hour. Now, I’m starving! I don’t usually eat #kfc because they seem to put flour on everything, but I’m usually okay just peeling the skin off the grilled chicken (which stinks because that’s the best part!). Two grilled breasts and a side of green beans. Net carbs: 2 #lchf #keto #ketogenic #ketodiet #ketosis #lowcarbhighfat #lowcarb #lowcarbliving

A photo posted by Andrea Copley (@acopley10) on May 25, 2016 at 10:10am PDT

I still don’t understand why KFC needs to dust their grilled chicken with flour, but they do. For this reason, I always remove the skin from the chicken. If you don’t have any gluten issues, however, this is not a step that needs to be taken. The chicken has no carbs. The green beans have only 2 net carbs.

Net carbs: 2 | Nutrition & Ingredients

What are some of your favorite low carb, fast food meals?