Fast food is often cheap and convenient, but finding a healthy meal with enough fiber can be a challenge. Many fast food meals are packed with calories, sodium, and unhealthy fat with little or no dietary fiber. Even a seemingly healthy salad from a fast food restaurant is often light on fiber—simple lettuce greens provide only about 0.5 grams of fiber per cup. Look for salads that include other vegetables, and whenever possible, up the fiber content by adding your own nuts, beans, or corn.

Other tips for getting more fiber from meals at fast food restaurants:

• Choose sandwiches, burgers, or subs that come on a whole wheat bun or whole grain bread.
• Try a veggie burger. Many taste much better than they used to and contain two or three times more fiber than a meat burger.
• Select a side of beans for a healthy fiber boost.
• Choose nuts or a salad over fries or potato chips.
• Combining a baked potato and a side of chili, available at some burger chains, can make a tasty, high-fiber meal.
• Several chains offer oatmeal bowls for breakfast, a higher fiber choice than most breakfast sandwiches. Try to choose lower sugar versions if possible.
• Finish a fast food meal with a fruit cup, fruit and yogurt parfait, apple slices, or a piece of fresh fruit.