What Fast Food Is Best For Diabetics

For people who have diabetes, this may be a challenge to eat regularly to maintain the blood sugar levels. However, it is not always possible to make every meal and snack at home. Sometimes, fast food is the only option.

Although fast food is generally not healthy, there are some certain diabetic-friendly options for diabetics. Here are some recommendations to help you eat relatively healthier while still enjoying fast foods. Let's find out what fast food is best for diabetics.

1. Noodles & Company

Fast food chain Noodles&Company was founded in 1995 and has about 450 locations in the United States now. It mainly offers various kinds of pasta and noodles: American, Italian, Chinese, Thai, Mediterranean, Japanese... Soup, salad, and sandwiches are also on the menu.

In general, foods like spaghetti, noodles, and macaroni are not recommended for people with diabetes who need low-carb diet. However, Noodles&Company's zoodles and caulifloodles will be safe and ideal choices for diabetics. They use spiralized zucchini or cauliflower instead of regular noodles, so you can drastically reduce the intake of carbohydrates in your recipe while enjoying more vegetables.

2. Taco Bell

Known for its Mexican-inspired cuisine, Taco Bell has more than 7,000 locations all over the world. If you want to choose low-calorie and low-carbs fast foods on Taco Bell’s menu, the secret is ordering fresco style. Almost everything in Taco Bell can be customized "Fresco style", which is much more diabetic-friendly via using diced fresh tomatoes instead of cheese, mayo-based sauces.

You can choose Chicken Soft Taco, Grilled Steak Burrito, or Chicken Power Bowl. Be sure to avoid the Spicy Beef Supreme Nachos, which contains about 1450 calories and a whopping 127 grams of net carbs!

3. McDonald’s

Although massive restaurant chain McDonald's is known for its high calories fast foods, especially hamburgers and french fries, they are now trying to provide some healthier options.

McDonald’s Egg White McMuffins and Fruit & Maple Oatmeal is relatively better for diabetics. And the Filet-O-Fish with Alaskan pollock contains less salt and fat than other sandwiches. Be sure to choose cheeseburger and Kids Fries if you really want burgers and fries. What's more, a side salad with less dressing can make it a more diabetes-friendly meal.

4. Subway

With a variety of bread options, Subway provides healthier alternatives to conventional fast food. Their 6-inch wheat bread is the top pick for diabetics. Rotisserie chicken, turkey breast, and black forest ham are available with healthy toppings that won't cause blood sugar levels to soar.

Asking for double veggies would be a nice idea, and you should stay away from pickles, jalapenos, banana peppers, and sauerkraut which will contain 100–200mg of sodium.

5. Panera Bread

Panera Bread serves relatively healthy foods such as salads, sandwiches, soups, pastries. The fast-casual restaurant's warm bowls are quite diabetic-friendly. For example, the Mediterranean Bowl contains quinoa, grilled chicken, hummus, and Greek yogurt.

For diabetics, ordering Thai salad with chicken or a sandwich with avocado, egg white, and spinach will be a satisfying option. Considering the unnecessary salt in them, the soups are not recommended.

6. Wendy's

With more than 6,000 outlets worldwide, Wendy's serves a wide selection of burgers, sandwiches, salads, and desserts. If you want to order some diabetic-friendly fast foods at Wendy’s, either Grilled Chicken Sandwich or Jr. Hamburger Deluxe will be a good option as it contains only 9g of carbs.

If you prefer salads, you can choose the Power Mediterranean Chicken Salad, Mandarin Chicken Salad, Apple Pecan Chicken Salad, or Caesar Side Salad. There are also some healthy sides available at Wendy's, such as baked potatoes and apple slices.