Of course I advocate whole-foods approaches to eating as the optimal choices. To the extent you can prepare your own meals chock full of veggies and lean protein with a whole grain side, it will always be your best option. But sometimes, whether because we are travelling, or have busy workdays, or just “because” we end up resorting to grabbing something on the go. Here are two articles that outline the best and worst choices one can make from fast food restaurants:

http://health.yahoo.com/experts/eatthis/25787/americas-healthiest-restaurants/

In a nutshell, here are your best choices:
• Chick-fil-A: Chargrilled Chicken Sandwiches
• Subway: offers sandwiches under 300 calories, plus a slew of soups and healthy sides
• Jamba Juice: Jamba Light or All Fruit Smoothie in a 16-ounce cup
• Au Bon Pain: combine a non-cream-based soup with one of the many low-calorie options on the Portions menu
• Boston Market: turkey, sirloin, or rotisserie chicken and two noncreamy, nonstarchy vegetable sides
• Cici’s Pizza Buffet: start with a salad, limit yourself to the healthier slices like the Zesty Vegetable, Alfredo, and the Olé, which is a Mexican-inspired pie with only 108 calories per slice.
• McDonald’s: an Egg McMuffin, or splurge on a Big Mac or a Quarter Pounder, but only if you skip the fries and soda, which add an average of 590 calories onto any meal. [other options not mentioned in this article: Grilled Chicken Classic sandwich and wraps (skip the mayo or sauce) or the salad with Paul Newman low-fat balsamic vinaigrette (read the provided nutritional info about salads - avoid croutons, crispy noodles, cheese - and many other dressings add an enormous amount of salt and fats)]
• Taco Bell: any combination of two of the following: crunchy tacos, bean burritos, or anything on the Fresco menu.
• Wendy’s: grilled chicken sandwiches and wraps, chicken or a small burger paired with a healthy side.

http://health.yahoo.com/experts/eatthis/26542/americas-unhealthiest-restaurants/

This article lists some of the more challenging places to get healthier fare (and tells you what the lesser of the evils is). Restaurants featured in this article: Baskin-Robbins, Carl’s Jr., Denny’s, Dairy Queen, Ruby Tuesday, Chili’s, Uno Chicago Grill, Chevy’s, On the Border, Romano’s Macaroni Grill, and Baja Fresh.

The bottom line: many places are now providing nutritional information so you can make informed choices when you order—it is worth reading!