Low-Fat Fast Foods

When eating fast food, you can stay on a low-fat diet by choosing salads and baked potatoes rather than French fries. By reading salad dressing packets, you can choose those that are low in fat. Hold the cheese on salads and avoid bacon. When ordering chicken, opt for grilled instead of fried or crispy chicken sandwiches. The American Heart Association recommends that 30 percent of your daily caloric intake come from fat. For a person who eats 2,000 calories a day, that's 67 grams of fat.

Arby's

• When eating at Arby's, opt for salads and low-fat "roasted" items. The Roast Chicken Ranch sandwich, one of their Market Fresh sandwiches, has 10 grams of fat while the Ham and Swiss Melt sandwich has 8 grams of fat. Choose low-fat condiments, such as barbeque sauce with zero fat and buffalo dipping sauce with .5 grams of fat. The best low-fat salads at Arby's include the Chopped Side Salad with 5 grams of fat and the Chopped Farmhouse Salad with turkey and ham, which has 14 grams of fat.

McDonald's

• At McDonald's, the low-fat breakfast choices include the English muffin, dry, with 3 grams of fat, and the hotcakes without margarine, which have 9 grams of fat. The hotcake syrup has zero grams of fat. For lunch or dinner, opt for the plain hamburger with 9 grams of fat, the Premium Grilled Chicken Classic sandwich with 10 grams of fat or the Ranch Snack Wrap with grilled chicken, which has 10 grams of fat. The honey mustard and chipotle barbeque versions of the wrap have 9 grams of fat. The lowest-fat salads include the Premium Southwest Salad with grilled chicken and the Premium Bacon Ranch Salad with grilled chicken, both with 9 grams of fat. Newman's Own low-fat balsamic vinaigrette has 3 grams of fat. Other low-fat fast foods include the snack-size Fruit and Walnut Salad with 8 grams of fat and the Apple Dippers with low-fat caramel dip, which have .5 grams of fat.

Burger King

• In order to find a low-fat item at Burger King, it's important to ask them to hold the mayonnaise. The Whopper Junior with onion, pickle, lettuce, tomato and ketchup with no mayonnaise has 10 grams of fat. The Tendergrill Chicken Sandwich with no mayonnaise has 7 grams of fat. Another low-fat option is the plain hamburger with mustard, ketchup and pickles, which has 10 grams of fat. For breakfast, the lowest-fat options at Burger King are the Mini Blueberry Biscuits, four pieces, with 15 grams of fat, or the French Toast Sticks with 11 grams of fat. The Frozen Coke has zero grams of fat.

Wendy's

• At Wendy's, opt for the Junior Hamburger with 8 grams of fat or the Grilled Chicken Wrap with 10 grams of fat. Several side items are low in fat, including the small chili, which has 7 grams of fat, the Sour Cream and Chives Potato with 4 grams of fat, the Mandarin oranges with zero grams of fat, and the Garden Side Salad with 14 grams of fat. A Frosty float has 7 grams of fat.

Taco Bell

• At Taco Bell, order items Fresco, which translates into "no cheese." Some of their low-fat fast food choices include the Fresco Bean Burrito with 8 grams of fat, Fresco Burrito Supreme with chicken or steak with 8 grams of fat, Fresco Crunchy Taco with 7 grams of fat, Fresco Grilled Steak Soft Taco with 7 grams of fat, Fresco Soft Taco with 7 grams of fat, and Fresco Ranchero Chicken Soft Taco with 4 grams of fat. The Taco Bell Mexican Rice has 3.5 grams of fat. Condiments contain no fat.