Fast Food Salads High in Fat
The New "Salads": The Latest in Fast Fraud
Rating the New Fast-Food and Quick-Serve Salad Entrees
The latest marketing trend in the fast food industry is the salad entree, promoted as a "healthy" alternative to fatty burgers and fries. But how healthy are these salads?
To see how they stack up nutritionally, the Physicians Committee
for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) analyzed them based on five dietary measures. One star was given for meeting each of the following criteria, with five stars
signifying the highest rating.
Each salad was rated using two ounces of the dressing that it is served with or, if no dressing is recommended, the lowest-fat dressing on the menu.
PCRM rated the salad entrees offered at Au Bon Pain, Burger King, McDonald's, Panera, Subway, Taco Bell and Wendy's.
Additionally, PCRM reviewed the amount of calories in each salad. Although calorie content was not one of the five formal criteria, nutritionists highlighted those salads with particularly high calorie
content in the written descriptions below.
The report's results were quite surprising. Only two out of 34 salads received all five stars. Most of the salads were no more healthful than a burger without the bun, dipped in salad
dressing. And clear patterns emerged. Salads that relied on fresh vegetables received top billing whereas salads heavy with meat, cheese, or dressing fell flat.
Most shocking of all, McDonald's Crispy Bacon Ranch Salad has more fat and calories and just as much cholesterol as a Big Mac.
Unfortunately, very few salads relied on beans (chickpeas, kidney beans, black beans) as a healthy source of protein. A popular item on salad bars, beans would have significantly boosted fiber. If restaurants would replace high-fat toppings,
such as chicken and cheese, with cholesterol-free, high-fiber legumes, many more
salads would receive five stars.
Fast-Food and Quick-Serve
Salad Entrees
Au Bon Pain
| Salad |
Fat (g) |
Saturated Fat (g) |
Cholesterol (mg) |
Fiber (g) |
Sodium (mg) |
Number of stars |
| Caesar Salad |
12
 |
6 |
30
|
4
|
450
|
4 Stars
|
| Charbroiled Salmon Filet & Yellow Peppers Salad |
7
|
1
|
50
|
2 |
215
|
4 Stars
|
| Chef's Salad |
15 |
7 |
65 |
3
|
1370 |
1 Star
|
| Chicken Caesar Salad |
14 |
7 |
70 |
4
|
800
|
2 Stars
|
| Cobb Salad |
22 |
10 |
220 |
8
|
1640 |
1 Star
|
| Garden Salad |
4
|
1
|
0
|
5
|
480
|
5 Stars
|
| Mediterranean Chicken Salad |
12
|
3
|
50
|
3
|
1090 |
4 Stars
|
| Mozzarella & Red Pepper Salad |
25 |
16 |
90 |
2 |
460
|
1 Star
|
| Nicoise Salad |
16 |
3
|
245 |
4
|
1030 |
2 Stars
|
| Thai Chicken Salad |
8
|
.05
|
45
|
4
|
1460 |
4 Stars
|
| Tomato & Mozzarella with Basil Pesto |
19 |
11 |
60 |
3
|
260
|
2 Stars
|
| Tuna Salad |
25 |
4
|
10
|
6
|
960
|
4 Stars
|
Burger King
| Salad |
Fat (g) |
Saturated Fat (g) |
Cholesterol (mg) |
Fiber (g) |
Sodium (mg) |
Number of stars |
| Chicken Caesar Salad with Creamy Caesar Dressing, Croutons,
and Parmesan Cheese |
27 |
7 |
70 |
3
|
1850 |
1 Star
|
McDonald's
| Salad |
Fat (g) |
Saturated Fat (g) |
Cholesterol (mg) |
Fiber (g) |
Sodium (mg) |
Number of stars |
| Crispy Chicken Bacon Ranch Salad with Newman's Own Ranch
Dressing |
51 |
11.5 |
85 |
3
|
1570 |
1 Star
|
| Crispy Chicken Caesar Salad with Newman's Own Creamy Caesar
Dressing and Croutons |
35.5 |
8 |
70 |
3
|
1530 |
1 Star
|
| Crispy Chicken California Cobb Salad with Newman's Own Cobb
Dressing |
32 |
8.5 |
135 |
3
|
1610 |
1 Star
|
| Grilled Chicken Bacon Ranch Salad with Newman's Own Ranch
Dressing |
43 |
9.5 |
95 |
3
|
1360 |
1 Star |
| Grilled Chicken Caesar Salad with Newman's Own Creamy Caesar
Dressing and Croutons |
56.5 |
7 |
80 |
3
|
1320 |
1 Star
|
| Grilled Chicken California Cobb Salad with Newman's Own Cobb
Salad |
23 |
7.5 |
140 |
3
|
1400 |
1 Star
|
Panera
| Salad |
Fat (g) |
Saturated Fat (g) |
Cholesterol (mg) |
Fiber (g) |
Sodium (mg) |
Number of stars |
| Asian Sesame Chicken Salad |
15 |
4*
|
60 |
4
|
1070 |
2 Stars
|
| Caesar Salad |
26 |
7.2* |
110 |
3
|
1130 |
1 Star
|
| Classic Cafe Salad |
36 |
2.7*
|
0 |
4
|
340
|
4 Stars
|
| Fandango Salad |
28 |
5.3* |
25
|
7
|
410
|
3 Stars
|
| Greek Salad |
45 |
16* |
10
|
5
|
1850 |
2 Stars
|
| Grilled Chicken Caesar Salad |
27 |
7.3* |
170 |
3
|
1620 |
1 Star
|
* The data for these values were either incorrect on the restaurant's Web site, or were not available. Therefore we calculated the values by using the nutrient analysis program
Nutritionist V.
Subway
| Salad |
Fat (g) |
Saturated Fat (g) |
Cholesterol (mg) |
Fiber (g) |
Sodium (mg) |
Number of stars |
| Meatball Salad with Fat-Free Italian Dressing |
20 |
9 |
55 |
4
|
1660 |
1 Star
|
| Subway Club Salad with Fat-Free Italian Dressing |
3.5
|
1.5
|
35
|
3
|
1720 |
4 Stars
|
| Veggie Delite Salad with Fat-Free Italian Dressing |
1
|
0
|
0
|
3
|
920
|
5 Stars
|
Taco Bell
| Salad |
Fat (g) |
Saturated Fat (g) |
Cholesterol (mg) |
Fiber (g) |
Sodium (mg) |
Number of stars |
| Taco Salad with Salsa |
51 |
14 |
60 |
13
|
1760 |
1 Star
|
| Taco Salad with Salsa (without shell) |
21 |
10
|
60 |
13
|
1500 |
1 Star
|
Wendy's
| Salad |
Fat (g) |
Saturated Fat (g) |
Cholesterol (mg) |
Fiber (g) |
Sodium (mg) |
Number of stars |
| Chicken BLT Salad with Homestyle Garlic Croutons and Honey Mustard Dressing |
47.5 |
12.5 |
85 |
4
|
1630 |
1 Star
|
| Mandarin Chicken Salad with Roasted Almost, Crispy Rice
Noodles, and Oriental Sesame Dressing |
36.5 |
4.5
|
59.5*
|
5
|
1520 |
2 Stars
|
| Spring Mix Salad with Honey-Roasted Pecans and House
Vinaigrette Dressing |
44 |
10 |
30
|
7
|
1125 |
2 Stars
|
| Taco Supremo Salad with Taco Chips, Sour Cream, and Salsa |
34 |
15.5
|
80 |
10
|
1695 |
1 Star
|
