Dietitian-Approved Fast Food For Diabetes

Knowing what to order when you go out to eat can be hard, so keep reading for our top dietitian-approved options for fast food for diabetes. 

Ever wonder what the best options for someone with diabetes are at a fast-food restaurant? Well, look no further because below we’re detailing what you should order and everything you need to know about fast food for diabetes.

My experience eating out with diabetes

Eating out with diabetes can be overwhelming, but it is possible! As a dietitian living with diabetes myself, I actually rely on fast food or quick restaurant meals often. I’m a working parent just like many other people and I’m thankful there are so many amazing blood sugar-friendly options available. This wasn’t always the case though.

“Fast food” has changed dramatically over the last 20 years with more and more healthy high protein fast food options and restaurants. Some of my favorites include: Cava, Chipotle, Starbucks, and Jason’s Deli.

10 Specific diabetes-friendly fast food tips

It is estimated that over 30% of Americans eat at least one fast food meal every day… so, it’s unrealistic to assume you’ll never eat fast food again when you have diabetes. It’s important to be prepared and have some go-to menu options in mind. In addition to the tips above, keep the following tips about fast food for diabetes in mind as well:

1. Look up the nutritional information for menu items if you’re able to ahead of time.
2. Don’t go to a fast food restaurant when you are overly hungry. Wait for a time when you can be most in tune with your hunger and fullness cues. If you’ve skipped a meal that same day, you may not be able to listen to your body to the best of your ability.
3. Make sure you always include a protein source.
4. Look for menu items with veggies.
5. Choose dishes more likely to be higher in fiber.
6. Steer clear of dishes with trans fat or high amounts of saturated fat. Keep in mind that most fried fast food items are fried twice by the time they make it to your hands. (The first time happens initially before most fast food is frozen at a production center, and again in the restaurant when “cooked.”) This means the amount of fat can be much higher and may result in a delayed glucose spike.
7. Avoid high sugar beverages.
8. Eat slowly, and stop when you feel full.
9. Don’t size up or super size an order.
10. Don’t assume that salads are the best option. They may be lacking in protein or have more carbohydrates than you think.

Be conscious of portion sizes of fast food for diabetes

As mentioned above, be aware of your portion sizes. While many fast food restaurants offer large portion sizes that may be more than you’re hungry for, others may be too small. Looking up the nutrition information ahead of time is a great way to know how you could adjust the amount you eat to meet your nutrition goals or targets.

A perfect example of this for me is Chipotle. I LOVE Chipotle! (I describe the meal I usually get below.) Every once in a while I’m hungry enough to eat a whole bowl. Most of the time though, I’m satisfied with half and can save the other half for the next day.

Common FAQs about fast food and diabetes

Best Diabetes-Friendly Fast Food Overview

Here is a list of the top places and fast food options I’ve found for diabetes. Keep reading for more about each one and the meals I recommend or click on the one you want to learn more about to jump right to that section!

• Mexican restaurants
  • Chipotle
  • Taco Bell
  • Torchy’s Tacos
• Chinese food
  • Pei Wei
  • Panda Express
• Top fried chicken options
  • KFC
  • Chick-fil-A
• Top pizza options
  • Pizza Hut
  • Papa John’s
  • Dominos Pizza
• Top sandwich and options
  • Subway
  • Panera Bread
  • Jason’s Deli
• Top fast food breakfast
  • Dunkin Donuts
  • Starbucks
  • Panera Bread
• Best kids meals
  • McDonalds
  • Chick-fil-A
  • Panera Bread
• Healthier fast food options
  • Cava

Top diabetes-friendly Mexican restaurants

1. Chipotle

Chipotle can be a great choice for people with diabetes because of the customization of every dish. They also have their nutrition calculator so you can build your meal and know the exact nutritional breakdown of what you’re ordering.

• Burrito bowl or salad
  • Chipotle’s bowls and salads offer the most opportunity for complex carbohydrates and veggies. Add your meat of choice, fajita veggies, beans, rice, veggie-based salsa, and guacamole. And, depending on your carbohydrate goals, you can choose to have a whole portion or a half portion of things like rice and beans. If you want cheese or sour cream, ask for their “light” portion.
  • My go-to order is a chicken bowl with a double portion of chicken, fajita veggies, white rice, 1/2 pinto beans, 1/2 black beans, lettuce, corn salsa, and light cheese.

If you want to make your own Chipotle-style bowl at home, make sure to check out my Low Carb Burrito Bowl with Guacamole recipe.

2. Taco Bell

Taco Bell has dramatically changed its menu options over the last 10 years or so. They still offer the more indulgent classics we all know, but they’ve added some higher fiber and protein options as well!

• Chicken or Steak Power Menu Bowls
  • While these aren’t the lowest carbohydrate options on the menu, they offer a great balance of fat, fiber, and protein when you choose to eat fast food. Each bowl has 41g carbohydrate, 8g fiber, and 26g protein.
• 2 beef soft tacos
  • You’ll get 18g protein and 6g fiber!
• Cantina Chicken Bowl
  • This is a newer item to their menu and is so delicious. With 44g carbohydrates, 11g fiber, and 25g protein, it’s incredibly filling and blood-sugar friendly. It contains a decent amount of sodium though (1150mg), so keep that in mind.

3. Torchy’s Tacos

If possible, ask for whichever tacos you order on corn tortillas. Each taco will come with two tortillas wrapped around it (which I’ve never really understood), but you only need one. So, I always just save the second one to take home. Choose tacos that don’t have fried fillings and do have veggies and protein.

• Migas on corn tortillas
  • This is my go-to order. I usually get two. Each migas taco has 17g protein. Remember, take that extra tortilla off or ask for just one tortilla, and you’ll have a delicious blood-sugar-friendly meal.
• Chicken fajita taco
  • A chicken fajita taco on a flour tortilla has 20g carbohydrates and 23g protein. They’re not high in fiber, but will still leave you satisfied.
• Beef fajita taco
  • Ask for a beef fajita taco on just one corn tortilla. You’ll get 15g carbohydrates and 20g protein.
• Mr. Orange taco
  • A Mr. Orange taco has a similar nutrition profile to the others we’ve mentioned but with salmon. It’s one of my favorites!

Top diabetes-friendly Chinese food options

1. Pei Wei

For fast food Chinese food and diabetes top picks at Pei Wei, the appetizer section of their menu has a lot of options. Many of the main entrees and noodle & rice bowls almost all top 80-120g carbohydrates, but there are also some lower to moderate carbohydrate options.

• Veggie Spring Rolls
  • I love the crunch of vegetable spring rolls. These have 17g carb and 3g protein in each roll.
• Edamame
  • Edamame is a delicious protein-rich appetizer! Each order has 23g of protein.
• Chicken Lettuce Wraps
  • Half an order of chicken lettuce wraps contains ~35g carbohydrate, 17g protein, and 4g fiber.
• Beef & Broccoli
  • A full order of beef & broccoli has 50g carbohydrates and 44g of protein. This is without rice. I prefer to enjoy half the order with a scoop of rice and that way I get two meals out of it!

2. Panda Express

Panda Express has a category on their menu called “Wok Smart” which designates 300 calories or less and 8g protein or more. I’m not as concerned about the calories, but it’s a good indicator of the dishes that have more protein.

The following options are diabetes-friendly lower in sodium and moderate in carbohydrates compared to other items on their menu. Pair them with some veggie-focused side dishes.

• Grilled Teriyaki Chicken
  • I love Teriyaki Chicken! This version has 33g of protein and only 14g of carbohydrate.
• Grilled Asian Chicken
  • Grilled Asian Chicken is another option that’s lower in carbohydrates but higher in protein. It also has 33g of protein and 14g of carbohydrates per serving.
• Broccoli Beef
  • I love pretty much any version of Beef & Broccoli. Each serving has 9g protein and 2g fiber.

Top fried chicken options for people with diabetes

1. KFC

• Whole Wings (Original Recipe or Extra Crispy)
  • Wings are a great way to portion out exactly how much you want to eat and allow you to enjoy some fried chicken but in smaller servings than a chicken breast or thigh. Each wing has 10g protein and 3-5g carbohydrate.
• 3pc chicken tender meal
  • Choose a non-starchy veggie for your side, like coleslaw or green beans. Ask to sub the biscuit for a second vegetable side. The chicken tenders will provide 30g of protein and 24g carbohydrates.

2. Chick-fil-A

Chick-fil-A has several meals that would be great for people with diabetes. For side items, choose a small waffle fries, side salad, or kale crunch salad. For an entree, these are great options:

• Grilled Chicken Sandwich meal
  • Chick-fil-A’s grilled chicken sandwich is relatively low in sodium compared to other options, and has 28g protein!
• Grilled Nuggets
  • The 8ct or 12ct is a great high-protein option that’s lower in saturated fat than its fried counterpart.
• Market Salad with grilled chicken filet
  • This is one of my favorite fast-food salads! I love the fruit on top! Each salad (as it comes) has 5g fiber, 42g protein, and 34g carbohydrate.

And if you want one of their dipping sauces, the Honey Roasted BBQ sauce would be your best choice.

Top fast food pizza options for people with diabetes

1. Pizza Hut

• Thin ‘N Crispy crust
  • Thin crust or hand-tossed crust are your best options at Pizza Hut. Make sure to focus on veggies for toppings.
  • And if you need to dose medication or insulin based on how many carbohydrates you eat, make sure to check their website for nutrition info. One slice of a large pizza has a different amount of carbohydrate than one slice of a medium pizza (29g v 22g carbohydrate respectively).

2. Papa John’s

• Thin crust
  • Just like with Pizza Hut, make sure to pay attention to which size pizza your slice comes from and opt for a couple veggie-loaded slices of their thin crust.

3. Dominos

• Hand-tossed pizza
  • If you’re craving a traditional pizza, Domino’s is probably your best option. Choose a hand-tossed pizza with your choice of lower-sodium toppings like fresh veggies and peppers. Half of a small 8-inch tossed pizza has 42g of carbohydrates.
  • And if you prefer thin crust, a small 10-inch crust with cheese and veggies is only 30g carb for half of a pizza!

Top sandwich options for people with diabetes

1. Subway

I have a few menu hacks at Subway for diabetes.

• Build your 6-inch sandwich
  • All of the 6-inch bread options at Subway are relatively the same when it comes to carbohydrates (36-42g), fiber (2-3g), and protein (8-10g). So choose the one that you enjoy the most. Top your sandwich with veggies and black forest ham or roasted chicken.
• Tuna Protein Bowl
  • You can turn any sandwich into a protein bowl now at Subway too. The tuna option is the lowest in sodium at 690mg.
• Salad
  • To keep sodium low, opt for a meatball marinara, grilled chicken, oven-roasted turkey, roast beef, rotisserie-style chicken, tuna, veggie delite, or black forest ham salad. Add additional sources of protein and veggies!

2. Panera Bread

While most of the sandwiches at Panera are quite high in sodium, some of their soups and salads are great options:

• Asian Sesame Salad with Chicken
  • I love this salad from Panera! It has 26g carbohydrates, 6g fiber, and 29g protein!
• Fuji Apple Salad with Chicken
  • This is hands down my favorite salad at Panera! The flavors are amazing! It has 38g carbohydrates, 6g fiber, and 30g protein.
• Green Goddess Cobb with Chicken
  • Another great salad option from Panera! ~40% of the carbohydrate in this salad comes from fiber!

3. Jason’s Deli

Anyone who has ever experienced the salad bar at Jason’s Deli knows how good it is. Focus on leafy greens, lean proteins, veggies, beans, nuts, hummus, and more. But, if you’re not in the mood for the salad bar, there are other options too!

• Wild Salmon-wich
  • This is my favorite sandwich Jason’s Deli offers. It’s packed with 32g of protein and low amounts of saturated fat.
• Fresh fruit or veggies are a great side option as is their hummus!

Top fast food breakfast options for people with diabetes

Fast food breakfast options tend to offer higher amounts of protein sources and there are some great choices for breakfast fast food for diabetes out there!

Below are some of my favorite high-protein fast food breakfast options.

1. Dunkin Donuts

Dunkin Donuts may have some of the worst fast food for diabetes with some of their high sugar beverages (some have 60g or more!)… but, they also have some amazing blood sugar-friendly options too!

For your coffee, try the following.

• Medium latte
  • Made with almond milk or whole milk provides low amounts of added sugar and the caffeine boost you’re looking for.
• Cold brew coffee
  • This with cream is the perfect way to enjoy cold brew without a lot of extra sugar.

For breakfast, try:

• Multigrain Bagel with cream cheese
  • This packs 15g protein and 8g fiber!

2. Starbucks

While Starbucks does have some pretty sugar-laden drinks, classics like a latte with almond milk or an iced coffee with cream are great choices.

For a hot breakfast, try the:

• Turkey Bacon Cheddar and Egg White Sandwich
  • This is a delicious and easy breakfast option with 28g carbohydrates and 17g protein.
• Hearty Blueberry Oatmeal
  • This comes with ingredients on the side so you can easily modify the carb amount. As a base, the
• Sous Vide Egg Bites
  • These egg bites are my go-to fast food breakfast! They’re protein-rich with 19g protein per serving. (Have you tried my copycat Starbucks egg bite recipe yet?)
• Potato Cheddar and Chive Bakes
  • This newer menu item has only 11g of carbohydrates and 10g of protein per serving.

3. Panera Bread

Panera offers some great savory breakfast options with balanced amounts of fat, fiber, and protein.

• Garden Avo and Egg White on Sprouted Grain Bagel Flat
  • This sandwich offers 5g fiber, 19g protein, plant-based fat sources from avocado, and high-quality egg white protein.
• Chipotle Chicken, Scrambled Egg, & Avocado on Ciabatta
  • This sandwich offers a different flavor profile but is also a great quality, 27g protein breakfast.

Best kid’s meals for diabetes

But, what about fast food for kids with diabetes? What are the best kids meal choices?

1. McDonald’s

• 4pc chicken nugget meal with small french fry, apple slices, and 1% milk or water

2. Chick-fil-A

• Chicken Strips meal or Grilled Nuggets meal with apple sauce, french fries, or fruit cup, and milk or water.

3. Panera Bread

• Kids roasted turkey & avocado BLT with yogurt, or Kids cream of chicken and wild rice soup with yogurt

Top choice for healthier fast food for diabetes

We’ve covered almost every fast food for diabetes recommendation except one remaining restaurant that didn’t quite fit into a category. And it’s actually one of my favorites!

1. Cava

Cava is one of my favorite fresher fast food type places, so I didn’t want to leave it out! These are some of my favorite balanced meals they offer: Lemon Chicken Bowl, Tahini Cesar Bowl, Greek Salad Bowl and their Chicken + RightRice bowl. (For those that don’t know, Cava bought out Zoe’s Kitchen which I used to love as well! They had a salmon bowl that was so delicious. I have a homemade version of their cauliflower rice bowl with salmon you can try at home too.)

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And for those days when you do have time to cook up an easy and tasty meal, make sure to check out my cookbook The Easy Diabetes Cookbook!

This post was updated from its original publish date in February 2021.