America’s Healthiest Fast Food Restaurants

We started with a list of the 100 largest quick-serve chains in America, as defined by the number of locations. Using criteria that was created with the help of our expert panel (below), we scored the chains on such factors as the use of healthy fats and preparations, healthy sodium counts in entrees, availability of nutritional information, and the use of organic produce to arrive at our top 10.

How we picked our winners

We started with a list of the 100 largest quick-serve chains in America, as defined by the number of locations. Using criteria that was created with the help of our expert panel (below), we scored the chains on such factors as the use of healthy fats and preparations, healthy sodium counts in entrees, availability of nutritional information, and the use of organic produce to arrive at our top 10. Andrea N. Giancoli, MPH, RD, is a L.A.–based dietitian and a National Media Spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association. Amy Jamieson-Petonic, RD, ADA spokesperson, is the author of How to Lose Weight and Feel Great Without Dieting and No Nonsense Nutrition: Real Nutrition for Real People. Chef LaLais a certified nutritionist, author of Chef LaLa Presents Best Loved Mexican Cooking, and owner of Savor! Catering in L.A. Frances Largeman-Roth, RD, is the Senior Food and Nutrition Editor atHealth and author of the forthcoming Feed the Belly: The Pregnant Mom’s Healthy Eating Guide (Sourcebooks, Inc., May 2009). Marc Lawrence, MD, is a board-certified Physician Nutrition Specialist in California, and founder ofBuddySlim.com, a social networking site for weight loss. Marisa Moore, RD, LD, is a registered and licensed dietitian in Atlanta and a National Media Spokesperson for the ADA.