The Healthiest Fast-Food Sandwiches In America Slideshow

Chick-fil-A has perfected the chicken sandwich — that much we know, but this fast-food chain is pushing chicken to a place it's never gone before: the breakfast menu. The egg white grill was released in the summer of 2016, and since then has been a staple of their morning menu. Grilled chicken is served on an English muffin, accompanied by egg whites and melted cheese. This sandwich is one of the few fast-food breakfast items that we can endorse as a good source of protein for a reasonable 300 calories.

The envy of the East Coast, In-N-Out Burger has perfected the fast-food hamburger. In true California fashion, they offer their burgers "protein style" — served in a wrap of lettuce instead of a bun. This simple swap saves almost 200 calories, and cuts the sodium content nearly in half.

The Filet-O-Fish was initially devised by McDonald's as a non-meat option for Catholics abstaining from meat on Fridays, but it has since become an iconic menu item that remains the chain's only permanent seafood offering. The patty is made from Alaskan pollock, a popular white fish which is also used to make many versions of imitation crab meat. The sandwich is fewer than 400 calories, and is relatively low in sodium compared to other fast-food sandwiches.

Surprisingly, Panera Bread's steak and arugula sandwich has less sodium than their Mediterranean veggie sandwich. With thinly-sliced seared steak, ripe tomatoes, pickled onions, and an herbed cream cheese spread, this is a light lunch option. The sandwich contains only 500 calories and 19 grams of total fat.

It's almost always a healthier option to go with a well-seasoned, grilled chicken breast rather than one that has taken a dip in the deep fryer. Although it still has over one thousand milligrams of sodium, this sandwich is only 340 calories and seven grams of fat. To compare, Popeye's regular chicken po'boy is 660 calories, 2,120 milligrams of sodium, and 34 grams of fat.

Although it doesn't fully represent the Mediterranean diet, this sandwich does a solid job at mimicking the Mediterranean flavor profile. Multi-grain bread is smeared with a zesty hummus, salty feta cheese, artichoke hearts, crunchy cucumbers, and roasted red peppers for a diverse range of tastes and textures. The entire sandwich is only 470 calories, making it a healthy lunch option, and an easy way to eat some extra vegetables. 

The ability to customize your sandwich with an array of freshly diced vegetables gives Subway a healthy aura, but a lot of the sandwich chain's deli meats are loaded with sodium. The turkey breast sandwich with lettuce, tomatoes, onions, green peppers, and cucumbers is the least threatening of Subway's sandwich line up. At less than 600 calories, the sandwich will fill you up without weighing you down like other sandwiches.

Shake Shack elevates the hamburger to new heights by serving a 100 percent all-natural, hormone-free Angus beef patty on a lightly-toasted potato bun. But the company has also reinvented the veggie burger with their portabello-based 'Shroom Burger. It offers all the best qualities of the hamburger, but without the high amount of saturated fat and twice the dietary fiber.

This straightforward breakfast sandwich doesn't contain any offensive ingredients — just a layer of mild Cheddar cheese melted over fluffy eggs upon a toasted whole-wheat English muffin. It's less than 300 calories and isn't loaded with fat or sodium, making it a perfectly healthy breakfast option.

Wendy's Twitter account is always making headlines, but the fast-food chain is rarely commended for their healthy menu options. However, Wendy's grilled chicken sandwich is only 360 calories and has 35 grams of protein. It comes with smoky honey mustard and is served on a multigrain bun.