How often do you consume fast food? In my 20s and 30s, I would visit a fast food restaurant, either a locally owned or a national chain, at least once daily.

Now? 

I plan to visit a fast food restaurant once a month.  Why? I’m trying to eat at home for my budget and my waistline. The more I eat great-tasting fast food, the tire grows below my waist. 

Some fast-food establishments are trying to attract health-conscious customers like me by controlling the fat content of their burgers, fries, and other food items. 

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The people at Plush Care did some heavy lifting and paid extra attention to the nutritional info for the five classic fast-food items: 

  • Cheeseburger
  • Chicken Sandwich
  • Milkshakes
  • Chicken nuggets
  • French fries

We took the information and shared which national chains are the most and least unhealthy available here in Washington.

How did you compile scores?

The watchdog website compared the Calories, Sugar, Saturated Fat, and Sodium values for all five categories and gave an overall score. 

So, what Chains were Unhealthy? - McDonald’s Chicken McNuggets are the least harmful (18 points).

4 unhealthiest fast food cheeseburgers
CREDIT: Plush Care/Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International License
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Who Surprisingly Scored Well on the “Healthy” Side?

  • Burger King and McDonald's tied for the second-lowest unhealthiness scores, having a quarter of the saturated fat.
  • McDonald's chicken sandwich (the McChicken) won the 2nd “healthiest” trophy. (Culver's is next door in Idaho.)
4 healthiest fast food cheeseburgers
4 healthiest fast food cheeseburgers CREDIT: Plush Care /Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International License
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From coast to coast: The 20 best regional fast-food chains to try

From burgers to subs and even creamy milkshakes, these tasty fast-food chains, compiled by Stacker, are a must-try on your next road trip.

Gallery Credit: Kiersten Hickman

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