Healthy Fast Food Restaurants #1: Panera Bread

Who hasn't unwrapped a sandwich while driving down the highway or pulled a hard U-turn into a fast food joint on the way home from a late meeting or soccer game? We practically live in our cars these days, so we need quick food - and please, we'd like it to be healthy.

Health magazine surveyed the nation's 100 largest fast food chains, as defined by the number of locations, and found that many are creating menus that look more and more like what we'd cook ourselves (if we had the time!) - from nutritious soups and healthy salads to fresh whole grains and sensible desserts.

They 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. One big surprise: A traditional fast food chain, McDonald's, made the top 10 list. Sure, it's the home of the Big Mac, but they also serve a mean fruit and yogurt parfait.

While Health's list is comprised of 10 restaurants, we are featuring our top 4 (all of which have at least one location in Champaign-Urbana). Keep these in mind the next time you are grabbing something quick for breakfast, lunch or dinner!

Healthy Fast Food Restaurants #1: Panera Bread

This bakery-cafe based eatery has a comprehensive, seasonal menu of healthy choices for every meal. Panera Bread also won top honors for kid fare, dishing out RD-approved crowd-pleasers like squeezable organic yogurt, peanut butter and jelly with all-natural peanut butter, and grilled organic cheese on white whole-grain bread. The healthy selection of soups and salads offers a much-needed reprieve from the carb-heavy bagels and breads for which the company is so famous.

Favorites Healthy Options:

• Lower-Carb Italian Her Loaf (per slice): 80 calories, 1 g fat, 160 mg sodium, 4 g fiber
• Low-Fat Vegetarian Black Bean Soup (per 8 ounces): 160 calories, 1 g fat, 820 mg sodium, 11 g fiber
• Smoked Turkey Breast Sandwich on Artisan Country: 590 calories, 15 g fat, 2220 mg sodium, 5 g fiber
• Fruit Cup: 150 calories, 0 g fat, 30 mg sodium, 2 g fiber
  

Danger Zone:

• Cinnamon Crunch Bagel: 430 calories, 8 g fat, 430 mg sodium, 3 g fiber
• Baked Potato Soup (per 8 ounces): 230 calories, 14 g fat, 720 mg sodium, 2 g fiber
• Steak and White Cheddar Panini: 950 calories, 35 g fat, 1790 mg sodium, 5 g fiber
  
• Nutty Chocolate Chipper Cookie: 460 calories, 27 g fat, 300 mg sodium, 3 g fiber