While fast food is typically not going to fit the definition of healthy, it certainly can be included as a part of a balanced diet. Here are my favorite suggestions for making the best choice at a fast food restaurant:

1. A salad is always the best choice as you will be consuming vegetables. A salad that is made with dark green leafy lettuce as opposed to iceberg is far superior in nutrition. Choose grilled chicken or lean meats on your salad for your protein choice. Be aware that the salad dressing is what can make this very healthy choice a disaster. Ask for the salad dressing on the side and dip the tines of your fork into the dressing and then into the salad. You will not feel deprived, as you will still have salad dressing on each bite. This is called the “dipping technique” and will drastically cut your fat and calorie intake at this meal, even if you choose the regular-fat dressing choice.

2. The best sandwich choice by far is the grilled chicken breast with barbeque sauce. Skip the mayonnaise that has just as much fat as butter. Although the bun is always made with refined, white flour, which offers little in the way of fiber, it only contains 2 grams of fat per bun.

3. If you are getting tired of eating grilled chicken breast, choose the regular hamburger. Again, skip the mayo. Ask that lettuce, tomato and pickles be added to your burger to add some nutrition and increase the volume of your meal.

4. Limit the choices that indicate that they are fried. The term “crispy” or “crusted” usually indicates that the item has been deep-fried. Instead, eat your favorite fried food choices at home and bake them to create an “oven-fried” healthier option.

5. When you are choosing a menu item that is higher in fat, be sure to drink water instead of a sugary soda with it. The “sugar-fat combination” is the optimal combination for body fat storage. If you really want to have a soda, drink it an hour or so later and think of it as your dessert.

6. Soft serve ice cream is an excellent dessert option. The ice cream is low in fat and calories. It also contains calcium, which has been recently found to be correlated to greater success in losing weight and maintaining lean body mass.

7. Eating to the point of uncomfortable or full is not advised, whether you are eating fast food or any food. Eating to this level causes your body to increase its lipogenic (fat storing) enzymes.

Jill Fleming, MS, RD is a Registered Dietitian, author of the book Thin People Don’t Clean Their Plates and the owner of ThinChoices.com.