Chick-Fil-A's Superfood Salad: A Keto-Friendly Option?

Chick-fil-A is a popular fast-food chain, and it's possible to eat keto-friendly meals there. However, the superfood side salad is not a keto-friendly option. While it may sound healthy, the smallest superfood side has 16g of carbs and includes maple syrup, brown sugar, dried cherries, sugar, and glazed nuts. So, if you're on a keto diet, it's best to avoid this particular salad option at Chick-fil-A.

The Superfood Salad is not keto-friendly

The Superfood Salad at Chick-fil-A is not keto-friendly. While the salad may sound like a healthy option, it is not suitable for those following a ketogenic diet.

The Superfood Salad is a blend of greens and other ingredients, but it contains 24 grams of total carbohydrates per serving. This is a significant amount of carbs for a keto diet, which typically restricts carb intake to around 20-50 grams per day.

The high carb content of the Superfood Salad can be attributed to some of its ingredients, such as maple syrup, brown sugar, dried cherries, sugar, and glazed nuts. These ingredients are not typically considered keto-friendly and can quickly add up to exceed your daily carb limit.

Additionally, the Superfood Salad's dressing also contributes to its carb count. While the specific dressing is not mentioned, Chick-fil-A's dressings range from 2-13 grams of net carbs per serving. Even if you opt for a low-carb dressing, such as the Zesty Buffalo Sauce with 0 grams of net carbs, the salad itself still contains a considerable amount of carbs.

Therefore, if you are following a keto diet, it is best to avoid the Superfood Salad at Chick-fil-A. Instead, opt for other keto-friendly options on their menu, such as the Cobb Salad with Grilled Chicken (without corn) or the Side Salad with Avocado Lime Ranch Dressing. These alternatives have a lower carb count and can better fit within the restrictions of a ketogenic diet.

Keto-friendly options at Chick-fil-A

Chick-fil-A has a variety of keto-friendly options, especially if you're willing to make some customisations to your order.

For breakfast, you can order any of the breakfast sandwiches without the English muffin or biscuit. For example, you could try the Bacon, Egg & Cheese Biscuit without the biscuit (1g net carbs), or the Egg White Grill without the English muffin (1g net carbs). The Hash Brown Scramble Bowl is also an option, as long as you ask for no hash browns (1g net carbs).

For lunch and dinner, options are a bit more minimal but still tasty. You can order the Grilled Chicken Nuggets (2g net carbs), the Grilled Chicken Fillet without the bun (3g net carbs), the Grilled Chicken Club without the bun (3g net carbs), the Cobb Salad with Grilled Chicken and no corn (10g net carbs), or the Side Salad (9g net carbs).

Chick-fil-A also has a range of keto-friendly sauces and dressings, including Zesty Buffalo Sauce (0g net carbs), Garden Herb Ranch Sauce (1g net carbs), Creamy Salsa Dressing (2g net carbs), Light Italian Dressing (3g net carbs), and Avocado Lime Ranch Dressing (2g net carbs).

To drink, you can pair your meal with Unsweetened Iced Tea (0g net carbs), or try Diet Soda or Diet Lemonade, although these are sweetened with sugar substitutes.

There are a few things to keep in mind and avoid when ordering keto-friendly food at Chick-fil-A. Steer clear of anything made with flour, such as buns, sandwich bread, and biscuits, as they are loaded with carbs. Skip the breaded section of the menu, including items like breaded chicken strips, and go for grilled options instead. Finally, there are no keto-friendly dessert options, as they are all too sugary and full of carbs.

Customising the Superfood Salad to make it keto-friendly

The Superfood Salad at Chick-fil-A is not keto-friendly. However, you can customise it to make it keto-friendly.

Firstly, you should ask for no dressing. The salad, as it is, contains 24g of carbohydrates, which is too high for a keto diet.

Secondly, you should ask for no toppings. The salad contains crispy bell peppers, which are not keto-friendly.

Finally, you can add some extra fat to your salad by adding a keto-friendly sauce or dressing. Good options include:

• Garden Herb Ranch Sauce (1g net carbs)
• Zesty Buffalo Sauce (0-1g net carbs)
• Avocado Lime Ranch Dressing (2-3g net carbs)
• Creamy Salsa Dressing (2g net carbs)
• Light Italian Dressing (3g net carbs)

You can also add some extra protein to your salad, such as grilled chicken, to make it a more filling meal. Just remember to ask for no breading on the chicken, as this will add extra carbs.

Carbohydrates in the Superfood Salad

The Chick-fil-A Superfood Salad with dressing contains 24 grams of carbohydrates per serving. This is considered a high amount of carbohydrates for a keto diet, as the goal is to keep carbohydrate intake very low to stay in ketosis.

The Superfood Salad is not recommended for those following a keto diet due to its high carbohydrate content. It is always important to check the nutritional information and ingredients of any menu item to ensure it aligns with your specific dietary needs and goals.

When it comes to carbohydrates and the keto diet, it is crucial to understand that the goal is to keep carbohydrate intake low, typically below 50 grams per day, and preferably below 20-30 grams. This is because carbohydrates have a direct impact on blood sugar levels and can interfere with the body's ability to stay in ketosis, a state where the body burns fat for energy instead of carbohydrates.

Therefore, when following a keto diet, it is essential to be mindful of the carbohydrate content of the foods you consume. While the Superfood Salad may offer some nutritional benefits, its relatively high carbohydrate content makes it less suitable for a keto diet.

It is worth noting that Chick-fil-A offers other salad options that are more keto-friendly, such as the Cobb Salad with Grilled Chicken or the Side Salad, which have lower carbohydrate counts when customized without certain toppings and dressings. These alternatives can be made more keto-friendly by choosing high-fat, low-carb dressings, such as Avocado Lime Ranch or Garden Herb Ranch.

Other keto-friendly salads at Chick-fil-A

While the Superfood Salad at Chick-fil-A is not keto-friendly, there are other salads you can enjoy as part of a keto diet. These include:

Cobb Salad with Grilled Chicken

This salad contains 10g net carbs, 19g of fat, and 36g of protein. To make it keto-friendly, simply ask for no corn. You can also add extra fat by choosing from a range of keto-friendly dressings, such as Avocado Lime Ranch or Garden Herb Ranch.

Side Salad with Avocado Lime Ranch Dressing

This option will give you 13g net carbs, 42g of fat, and 7g of protein. While the side salad itself only has 9g net carbs, adding the Avocado Lime Ranch Dressing increases the fat content and makes the salad more keto-friendly.

Spicy Southwest Salad

This salad contains 3g net carbs and can be ordered with spicy grilled filet, grilled filet, or grilled nuggets. Ask for no tortilla strips to make it keto-friendly, and avoid the chile lime pepitas to save even more carbs.

Cobb Salad

This is a classic keto option, and Chick-fil-A's version contains 3g net carbs. It includes mixed greens, a blend of Monterey Jack and cheddar cheese, crumbled bacon, sliced hard-boiled eggs, grape tomatoes, and avocado lime ranch dressing. You can add protein by choosing from spicy grilled filet, grilled filet, or grilled nuggets.

Lemon Kale Caesar Salad

This seasonal salad contains 2g net carbs and can be made keto-friendly by asking for no lemon parmesan panko and choosing a keto-friendly dressing. You can add protein with spicy grilled chicken filet, grilled filet, or grilled nuggets.

Kale Crunch Side

This side salad contains 1g net carb and is made with a blend of kale and green cabbage, topped with salted, crunchy almonds. To make it keto-friendly, choose a different dressing, as the standard apple cider and Dijon mustard vinaigrette contains 16g of carbs.

Regular Side Salad

The regular side salad at Chick-fil-A can be made keto-friendly by asking for no charred tomatoes and no crispy red bell peppers. Ordered this way, it contains 2g net carbs.

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