Healthy Fast Food: Can You Indulge Without Guilt?

More chains offering healthy fast-food alternatives

With their ability to provide good-tasting, inexpensive meals in a hurry, fast-food restaurants have changed the eating habits of millions of Americans. Now there's something new on their menus: lower-fat and lower-calorie salads, sandwiches, and desserts that are both tasty and nutritious.

Wendy's has Garden Sensations salads, McDonald's has Fruit 'n Yogurt Parfait, Burger King has a Veggie Burger, and Arby's has a Light Menu. Every month seems to bring an announcement of something new. Among the latest: Premium Salads with Newman's Own dressings at McDonald's.

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Healthy fast food isn't a new idea. Several chains have long offered salads. McDonald's even introduced a McLean burger in the early 90s, but it didn't catch on. But nutritious fare now seems to be a trend, driven by hopes of greater profits, according to industry observers.

Chains hope that by targeting the growing number of health-conscious consumers -- namely, women -- they can bolster sluggish sales, says market analyst Walter Butkus, a partner in the firm Restaurant Research.

That said, he says that the chains aren't about to change their core menu of burgers and fries, and will continue to focus on their main customer base: men ages 18 to 24.

"They're not so worried about their health," Butkus says of this group. "They want cheaper eats that taste good and that they can get on the go."

But competition for those customers is stiff.

"The fast food business has matured," Butkus tells WebMD. "There's not much growth in sales or additional units, so they're offering add-on products like salads to appeal to women and people a bit older."

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