I can’t tell you definitively what the “healthiest” option off the Wendy’s menu is, because we all have different definitions of what healthy means.
For you, a fast food restaurant may not be healthy at all, and that’s fine! But just because it’s fast food, that doesn’t mean there are not some decent options.
Let’s explore some of the options on Wendys menuand which may be best for your goals, whether that’s finding an option with the lowest calories, or the highest protein, or the fewest carb.
Is Wendy’s Healthy?
Many people tend to look at fast food and automatically think that it’s unhealthy, but that’s not true at all.
If you do a quick internet search for “is fast food healthy” you’re going to be bombarded with links about “what fast food does to your body” or “worst fast food options to eat.” Blah blah blah.
To me, that is all nonsense.
It’s all just food.
Sure, some of the options may not be considered healthy, but that doesn’t make them UNhealthy. There’s a big difference there.
Nobody is going to argue with you if you call vegetables healthy food.
Well, since this is the internet, someone might argue with you… but you get the point.
But on the other hand, if something is NOT considered healthy, that doesn’t mean that it is UNhealthy.
Let’s use the Wendy’s menu as an example. More specifically, a Wendy’s burger.
We’re going to generalize here, but most people probably don’t consider Wendy’s to be “healthy” food. The problem there is that because of that labeling, they then see Wendy’s as unhealthy.
But it doesn’t need to be one or the other.
Just because something doesn’t directly benefit your health, it doesn’t make it unhealthy.
No single food is inherently unhealthy. It may provide fewer health benefits than other foods, but it can never be unhealthy on its own. That holds true for burgers, fries, ice cream, pizza, or any other food you can think of.
You should never look at food and see it as unhealthy.
Sure, you may not consider most items on the Wendy’s menu to be health food, but there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. Is it considered low calorie fast food? Well, it depends on what you order, as you’ll see below.
Besides, there’s always the mental health aspect as well. If a spicy chicken sandwich from Wendy’s is going to bring you joy, you should be able to enjoy it!
Is Wendy’s Food High Quality?
When we think fast food, we typically think of low-quality ingredients, and the Wendy’s menu is no exception.
I remember a rumor from many years ago that Taco Bell used the lowest possible quality meat allowed, which basically equated to eating meat scraps suitable for dog food.
People took that and ran with it, and it seems that the stigma has continued to live on across all fast food options.
But that is not at all the case. Some fast food restaurants (if not most, at this point) use incredibly high-quality ingredients.
If you visit the Wendy’s website, I feel they hit the nail on the head:
Is it just us, or are a lot of restaurants using words that don’t really mean anything? They talk about their “artisanal” chefs and “superfoods,” and how their “all-natural” menus are perfect for “eating clean.” Wait, what?
Honestly, it’s true. Do we even know what artisanal means?
Wendy’s cuts right to the chase. Here’s what makes their ingredients higher quality than other options (according to their own website):
- Meat that is always fresh and never frozen
- Fruits & vegetables from quality farms
- No artificial flavors or preservatives
- All sandwiches made to order
- Transparent nutrition, allergen, and product sourcing info
Say what you will about Wendy’s, but to me, that is quite impressive!
Let’s dive into Wendy’s nutrition to see how each of the menu items stacks up.
Wendy’s Burger Menu Calories
There are quite a few burger options at Wendy’s, and I couldn’t quite fit them all on this graphic, but I included most of ’em.
They do change occasionally, with seasonal items making it onto the menu, so note that the menu may be slightly different depending on when you’re seeing this.
Lowest calorie Wendy’s Burger
Jr. Hamburger: 250 Calories, 11g Fat, 25g Carbs, 13g Protein
If you want something a little more substantial, but still lower in calories, the Jr Bacon Cheeseburger has 370 Calories, 23g Fat, 26g Carbs, and 18g Protein.
Highest protein Wendy’s burger
Big Bacon Cheddar Triple: 1,420 Calories, 102g Fat, 46g Carbs, 82g Protein
While 82g of protein is a ton, 1,400 calories total is also very high for a burger. Not to mention the 102g of fat and 42g of saturated fat.
Since the Big Bacon Cheddar Triple Burger is the highest calorie item on the menu, it should come as no surprise that it also packs the most protein.
If you want a higher protein option, without overdoing it on calories, The Bacon Doublestack is a great option With 26g of protein and 450 Calories, it won’t break the calorie bank, and will help you get some extra protein in!
Wendy’s burgers calorie saving tips
When it comes to burgers, most of the options at Wendy’s have American cheese. How many calories can you save by leaving the cheese off?
Let’s figure it out.
Since we know the nutrition for a Jr. Hamburger as well as a Jr. Cheeseburger based on the graphic above, we can do some quick math to figure out the nutrition for the slice of cheese (since that is the only difference in these burgers).
When you find the difference, you’ll see that one slice of American cheese at Wendy’s is 40 calories, 3g fat, 1g carb, and 2g protein.
If you want to go for a Dave’s Triple, which has 3 slices of cheese, you can save yourself 120 calories & 9g fat by asking for no cheese.
That monster of a burger still would have nearly 1,000 calories, but I’m not judging.
And while it’s tough to say exactly how many calories are added by condiments, we can always estimate how many there are.
But if you want to definitively save some calories, ask for condiments on the side!
Something like mustard won’t be adding a ton of calories, but mayo can end up adding 100s of calories to your burger. Asking for it on the side allows you to control how much you’re using, but you can of course just leave it off altogether.
Wendy’s Chicken Sandwich Menu Calories
Ahhh, Wendy’s chicken. In my humble opinion, the best chicken sandwiches in the fast-food game. The spicy chicken has long been one of my favorite options out there, and the Crispy Chicken BLT has become a recent favorite of mine.
Similar to the burgers, the nutrition here is mostly dependent on the cheese and condiments. While we don’t know the exact number, I estimate that leaving the mayo off of a sandwich will save about 100 calories.
When I order the spicy chicken sandwich without mayo, I estimate that the sandwich comes in at just about 400 calories.
The major difference with the chicken sandwiches is that you can go with grilled chicken or fried chicken, which will change the nutrition quite a bit.
For example, the Asiago Ranch Chicken Club will have 140 fewer calories than the crispy chicken or spicy chicken versions, along with 10g less fat and 4g more protein.
If we compare the basic Crispy Chicken Sandwich with the Grilled Chicken Sandwich, they actually have virtually the same exact calories. However, the grilled chicken sandwich has 33g of protein and only 8g of fat, whereas the Crispy Chicken has 17g of fat and only 14g of protein. If maximum protein is the goal, you will definitely want to stick with a grilled chicken sandwich.
Which Wendy’s chicken sandwich is the healthiest?
When it comes to chicken, it’s no secret that a grilled option is going to be a bit healthier than a fried option.
If you’re looking to minimize your calories and maximize your protein, going with was grilled chicken sandwich is definitely the way to go.
The Wendy’s Grilled Asiago Ranch Club is a great choice- it has 490 calories and 40g of protein! And if you opt for no mayo, swapping it out for something lower calorie like mustard or hot sauce, the sandwich will have about 400 calories and still contain 40g of protein, which is very impressive all around.
Wendy’s Side Menu Calories
While Wendy’s chicken nuggets may be the main part of your meal, technically speaking, they’re a side dish. So, we’re listing ’em here!
Wendy’s natural cut fries are also surprisingly low calorie when compared with other fast-food french fries. If you’re ordering fries, ordering either a small or medium fry will only come in around 300 calories, which is not bad at all.
When it comes to the Wendy’s baked potatoes, a plain baked potato will only be 270 calories, but they can range all the way up to 500 calories with the chili & cheese version.
The cheese baked potato is surprisingly high in calories compared to the plain baked potato, with the cheese adding an extra 180 calories.
Of course, if you add Wendy’s famous chili to a baked potato, it’s going to add a decent amount of protein, but that comes with nearly twice as many calories as the original baked potato as well.
Which Wendy’s side item is healthiest?
If you’re looking to maximize your protein with the fewest calories, a side of chicken nuggets will likely suit you well.
If you were to order a 6 piece chicken nugget for your side, you’d be looking at 270 calories and 15g of protein.
However, an option that is surprisingly more appealing is the side of chili. A small cup of chili has only 240 calories and 16g of protein, which may be more appealing to you than the chicken nuggets!
And if you’re looking for a filling side (assuming carbs are not a concern) a baked potato may be a great option for you. While you can top it with a wide variety of options, a basic baked potato has roughly the same amount of calories as a small fry, but I’m willing to bet will fill you up way more.
Wendy’s Frosty and Dessert Menu Calories
Before putting this nutrition guide together, I assumed that Frosty’s were very high in calories, much like DQ Blizzards. The calories in a Frosty are really not that bad in all. While the classic chocolate Frosty contains slightly more calories than the vanilla Frosty, the difference is negligible.
In fact, a Junior Frosty is only 200 calories, which is on par with most small ice cream cones. Of course, this is a very small cup, but it can be a great treat for dessert.
Have you ever dipped a french fry into a Frosty? If not, you need to give it a try, because it’s delicious.
If you’re a fan of cookies, both the chocolate chunk cookie and sugar cookie contain 330 and the same exact nutrition facts (which honestly, I’m slightly skeptical about, since chocolate chip cookies and sugar cookies are quite different).
Wendy’s also now carries Frosty-ccinos, which is an iced coffee mixed with a Frosty (available as both vanilla and chocolate). I haven’t tried it yet, but as an iced coffee lover, it’s definitely on my to-do list.
Wendy’s Salad Menu Calories
Wendy’s ends up being one of my go-to fast food stops when I’m on the road because they are one of the few fast-food restaurants to offer quality salads.
Personally, I love the Apple Pecan Chicken Salad, which is not only an absolutely delicious salad, but packs nearly 40g of protein!
Most of the Wendys salads are topped with grilled chicken breast, leading them to be high in protein and lower in carbs.
The nutrition for these salads does not include dressing- the dressing always comes on the side in packets, which you can see above. Depending on which salad you choose, the calories can get bumped up quite a bit from the dressing.
Which Wendy’s salad menu item is healthiest?
Depending on what you’re looking for in a salad, you have quite a few options.
From a pure calorie standpoint, the Caesar Salad is actually your best bet, which may sound surprising considering caesar salad is notoriously high in calories.
With only 300 calories and 41g of protein, it’s a very impressive salad from a nutrition standpoint. Note that this does not include the dressing, which you can see will add an extra 140 calories if you use the entire packet of dressing.
Wendy’s salad calorie saving tips
When I order salads, I never add the dressing right on top. Instead, I keep it on the side, dip my fork into the dressing, then eat the salad with that.
It helps me to use less dressing while still feeling like I’m getting plenty of flavor. It’s one of my go-to moves to save some calories whenever I eat out at a restaurant.
If you want to use dressing, I have nothing against it! At around 150 calories, using a packet of dressing is surely not going to ruin your diet. That being said, a little goes a long way. Even if you use half of the dressing packet, you’ll save around 70-80 calories, which can add up over time.
Depending on the type of salad you get, you can also use alternatives for dressing. My go-to is always a Southwest salad wherever I go, and instead of salad dressing, I’ll use hot sauce or salsa! The caloric impact is very minimal, and the flavor is even better than a salad dressing in my eyes!
Wendy’s Breakfast Menu Calories
Last, but certainly not least, we have Wendys breakfast menu!
Unlike McDonald’s or Burger King which offers Pancakes or Wraps, Wendy’s breakfast is comprised exclusively of breakfast sandwiches.
You have the option ofa biscuit, classic bun, or croissant as your breakfast sandwich bun.
When looking for the “healthiest” breakfast item to order, it’ll generally save you some calories by choosing applewood smoked bacon over a sausage patty. The Classic has only 320 calories, with the Classic Sausage Egg & Cheese containing 500, which is quite a big difference!
Not surprisingly, the Breakfast Baconator contains the most calories of any Wendys breakfast item, although I’m going to go out on a limb and assume that it is worth every last calorie, because it looks incredible.
Conclusion: is Wendy’s healthy?
That’s for you to decide!
There’s notrue definition of what healthy means. For you, that might be high protein and low calorie. For someone else, it might mean something nourishing with lots of micronutrients.
It’s totally up to you if the Wendy’s menu is healthy!
All I can do is provide you with the information to make that decision for yourself.
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All of this being said, it’s okay to put calories and macros aside and enjoy a meal at Wendy’s. Even if that means eating a burger with over 1,000 calories. I’m not judging.
Even if your goal is weight loss, you’re allowed to live your life sometimes without worrying about calories.
Remember: every food choice we make does not need to be in the pursuit of perfect health. Even if Wendy’s doesn’t support your goals, that doesn’t mean it’s off-limits.
Everything in moderation.
