Organic Fast Food Choices

The following is a Friday Encore of a post that originally appeared on May 6, 2008. This post includes updated information.

If you're watching calories there are all kinds of tricks you can use to reduce your fast food fat. But what if you just want to eat well, quickly and cheaply. I've done the prepared food stuff at Whole Foods plenty of times. But you've got to admit it's kinda pricey. And it gets a little dull going to the same spot over and over. (Okay, I know I should just go home and cook.)

A few months ago a new Starbucks drive-thru opened down the street from me. The space is built out for another type of drive-thru right next to it. That space remains empty and I dreamily wish that a fast-organic-vegetarian restaurant would move in. Hey, you've got your dreams, I've got mine.

Well, my dream did come true, but somehow I must have been sleeping through it. In 2006 VG Burgers opened in Boulder. It's not only everything I dreamed of, but it's also vegan and many items are gluten-free. In addition, if you are ever in Los Angelos there is O Burger and Germany just opened a place called Nat. So hurray, while maybe fast food shouldn't be my quest, options could be more numerous.

There are two fast food chains that claim the natural food lane. Chipotle Mexican Grill and Good Times are migrating toward completely natural menus.

Before you get excited and go to Chipotle you should know that not all Chipotle's use all natural ingredients. Stores in California, Oregon and Washington, D.C. receive naturally raised chicken. The company is striving to migrate all stores to au naturale but for now it serves naturally raised chicken, pork, beef and organic beans at some of its restaurants. Chipotle says they are working to find organic and natural suppliers for its other restaurants. Nice business lead if you know any natural farmers.

Meanwhile Good Times has been using natural beef for quite some time. Recently they announced that their frozen custard is now being made with natural cream, eggs, and milk.

So if you're looking to eat up naturally, looks like Good Times burgers and custard might be your best bet.