Nutrition Information For Chik-fil-a

"Providing healthy, nutritious products that meet consumers' dietary needs has always driven menu decisions at Chick-fil-A," says Chick-fil-A Nutritionist Jodie Worrell. Though Chick-fil-A has received accolades for its low calorie fast food, consumers should still choose their meals wisely and be aware of the nutritional content of the foods they eat. "By making informed decisions," says Worrell, "eating out can easily fit in to any diet."

About Chick-fil-A

Chick-fil-A's founder, Truett Cathy -- said to have invented the boneless chicken breast sandwich -- opened his first restaurant in Georgia in 1946. In 2010, the privately held, family owned Chick-fil-A restaurant empire boasted almost 1,500 restaurants in 38 states. Chick-fil-A specializes in chicken sandwiches, chicken nuggets and waffle fries, and also serves salads, wraps, desserts and breakfast items such as chicken and sausage biscuits, hash browns and yogurt parfaits.

Trans Fats

In 2008, Chick-fil-A removed trans fats from virtually all menu items, including all condiments and sauces. "We were diligent in working with our supply partners to develop trans fat-free products that mirrored the taste of the original products," said Worrell. While the Chick-fil-A Cheesecake contains about 0.5g of naturally occurring trans fat, all other items served at Chick-fil-A restaurants contain no trans fat.

Healthier Options

Chick-fil-A offers a number of low-calorie, low-fat and low-carb menu options for nutrition-conscious diners. Select meals have less than 500 calories, less than 10 g of fat or less than 12 g of carbohydrates. Try the 200 calorie sunflower multigrain bagel with 3 g of fat, the 290 calorie yogurt parfait with harvest nut granola, the 300 calorie chargrilled chicken sandwich with 3.5 g of fat or the eight count chicken nuggets with 260 calories. For low-carbohydrate options, try scrambled eggs and bacon or a classic or chargrilled chicken sandwich wrapped in lettuce instead of a bun.

Kids' Nutrition

In 2008, Chick-fil-A was named "America's Healthiest Chain Restaurant" and received an A score in David Zinczenko and Matt Goulding's book, "Eat This, Not That! For Kids." The authors said, "Chick-fil-A excels in every category we tested for." They praised the chain for its low calorie sandwiches, "healthy" chicken nuggets and fresh fruit and soup side dishes. To make sure both kids and adults meals remain healthy and nutritious, the authors suggests avoiding bacon on sandwiches and going easy on milkshakes and ranch and Caesar dressings.

Sodium

Though the American Heart Association recommends consuming less than 1,500 mg of sodium a day, many of Chick-fil-A's menu items come close to or exceed this recommended daily intake. The spicy chicken sandwich deluxe contains 1,880 mg of sodium, chick-n-strips contain 1,630 mg of sodium and Chick-fil-A's classic chicken sandwich contains 1,370 mg sodium. Salads contain about 650 to 1,340 mg sodium, and chicken wraps all contain 1,300 mg or more of sodium. If you're concerned about the salt content of your diet, try a side salad, which contains 110 mg of sodium, or one of Chick-fil-A's yogurt parfaits with 60 to 75 mg of sodium.