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Health Foodie. Wife. Mom.

Best and Worst Food at KFC

Kentucky Fried Chicken, better known as just ‘KFC’, has been advertised as a healthy meal option for the whole family to enjoy. So just how healthy – or bad!- is KFC food when it comes to your health?

I used the full nutrition information at KFC for reference, which just lists the amount of calories, fat, protein, etc. that each food item has. I unfortunately do not have access to KFC food’s actual ingredient list, so I made my choices based on the information that I did have.

Best Food at KFC

I still wouldn’t consider some of the foods listed below as “healthy”, but I understand that sometimes your choices may be limited and you want to choose the “lesser of two evils”! In that case, check out some of the best food KFC has to offer.

Caesar Side Salad without Dressing & Croutons

kfc-roasted-chicken-salad-410x290_0

Calories: 40

Total Fat: 2 gm

Protein: 3 gm

Sodium: 90 mg

Carbohydrates: 2 gm

Fiber: 1 gm

Sugar: 1 gm

Kentucky Grilled Chicken®- Thigh

kfc_grilled

I chose the Kentucky Grilled Chicken® Thigh rather than the wing, breast, or drumstick because I felt like it had the most meat for the amount of calories and sodium. The grilled chicken wing and drumstick had less calories and less sodium, but it also had significantly less meat on it. You can get away with eating one chicken thigh, but let’s be honest…the chances of you eating just one chicken wing or drumstick is less likely. Eat what will satisfy your hunger without going overboard. That’s why I chose to include the grilled chicken thigh as one of the better choices at KFC.

Calories: 170

Total Fat: 10 gm

Protein: 19 gm

Sodium: 530 mg

Carbohydrates: 0 gm

Fiber: 0 gm

Sugar: 0 gm

Corn on the Cob

corn_on_cob

Calories: 70

Total Fat: 0.5 gm

Protein: 2 gm

Sodium: 0 mg

Carbohydrates: 16 gm

Fiber: 2 gm

Sugar: 3 gm

GoGo squeeZ™ Applesauce

gogo

Calories: 60

Total Fat: 0 gm

Protein: 0 gm

Sodium: 0 mg

Carbohydrates: 15 gm

Fiber: 1 gm

Sugar: 12 gm

Worst Food at KFC

Bottom Line: Most food at KFC just isn’t all that healthy. However, I have selected a few of the worst food choices at KFC, based on their total amount of calories, fat, sodium, and sugar.

Most Calories and Most Fat: Chicken Pot Pie

pot_pie

Calories: 790

Total Fat: 45 gm

Protein: 29 gm

Sodium: 1,970 mg

Carbohydrates: 66 gm

Fiber: 3 gm

Sugar: 7 gm

Most Sodium: KFC Famous Bowls®-Mashed Potato with Gravy

famous_bowl_615x615

Calories: 650

Total Fat: 26 gm

Protein: 32 gm

Sodium: 2040 mg

Carbohydrates: 73 gm

Fiber: 6 gm

Sugar: 3 gm

Most Sugar: Café Valley Bakery® Mini Chocolate Chip Cake

chocolate_chip_cookie_615x615

Calories: 300

Total Fat: 12 gm

Protein: 3 gm

Sodium: 190 mg

Carbohydrates: 49 gm

Fiber: 1 gm

Sugar: 35 gm

Most Deceptive:  Chicken Littles® Sandwich

chicken_littles_615x615

This sounds like a “mini” meal that isn’t all that bad for you, however it’s made with fried chicken on white bread. Nothing healthy on this sandwich, and you probably need more than one.

Calories: 310

Total Fat: 18 gm

Protein: 14 gm

Sodium: 590 mg

Carbohydrates: 23 gm

Fiber: 2 gm

Sugar: 4 gm

 

Eating at KFC

As expected, there aren’t a lot of healthy choices at KFC. However, I understand that sometimes you might be on a road trip or in the airport and you might not have a lot of options – no matter how much you planned and prepared in advance. Choose the healthier options that I listed as the “Best Food at KFC”, and remember to pick baked or grilled chicken over anything fried or crispy chicken.

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