Yes, Virginia, there IS fuel at fast-food restaurants...

The Chick-fil-A Chargrilled Chicken & Fruit Salad

I've been writing a lot about food and fueling lately and my sad misadventures involving same. (I would be thrilled if I never had to run with a growly stomach EVER AGAIN. Twice in one week is at least two times too many.)

One of my 10 rules to live by (at least until after the race) is to maximize fuel intake and minimize junk intake. In my book, something is fuel if a) you can pronounce all of the ingredients, b) its origins involve minimal time in a chemist's lab, and c) there are vitamins to be had in it.

So what do you do when mealtime rolls around while you are far from home and/or suffering from a distinct lack of groceries in your pantry, and you don't have the coin to spring for a really fancy meal? Is it possible to get honest-to-gosh fuel at a *gasp* fast-food joint?

The answer, my friends, is yes. Last Saturday, grocery shopping got delayed to the point where we knew we'd buy everything that wasn't nailed down unless we ate dinner first. We wanted to eat quickly and get on with our errands, but the thought of some greasy burger was distinctly unappealing.

We ended up almost by chance at a Chick-fil-A.

I have fond memories of Chick-fil-A from high school, when it was primarily a Southern chain. Back then, Chick-fil-A was all about their breaded chicken sandwich, served in a foil bag with pickles on top and a big side of waffle fries. You could get a slice of lemon pie if you felt the need for a fruit or vegetable to be represented in your meal. It was not what you'd call a stunning example of great nutrition--but oh, was it tasty!

The place we walked into the other night was barely recognizable as the same chain. Yes, they still have the breaded sandwiches and waffle fries, but they also have grilled chicken, chicken wraps, chicken soup, really nice fruit cups that include strawberries, yogurt parfaits, and truly awesome salads.

I ordered the salad pictured at the top of this entry, the Chick-fil-A Chargrilled Chicken and Fruit Salad. Along with the chicken, there's red cabbage, carrots, cheese, strawberries, apples, grapes, and mandarin oranges on a bed of Romaine and Iceberg lettuce. (Field greens would have been even nicer, but then the salad would have cost $10.) The salad also came with a packet of roasted sunflower kernels, a really nice touch that added some healthy fats, crunch, and great flavor, and a packet of garlic and butter croutons. Normally I don't eat salad croutons, but I was so famished I greedily tore the packet open and dumped them on. I chose a low-fat Italian dressing that I hoped wouldn't clash with the fruit, poured it on, and dug in.

YUM! I was impressed by how fresh everything tasted. The lettuce was crunchy, and the fruit was sweet and juicy, even the strawberries (which are not even remotely in season right now). Best of all, according to the Chick-fil-A nutrition data, even with all of the extras (sunflower seeds, croutons, and a full packet of dressing), the salad still clocked in at a reasonable 410 calories while providing loads of vitamins A and C. Now THAT is what you call fuel.

You can even get some fuel value from a dessert at Chick-fil-A. I give you Exhibit A: the yogurt parfait. My husband and I decided to share one. They give you the granola in a little packet so you can pour as much or as little on top as you want. (We used the whole package, of course. We're runners!) The parfait was also very, very tasty while providing some calcium and vitamin C.

The Chick-fil-A Web site provides thorough nutrition data and even has a handy meal calculator so you can see the cumulative numbers for your entire meal. According to the calculator, my entire meal had 530 calories, 18 grams of fat (7 from the sunflower kernels), 5.5 grams of saturated fat, 61 grams of carbs (half from the parfait), 6.5 grams of fiber, and 29 grams of protein. A tasty meal that definitely qualified as fuel!

P.S. I did manage to run today without my stomach bemoaning its emptiness and maltreatment--I covered 4.27 miles in 48:50 for an 11:26 pace, including a 7.5 mph (8:00 mile pace) super-fast segment on the treadmill.

P.P.S. No, Chick-fil-A is not paying me or feeding me to say all these nice things about them. Although I did make a point of telling the manager how tasty my salad was.