Fast food. We all know it to be crazy delicious but equally unhealthy. Very few fast food chains focus on healthy treats, which is a shame. Carl’s Jr. Thailand is here to say enough is enough and wants to give us healthier options.

On October 12, we were invited to a press conference and media event at the Midtown Asoke branch in Bangkok to try some of their “healthy” items out.

Having tried Carl’s Jr. for the first time in Singapore, I was excited to try it after a long time. So after my workout, I headed over to the event.

Words from the management team

Currently, there are 5 branches of Carl’s Jr. in Thailand and there are plans to expand to at least 10. It is clear that they are trying to make their mark in the country when it comes to fast food.

While management and staff admit that some of the items on the menu are not exactly healthy, they want to highlight that they are all hand-cut, real foods. Nothing is frozen or made of artificial things.

“It’s not so much about healthy, healthy food at Carl’s Jr.,” says Tavy Cussinel, the director of strategic communications at Redhill – the PR partner for Carl’s Jr. “We want to highlight healthy elements and that there are always alternatives”.

For example, you can have any burger (except for the basic burgers) in a low-carb option. This basically means they remove the bun and swap it for a crisp lettuce leaf. That cuts about a whopping 200 calories and almost 50g of carbs! Imagine what you can do with that extra 200 calories!? Maybe a glass of margarita? Just Kidding.

Here’s what we got to try today at the media event.

Low carb chicken club

Encased in lettuce leaves is a juicy portion of charbroiled chicken, a slice of tomato and cheese.

Sorry for the messiness of the burger but I had to deconstruct it for you to see what is inside. It’s a lot prettier when it comes packaged, The part I did not like about this burger is that it had a lot of mayo. think there should always be healthier options to mayo. Maybe a light salad dressing or greek yogurt. I could imagine sriracha sauce going really well with it.

Nutritional facts:  36g protein | 350 calories

Guacamole burger

Dubbed as their signature burger, the guacamole bacon burger packs a mighty punch in terms of calories but the guacamole makes up for most of it. We know that avocados are an excellent source of nutrition as it is a considered a superfood. The guac is made of ripe avocados, garlic, tomatoes, onions, coriander and lime juice – a good set of flavors and nutrition.  The pattie in the burger is made from premium Australian beef and was quite delicious and juicy.

It’s there on the left side, next to the low-carb chicken club. I didn’t eat it right then because I was already too full and couldn’t deconstruct it for you. But this is how it looks like on their menu.

Even though I was given the burger with the bun, there is always the option to swap it out. Also, it could have used more guac, to be honest.

Nutritional facts:  39g protein | 950 calories (with the bun/750 without the bun)

You can get use their nutritional info using the calculator here: https://www.carlsjr.com/menu/nutritional_calculator

Salads

Finally, we got to try two types of salad. First was the chargrilled chicken salad. Under the juicy goodness of the chicken and sprinkled cheese is a decent portion of lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber, grated carrot, and cabbage. While good on its own, you can add light dressing.

Nutritional facts: 32g of protein | 280 calories

If you want an all-out vegetarian option, then the garden salad is the way to go. The same thing but without the chicken. Good as a side to a burger as it only has 140 calories.

Carl’s Jr. is currently having a promotion of 10% discount on all the healthier choices menu from now until 30 November 2018 at all branches in Thailand.