
Popular fast food items mostly come from famous fast food chains around the country. Favoring fast food choices for a typical meal or snack is primarily due to the very fast-paced lifestyle where filling the stomach becomes more convenient with quick food service. Generally, these food items’ main ingredients, if not the exact items themselves, are cooked in bulk and in advance. They are almost ready to serve soon after ordering.
French Fries
According to The Daily Beast and Want to Know It websites, French fries are a favorite fast food item, commonly partnered with a number of meal and snack offerings. Whether driving or working, it’s quite a convenient food item to eat. Countless numbers of fast food joints have French fries on their menus.
Burger
From a classic American hamburger with beef patty to a vegetable burger option for a cholesterol-free vegetarian diet, the burger is acknowledged as "America's quintessential comfort food," according to the Food and Wine website. The many ways to prepare a burger provides a wide variety of options to enjoy a hand-carried meal.
Pizza
Pizza is another on-the-go type of fast food item, which is very popular in the general American diet. The Homemade Pizza Made Easy website reports that pizza is a $30 billion industry and there are more than 60,000 pizza parlors across the United States to date.
Fried Chicken
According to QSR Magazine, fried chicken is a popular protein source in many fast food joints. The fried chicken items in a number of fast-food restaurants' menus usually consist of a large chicken piece or smaller chicken pieces or strips that are floured or battered and breaded with a crispy coating or crust.
Grilled Chicken
The Body Building and WebMD websites say that this is one of the healthier fast food options as they rate and compare many grilled chicken offerings of popular restaurants with other popular fast food items. Whether eaten over a sandwich, salad, bread, fries or rice, the grilled chicken option is ordered in many prominent fast food chains all over America.
Taco
Hard and soft tacos in fast food restaurants provide varieties of meat and vegetable combinations wrapped around soft tacos or placed inside hard taco shells. According to websites like Kid Blog and What's Cooking America, these restaurants' popularity led to many Americans preferring tacos in their meals. This traditional Mexican dish is traditionally made out of corn or wheat tortilla and a variety of meat and vegetable fillings.
Burrito
The burrito is another fast food item of Mexican origin. It is quite similar to a taco as it also consists of a tortilla wrapped or folded around fillings. Its primary difference with the taco is its rice and bean content. The What's Cooking America and Listverse websites say that the burrito is quite big in various fast food chains around the United States.
Hotdog
The Life in the U.S.A. and VOA News websites describe a hotdog as a food option that has already become an integral part of American food culture for many decades. Hotdog choices in fast food spots range from hotdogs on sticks to corn dogs to charcoal broiled hotdogs in sandwiches.
Tuna Sandwich
The tuna sandwich is a favored option for those wanting a protein-rich fast-food meal or snack outside the more popular fried chicken and hamburger items. The Healthy Tuna website states that the United States is one of the largest consumers of canned tuna and it is the second most popular seafood product after shrimp.
Ice Cream and Sundae
These frozen dessert items made generally from dairy products can actually vary from those meant for any regular consumer without health issues, those meant for consumers preferring options with less fat content and even those ideal as diabetes-friendly options.
Related Articles
El Toro Nutrition

Pros & Cons of Fast Food

Dominos Nutrition Information

Nutrition Facts for Domino's Philly ...

What Is the Michi Ladder Diet?

How Many Calories in a Taco Bell Bean ...

The Core Plan Food List for Weight ...

High Fiber Fast Foods

Low-Calorie Subway Food

The Calories in a McDonald's Egg Biscuit

Is Fat-Free Sour Cream Healthy?

Canadian Breakfast Foods

Fast Foods With 250 Calories
What Foods Do Hispanics Make for ...
Different Kinds of Fast Foods

Restaurants on 50th - 52nd Street in ...

Bojangles' Nutritional Values

Waffle House Grilled Chicken Sandwich ...

What Kind of Bread Do You Use to Make a ...

Lou Malnati's Nutrition Information
References
Resources
- The Daily Meal: 20 Most Popular Fast Food Restaurants on Facebook Slideshow
- Body Building: Fast Food Nutritional Facts!
- Food and Wine: Best Burgers in the U.S.
- QSR Magazine: Wake Up Breakfast Proteins
- Want to Know It: Who Invented French Fries
- The Daily Meal: 20 Most Popular Fast Food Restaurants on Facebook
- Listverse: Top 16 Awesome Fast Food Restaurants
- Life in the U.S.A.: Hot Dogs In America
- WebMD: 10 Best Fast Food Meals
- VOA News: Hot Dogs and Apple Pie: Just Some of America's Favorite Foods
Writer Bio
Rianne Hill Soriano is a freelance artist/writer/educator. Her diverse work experiences include projects in the Philippines, Korea and United States. For more than six years she has written about films, travel, food, fashion, culture and other topics on websites including Yahoo!, Yehey! and Herword. She also co-wrote a book about Asian cinema.
Photo Credits
Stockbyte/Stockbyte/Getty Images