Happier Meals: New Alternatives to Fast Food

When you hit the highway for your vacation this summer, one sight you won't miss is America's ever-burgeoning waistline, visible at any off-ramp fast-food joint. This is no coincidence: With its calorie-packed, mega-sized meals, the $105 billion fast-food industry deserves part of the blame for our obesity problem, as Eric Schlosser shows in Chew On This: Everything You Don't Want to Know About Fast Food (Houghton Mifflin, 2006, $16).

Change is in the air, though, from Burger King's veggie burgers to McDonald's offering Newman's Own Organics salad dressing and selling fair-trade coffee in its New England stores. Still, Schlosser predicts that regional chains serving fresher, healthier foods will win out. Next time you're on the road without a packed lunch, look for fresh, flavorful and more nutritious locally grown foods. When you're travelling, it's nice to know that your food hasn't logged unnecesssary fuel-burning miles. Following are some eateries that are worth the trip:

CEO Mac McCabe says O'Naturals "works with local farmers and buys wild buffalo and salmon" for its preservative-, hormone- and antibiotic-free meals. Sandwiches, soups, noodles and breakfast goods are sold at fourlocations around Boston, Portland, Maine and Portsmouth, N.H. One popular choice: the Wrangler, an organic, grassfed beef burger with rosemary, onions and Swiss cheese (average meal $8; www.onaturals.com).

Founded a year ago, Organic to Go runs 13 "fast casual cafés"around Seattle and Los Angeles. Currently 70 percent of the food is organic, although CEO Jason Brown aims for 100 percent. Look for the seasonal veggies and distinctive Peruvian potatoes ($6.25 to $10.99/lunch bags; www.organictogo.com).

Missouri-based Panera Bread operates 897 bakery-cafes in 36 states. The chain uses unbleached flour and some whole grains, and its soups, salads and gourmet-style sandwiches offer a tasty alternative to burger joints ($5 to $7/sandwich; www.panera.com).

British import Pret a Manger offers pre-packaged sandwiches, salads and soups with no artificial ingredients in 10 New York City locations. Juices, coffee and tea are organic, and the sizable menu includes locally sourced items (about $5/sandwich; www.pret.com).