QSR Magazine’s 2007 Consumer Survey validates the need for more quick service restaurants offering familiar foods that are better-for you.

The survey shows that 70% of consumers choose to frequent Quick Service Restaurants because of mood, while 59% go to these fast food restaurants for convenience. It also reports that 59% of quick service meals are lunch, compared with 27% for dinner, 8% for breakfast, 4% for mid-day snacks, and 4% for evening/late night snacks.

Other outcomes of the survey indicate “that there is still a negative connotation in our society regarding fast food, resulting in a reluctance to recognize just how many meals we actually are eating out. Even as educated adults (average age of respondents was 42), we appear to be influenced by peer pressure—in this case, a media-fueled mentality that fast food is analogous to unsophisticated, cheap, unhealthy, uncaring food service. As such, although we have our guilty pleasures, we might be a bit shy about admitting to them due to a pereived social stigma that may be associated with eating fast food.”

Consumers are watching out for their health: 49% are watching calories, 34% fat grams, 30% trans fats, 25% cholesterol and 25% carbohydrates.

54% of the survey’s 1000 respondents agree that fast food meals have gotten more healthy in the last 3 years. Subway is the clear front runner, percieved by 54% of consumers as the chain offering the healthiest menu items.

Gelateria Naia in the San Francisco Bay Area is a terrific example of how to offer better-for-you treats. While not full of vegetables or lean protein, Gelateria Naia boasts that their Madagascar Vanilla Gelato is only 240 calories with 8 grams of fat, compared with 660 calories and 8 grams of fat in Coldstone Creamery’s Vanilla Bean ice cream. I presume they are comparing similar sized products.

Either way, Gelateria Naia offers delicious flavors that are presented in a clean and colorful manner. They beautifuly display the ingredients in each gelato, such as a rhubarb stalk for rhubarb flavored gelato or Scharfenberger bars in the chocolate flavor.

I think of myself as a healthy, informed person who tries to eat well. I found myself at Baja Fresh for lunch today and felt like something light and well-balanced, so I ordered the Chipotle Glazed Chicken Salad. To my surprise, it came with some fried doughy things, which I couldn’t resist eating once they were in front of me. I then went to look at the nutritional information and found that there were 31 grams of fat and 700 calories in the salad and accompanying dressing alone. Fortunately, I didn’t order a soda a small Pepsi would have added an extra 140 calories, making it an 840 calorie meal!

I should have ordered the Baja Ensalada with Shrimp only 245 calories and 6 grams of fat with the fat free salsa verde. That would have left me with plenty of room to indulge in an afternoon snack of a Starbucks Lowfat Oat Fruit Scone at 320 calories and 3 grams of fat or, even a 270 calorie Butter Croissant with 15 grams of fat. In either case, I would avoid snacking on the seemingly healthy Zucchini Nut Bread at Startbucks, with 420 calories and 16 grams of fat.

I wish that all restaurants, whether it is McDonald’s or Baja Fresh or Starbucks, would come forward and make it easier for us to distinguish healthy items on their menu instead of being deceived by the apparent healthfulness of menu items (such as salad).