Friday, 14 November 2008
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Panera Bread: A Rude and Fat Awakening
I'm a big Panera Bread fan. I usually go there about twice a week during my lunch break and get a sandwich or a salad. My sandwich of choice is the Sierra Turkey, but sometimes I opt for the Greek salad. (Asiago cheese is da shiz.)
I knew Panera wasn't really a low-calorie option because it uses "richer" ingredients. (Asiago cheese being one of them.) But come on - it's turkey, lettuce, some chipotle sauce and tomato. How fattening could it really be? So I went to the Panera website and was horrified to find this:
1,000 CALORIES?! ALMOST HALF OF THEM FROM FAT?! 85 PERCENT OF MY DAILY SODIUM INTAKE IN ONE SANDWICH?! AND THIS DOESN'T EVEN INCLUDE THE BAG OF CHIPS WITH IT! I NEED TO STOP YELLING!
Looks like I'll be cutting down on what I thought was a fairly healthier alternative to Burger King or McDonald's, otherwise I'm going to be a big Panera fan in the literal sense. My advice to you: Go to a restaurant's website and look up your favorite food. You might be surprised as to what you're actually eating.
How often do you check Nutrition Facts for restaurants? Did you ever pick a place thinking it was healthier only to find out it wasn't?
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Comments (65)
trufax. i love the bacon turkey bravo but my eyes bugged out of my head when i realized that it was 800 calories for the entire sandwich. no thank you.
wow that is frightening
that's frightening! i've never eaten at Panera bread... it had better be a DAMN good sanwich to have that many calories!
Some of the stuff at Panera isn't nearly that bad. Their veggie sandwich options are closer to what I'd call healthy (except for sodium) and some of their soups are very low fat. Any meat sandwich at a deli is going to have a lot of fat, especially if you add cheese and mayonnaise. Good advice on checking your favorite "healthy" foods at restaurants!
sometimes you have to live on the edge and eat what's good to you!
i always check nutrition facts before eating somewhere.
Holy crap. My sister is going to be sad. lol
haha yeah I know i LOVE panera but i remember finding out that almost all the dishes are sooo calorie-packed.
Having one sandwich from Panera bread every once in a while is not going to kill you for heaven's sake! When treating ourselves to a small indulgence everyonce in a while moderation is the key.
panera is really good... but i had no idea about the calorie intake. this is a shocker...
It surprised me too how many calories were in Panera. I stopped going. I love Corner Bakery, but though Panera was a bertter choice. Wrong! It's amazing how the restuarants are getting smart by making really fattening food seem healthy. It's almost silly to go to a restuarant without looking at the nutrition facts first. That really takes the joy out of eating
I normally get the Mediterranean Veggie sandwich, and it isn't too horrible. Their vegetarian options have a lot less fat, sodium and fewer calories than the non-veggie options.
I couldn't believe the insanely long list of ingredients and the sodium content (107% DV!) in the French Onion soup (12 oz. serving). I'm so glad I don't eat that stuff.
I always check nutrition information before eating out, after I got a similar shock at Ruby Tuesday (who knew a turkey burger could have 800+ calories??). It's just frustrating that more restaurants don't make their nutritional information available, although I'll admit it's becoming a more common practice.
I get soup from Panera most of the time. That or I'll do the "Pick Two" and have one of them be soup so that I can enjoy half of whatever sandwich or salad of my choosing.
Panera doesn't market themselves as healthy either. They market themselves as using organic and wholesome ingredients. They have options that are more healthy and then they have their standard items.
I don't usually check the calories in what I am eating when I eat out for two reasons 1) to preserve my sanity I would never eat anything because anything with more than say 100 calories makes me feel guilty and 2) I eat out in moderation so eating something fattenting every once in a while is not going to matter.
i love panera, but some of their stuff is just deadly (health-wise, not taste wise) i just can't resist their delicious foods though. they have good coffee & tea as well.
...i really want some panera bread now LOL
i hope you realized that IS the unhealthiest sandwich on the menu. and it's a MAYONNAISE-BASED SPREAD. what were you expecting?
a lot of their other options are extremely low-cal. make like the magic 8 ball & try again later with another option.
OMG! I cannot believe the fat grams. I cannot help the fact that Paneras bread is my favorite. The asiago bagels are so addicting and I will continue to buy them even though I will now feel a hint of guilt!
I know...ruined it forever, right? I do that all the time too! Read the lable and have to give up something I just love. I am not familiar with the sandwich, but would it work to get one, and put half in the fridge for the next day. You could do a dinner salad and yogart to fill up a bit with the half, and still have your treat! Or you could always go with a friend and share! Good Luck!
That sandwich is worse than a whole kids meal from a fast food place... which is what I get when we go
I love the broccoli and cheese soup... it's delicious!
I ALWAYS check out nutrition facts before going out to eat. That's why I have never eaten at Panera.
it must be a huge sandwich too. 14 oz? that's almost a full pound. 14 oz is almost equivalent to a subway footlong. so maybe instead of freaking out about the sandwich, split that (500 calories) and a salad (around 200) with someone, get your bag of chips if you want (probably around 150 calories), and you'll still have a pretty decent lunch. plus there's more variety, so jenn says yes!
haha pick the veg soup or bean soup plus half a sandwich and u'll be fine!
they do have healthy lowfat options though.