Healthy fast food review: Panera Bread

June 16, 10:54 AMMinneapolis Healthy Living ExaminerMary Thomas

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We all lead busy lives and sometimes need to grab lunch or dinner on the run. Fast food is convenient, relatively inexpensive, and most often tasty. Although most fast food tends to be high in calories and trans-fat, as well as chuck full of unhealthy additives and preservatives, there are healthy options at most fast food restaurants. On a weekly basis, I will be giving tips on what to order at various fast food restaurants around the Twin Cities.

This week’s evaluation: Panera Bread

Panera Bread has 25 locations in and around the Twin Cities. Although they may be mostly known for their extensive offerings of delicious breads, pastries, and beagles, they also offer some breakfast sandwich items as well as an extensive lunch menu.

 If you are not careful and order a full sized café or signature sandwich along with a cup of soup, side of chips, a frozen coffee beverage, and a delicious pastry for dessert, you could easily consume beyond two thousand calories, which well exceeds a day’s supply for most.

That being said, as long as your self control can sustain you, ordering and eating healthy at Panera is easily done.

Although the Signature, Café, and Panini sandwiches seem to be loaded with healthy ingredients, they are also loaded with calories, ranging from 610 to 1070 calories for the full sized.

Your best bet is to go with one of Panera’s Hand-Tossed salads. Some are better than others with the best two options being either the Full Classic Café (170 calories, 11 grams of fat) or the Strawberry Poppyseed (170 calories, six grams of fat). If chicken is added to either salad, it adds only 100 calories and provides 23 grams of healthy protein. Be sure to use the dressing sparingly.

Each day Panera offers a wide selection of delicious soups. Some are better than others with the best options being the Low Fat Vegetarian Garden, the Low Fat Vegetarian Black Bean, or the Low Fat Chicken Noodle. For a full 12 ounce serving, you would be adding right around 150 calories to your meal along with very little fat.  Cut the calories by a third for the 8 ounce serving.

Additional healthy items on Panera’s menu include a fruit cup option or an apple.

To sum up, if you were to order one of the above mentioned salads, cup of soup, and a fruit option, you would have a healthy, filling meal, consuming around 400 calories and staying below 15 grams of fat. Not bad!

Panera Bread's website offers nutritional information on all of their items.