Uh oh. One of the places I like to eat out is Panera, and it’s a place I usually feel pretty good about eating. As far as eating out goes, in my mind it’s hard to find somewhere healthier. None of the food is fried or that kind of thing; they tend to use natural-type ingredients. There are salads that actually taste decent. All of this makes it easier to justify the exorbitant prices.
But it ought not surprise me to learn that the sandwich I most often get, the Chipotle Chicken Sandwich, happens to be the worst one on the menu health-wise. In fact, it’s judged to be one of the 10 worst sandwiches in America. Now, to be sure, this list is probably defined by mere calorie-counting rather than taking into consideration the quality of the ingredients (ie natural or processed, etc.). But calories certainly count.
Here’s the write-up:
#7: Panera Full Chipotle Chicken on Artisan French Bread
990 calories
56 g fat (15 g saturated, 1 g trans)
2,370 mg sodium
Panera’s Signature Sandwich menu houses some of the biggest gutbombs in the entire restaurant, so minimize the damage by sticking to the Cafe sandwiches. With the bulk of Panera’s sandwiches floating in the 700- to 900- calorie range, the Chicken Bacon Dijon on French Bread emerges as the clear winner. Just be sure to watch your sodium intake for the rest of the day.
Sometimes it just seems impossible to eat healthy…