How to Eat Healthy at Panera

Everyone enjoys a good meal at a restaurant. Eating out can mean high caloric and fat intake. You can do your best to select foods off of the menu that maintain a balance between good taste and nutritional value. Panera Bread restaurants publish nutritional information about their menu items that can help you make healthy food choices.

Things You'll Need

• Computer with Internet connection

Instructions

1. Cut portions in half to enjoy the taste but reduce the fat and calorie intake. Several hot panini items on the Panera Bread menu are offered in full and half portions. Panera's full-portion, Chicken Bacon Dijon on French, 10.5 oz. serving has 680 calories, 29 grams fat, 1250 mg sodium, 60 grams carbs and 48 grams protein. Compare this to the half-portion that has 340 calories, 15 grams fat, 620 mg sodium, 30 grams carbs and 24 grams protein.

2. Choose Panera Bread's soup items. They make you feel full and satisfy hunger. Order a soup without a couple of high-fat ingredients. This can cut the amount of calories and fat. French Onion soup without cheese and croutons, in an 8 oz. serving size, has 80 calories, 3 grams fat, 1560 mg sodium, 12 grams carbs and 2 grams protein. The same soup with cheese and croutons has 220 calories, 10 grams fat, 1820 mg sodium, 23 g carbs and 9 grams protein.

3. Select a low-carb bread alternative. Panera nutritional information for Italian Herb bread is listed as a 1.1 oz. serving with 80 calories, 1 grams fat and 10 grams carbs. The Pumpkin Seed bread is listed as a 1.1 oz. serving with 90 calories, 2.5 grams fat and 9 grams carbs.

4. Compare salad items to find the healthiest choice. Enjoy a Grilled Salmon salad 13.5 oz. serving with 340 calories, 14 grams fat, 820 mg sodium, 32 grams carbs and 23 grams protein. Cut the portion in half to save on calories and fat. The Grilled Salmon half portion 6.75 oz. serving has 170 calories, 7 grams fat, 410 mg sodium, 16 grams carbs and 11 g protein. The fat in salmon is rich in healthy Omega 3 fatty acids.

5. Complete a healthy meal at Panera Bread with the 10 oz. Fresh Fruit Cup as a side dish or dessert that has 150 calories and 0 grams fat.

Tips & Warnings

• Beware that soups can be low in fat and calorie content, but high in sodium. If you are concerned about sodium content, you should read published nutritional information closely.

• Avoid salad dressings with high calorie and fat content. A salad dressing can turn a healthy salad into a fat-laden salad.

Resources

• Calorie count for Panera Bread.
• Panera Bread menu.
• Chow Baby fast food nutrition.