Community Chat

[dooBdoo]

I just saw this list on Facebook, from Health.com:

". . .We surveyed the nation's 100 largest fast-food chains. . .Using criteria that was created with the help of our expert panel, we scored the chains on such factors as the use of healthy fats and preparations, healthy sodium counts in entrees, availability of nutritional information, and the use of organic produce to determine the 10 highest-ranking restaurants. One big surprise: A traditional fast-food chain, McDonald's, cracked our top 10. Sure, it's the home of the Big Mac, but did you know it also serves a mean yogurt-and-granola parfait? Here, the standouts that are making grabbed food healthy food:

#1 Panera Bread
Over 1,230 locations nationwide (and in Canada)
We love: Delicious, nutrient-packed combos like a half–Turkey Artichoke on focaccia bread with a bowl of black bean or garden vegetable soup.
Danger zone: Sticky buns and cheese danishes are on display at the counter.

#2 Jasons Deli
206 locations in the West, Midwest, Mid-Atlantic, South
We love: Being able to build any sandwich on an organic whole-wheat wrap.
Danger zone: High-sodium counts on some sandwiches; if sodium is a concern, stick to the ultrahealthy choices.

#3 Au Bon Pain
280 locations nationwide
We love: Yummy low-cal soups, from Jamaican Black Bean to Fire Roasted Exotic Grains and Vegetables.
Danger zone: The sodium counts can get high if you don't pay attention.

#4 Noodles and Company
204 locations in West, Midwest, South
We love: The whole-grain linguine—usually hard to find when eating out.
Danger zone: The desserts. The only options are two kinds of cookies and a Rice Krispy Treat bar that checks in at 530 calories and 19 grams of fat!

#5 Corner Bakery Cafe
111 locations in West, Midwest, Mid-Atlantic, South
We love: Healthy oven-roasted chicken that comes on most pastas and salads.
Danger zone: You have to go to their Web site to get nutritional info.

#6 Chipotle
800+ locations nationwide
We love: Burrito Bowls, which let you skip the tortilla—and the extra carbs.
Danger zone: The dark side of a buffet is that you can go wild. So you have to go light on cheese and sour cream.

#7 Atlanta Bread
106 locations in 24 states (Southeast, West, and North)
We love: The entree salads like Salsa Fresca Salmon Salad: grilled wild Alaskan salmon filet on greens with fire-roasted black bean and corn salsa and a pineapple-mango vinaigrette.
Danger zone: Pasta entrees at some locations are offered with bread … that's a whole lotta carbs!

#8 McDonald's
14,000 locations nationwide
We love: The chains 260- to 270-calorie Snack Wraps (choose grilled chicken) for protein without a lot of unwanted carbs.
Danger zone: Although McDonalds made our list, this is still the land of supersizing and giant sodas. Its up to you to request a small.

#9 Einstein Bros. Bagels
649 locations nationwide
We love: The high-fiber Veg Out on a sesame seed bagel.
Danger zone: “Overstuffed” size sandwiches are a calorie nightmare.

#10 Taco Del Mar
270 locations in 22 states
We love: The 460- to 555-calorie Mondito-size burrito, which fills you up but keeps fat and sodium in check.
Danger zone: The breakfasts. In particular, steer clear of the Mondo Breakfast Burritos, which are more than 1,000 calories."

[chickenbutt]

Wow, I haven't even heard of 9 out of the 10 in that second list!

[VanSleepy]

The only time I eat fast food is when I'm craving some junk, so bring on the fat and carbs.

[ShowMe]

On 11/21/2014 winamac1 said:

Panera can be so unhealthy. I won't eat anything from Panera except their turkey sandwich on whole grain-no mayo or their classic cafe salad with no dressing. Their black bean soup isn't too bad either as far as calories. 90% of what Panera offers as far as food is laden with fat and calories. I used to like Panera more, but I think the amount of "meat"/protein is a joke. They give like one slice of turkey. I always have to get extra protein on the classic cafe salad. Usually I have them add double portion turkey as the chicken can be grisly.

Winamac......I disagree with you on several of your comments on here. They make a terrific chicken (grilled) with lettuce, tomato, cheese, and onion on one of those kinds of breads that they put in a grill machine. It is delicious. There are a couple of (St. Louis Bread Co.) Panera that are near where I live, and I frequent them often. I have had their turkey sandwiches, and they are pretty generous with the turnkey where I go...... Their soups are delicious......like homemade...... They have had some pretty good looking commercials on lately too. I would much rather go there for a meal than to McDonalds or even Steak 'n' Shake. Also Panera gives you a choice of an apple or a bag of chips, or another piece of their bread. I chose the apple most of the time......

I don't understand why they are called fast food.....probably because you don't have someone coming to your table to wait on you.

Their employees are always polite, and find their establishments to be very clean. Love the idea that I can watch them prepare the food......They don't hide anything from us.

Also, they have great coffee......

[VioletEyes]

On 11/21/2014 ShowMe said:

On 11/21/2014 winamac1 said:

Panera can be so unhealthy. I won't eat anything from Panera except their turkey sandwich on whole grain-no mayo or their classic cafe salad with no dressing. Their black bean soup isn't too bad either as far as calories. 90% of what Panera offers as far as food is laden with fat and calories. I used to like Panera more, but I think the amount of "meat"/protein is a joke. They give like one slice of turkey. I always have to get extra protein on the classic cafe salad. Usually I have them add double portion turkey as the chicken can be grisly.

Winamac......I disagree with you on several of your comments on here. They make a terrific chicken (grilled) with lettuce, tomato, cheese, and onion on one of those kinds of breads that they put in a grill machine. It is delicious. There are a couple of (St. Louis Bread Co.) Panera that are near where I live, and I frequent them often. I have had their turkey sandwiches, and they are pretty generous with the turnkey where I go...... Their soups are delicious......like homemade...... They have had some pretty good looking commercials on lately too. I would much rather go there for a meal than to McDonalds or even Steak 'n' Shake. Also Panera gives you a choice of an apple or a bag of chips, or another piece of their bread. I chose the apple most of the time......

I don't understand why they are called fast food.....probably because you don't have someone coming to your table to wait on you.

Their employees are always polite, and find their establishments to be very clean. Love the idea that I can watch them prepare the food......They don't hide anything from us.

Also, they have great coffee......

The grilled sandwiches are laden with fat and are full of calories. The salads are made with dried out chicken and they add very few vegetables to the salad. Take a look at their nutritional facts as they are less than healthy. They are laden with sodium, fat and all the grilled sandwiches are a dieter's nightmare. Even the salad dressings are very dense in calories.

Take a look at the calories in their soups and the fat content. All of it is commercially sold in supermarkets near me. I was quite surprised what there soups have in them. And the salad dressings have too many calories to make a healthy meal.

I agree with Win...

[BellaPaprika]

We love Subway! Their ingredients are so fresh and delicious. And in the one we patronize I have never seen anyone handle money and food with the same gloves on! I seriously doubt anyone else has either. They can whip them off and put on a new pair literally in the blink of an eye.

Also want to say that I have to chuckle over the totally harmless things that so many think are ""unhealthy"". There is no excess fat or calories in Panera soups or sandwich fillings. Now if you're determined to eat like a bird and want only seeds and grain in small amounts then you probably should stay home and fix your own plate.

[magicmoodz]

I love this salad at Panera: Power Chicken Hummus Bowl and it is only 270 calories!

[winamac1]

On 11/21/2014 SoftRaindrops said:

On 11/21/2014 ShowMe said:

On 11/21/2014 winamac1 said:

Panera can be so unhealthy. I won't eat anything from Panera except their turkey sandwich on whole grain-no mayo or their classic cafe salad with no dressing. Their black bean soup isn't too bad either as far as calories. 90% of what Panera offers as far as food is laden with fat and calories. I used to like Panera more, but I think the amount of "meat"/protein is a joke. They give like one slice of turkey. I always have to get extra protein on the classic cafe salad. Usually I have them add double portion turkey as the chicken can be grisly.

Winamac......I disagree with you on several of your comments on here. They make a terrific chicken (grilled) with lettuce, tomato, cheese, and onion on one of those kinds of breads that they put in a grill machine. It is delicious. There are a couple of (St. Louis Bread Co.) Panera that are near where I live, and I frequent them often. I have had their turkey sandwiches, and they are pretty generous with the turnkey where I go...... Their soups are delicious......like homemade...... They have had some pretty good looking commercials on lately too. I would much rather go there for a meal than to McDonalds or even Steak 'n' Shake. Also Panera gives you a choice of an apple or a bag of chips, or another piece of their bread. I chose the apple most of the time......

I don't understand why they are called fast food.....probably because you don't have someone coming to your table to wait on you.

Their employees are always polite, and find their establishments to be very clean. Love the idea that I can watch them prepare the food......They don't hide anything from us.

Also, they have great coffee......

The grilled sandwiches are laden with fat and are full of calories. The salads are made with dried out chicken and they add very few vegetables to the salad. Take a look at their nutritional facts as they are less than healthy. They are laden with sodium, fat and all the grilled sandwiches are a dieter's nightmare. Even the salad dressings are very dense in calories.

Take a look at the calories in their soups and the fat content. All of it is commercially sold in supermarkets near me. I was quite surprised what there soups have in them. And the salad dressings have too many calories to make a healthy meal.

I agree with Win...

HI Soft. I know a great deal about nutrition, calories, etc. as I took a few classes in it. I look at the menu at Panera and am shaking my head wondering how they could be labeled as a "healthy" restaurant. There are so many calories in many of their items. One has to be super select with how they order at Panera or they will walk out not full and have 700 to 1000 calories easily for a meal. There's a lot of mayo in their items, and there is a lot of fat. The calories in the soup appear fairly low, but I don't truly believe the data they show in the soups, LOL. I guess we are on the same page with the "disbelief" at a low-cal establishment. I think it can be nutritious with modifications.

[winamac1]

On 11/21/2014 magicmoodz said:

I love this salad at Panera: Power Chicken Hummus Bowl and it is only 270 calories!

Hi Magic I don't like hummus so that would not appeal to me. I know a lot of my friends love hummus. I do not believe that salad is 270 calories though, LOL. I think they are underestimating calorie content by about 100 calories. But, all that matters is that YOU like it.

[winamac1]

On 11/21/2014 ShowMe said:

On 11/21/2014 winamac1 said:

Panera can be so unhealthy. I won't eat anything from Panera except their turkey sandwich on whole grain-no mayo or their classic cafe salad with no dressing. Their black bean soup isn't too bad either as far as calories. 90% of what Panera offers as far as food is laden with fat and calories. I used to like Panera more, but I think the amount of "meat"/protein is a joke. They give like one slice of turkey. I always have to get extra protein on the classic cafe salad. Usually I have them add double portion turkey as the chicken can be grisly.

Winamac......I disagree with you on several of your comments on here. They make a terrific chicken (grilled) with lettuce, tomato, cheese, and onion on one of those kinds of breads that they put in a grill machine. It is delicious. There are a couple of (St. Louis Bread Co.) Panera that are near where I live, and I frequent them often. I have had their turkey sandwiches, and they are pretty generous with the turnkey where I go...... Their soups are delicious......like homemade...... They have had some pretty good looking commercials on lately too. I would much rather go there for a meal than to McDonalds or even Steak 'n' Shake. Also Panera gives you a choice of an apple or a bag of chips, or another piece of their bread. I chose the apple most of the time......

I don't understand why they are called fast food.....probably because you don't have someone coming to your table to wait on you.

Their employees are always polite, and find their establishments to be very clean. Love the idea that I can watch them prepare the food......They don't hide anything from us.

Also, they have great coffee......

You are free to disagree. I didn't state some of their offerings were not good. I simply stated that they are not low fat and calories. They are often HIGH in fat and calories. I love Panera's tea, and I order their food, coffee, bagels, etc. for many of my offices as I"m a sales rep. I merely stated I don't eat most of what they serve. Their bagels are very high in calories as are all of their pastries and many of their sandwiches.

I also did not state that their employees were not friendly. I am friends with a manager at an Indianapolis store. She , herself, states she doesn't eat most of their food due to the calorie content.

Enjoy!!!!