Healthy Restaurant Eating: Panera Bread
It can be challenging to know what to order when eating out. There are so many options available and often what seems like the healthiest choice may not be. Today’s post focuses on the healthy and not-so-healthy choices at Panera Bread. I’ll share my favorite things to order and how eating at Panera Bread or any other restaurant can fit into a healthy eating plan.
Half Napa almond chicken salad sandwich + apple
Menu
Panera Bread offers a wide variety of dishes as well as some seasonal options, such as:
Sandwiches
Salads
Soups
Warm bowls (a combination of rice, quinoa, protein, and veggies)
Flatbread pizzas
Mac & cheese
Most meals are served with a side of bread, chips, or an apple. They also serve breakfast, including options like breakfast sandwiches, soufflés, parfaits, and oatmeal.
In addition to meals, Panera Bread also has a wide variety of bakery items, such as bread, bagels, cookies, and other baked goods.
Nutritional considerations
Nutrition information for all items at Panera Bread can be found on their website. If available, I advise looking at nutrition information before going to a restaurant. This can be helpful if you have a food allergy, chronic health condition, want to lose weight, or just want to make a healthy choice.
Carbohydrates
Many of Panera Bread’s items are high in carbs. Carbs aren’t bad, but eating a large quantity of them can make it harder to lose weight or can cause blood sugar to rise too high for people with diabetes. Some of the higher carb menu options at Panera include:
| Food | Amount of carbohydrate |
|---|---|
| Mac and cheese in a bread bowl | 164 grams |
| Whole Mediterranean veggie sandwich on tomato basil bread | 107 grams |
| Chocolate chip muffin | 101 grams |
| Kitchen sink cookie | 99 grams |
| Flatbread pizza | 91 grams |
| Baja bowl with chicken | 82 grams |
For comparison, I usually recommend limiting carb intake at a meal to 30-60 grams, so many of the above items far exceed this!
Some lower carb items include:
| Food | Amount of carbohydrate |
|---|---|
| Half Napa almond chicken salad sandwich on sourdough | 39 grams |
| Half roasted turkey and avocado BLT sandwich on sourdough | 37 grams |
| Whole Asian sesame with chicken salad | 29 grams |
| Whole Green Goddess Cobb with chicken salad | 27 grams |
| Ten vegetable soup in a bowl | 15 grams |
| Homestyle chicken noodle soup in a bowl | 13 grams |
The side option that is lowest in carbs is actually the chips, which may surprise some. Because the chips come in a small bag, they only contain 17 grams of carbs. However, if you’d like a higher fiber option, choosing the apple will give you fiber even though it is slightly higher in carbs.
Sodium
Unfortunately, most restaurant food is extremely high in sodium. The 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends a a maximum intake of 2,300 mg of sodium per day. Some of Panera Bread’s menu items exceed this 2,300 mg limit, so use caution when ordering. Some of the highest sodium menu items include:
| Food | Amount of sodium |
|---|---|
| Sausage and pepperoni flatbread pizza | 2,630 mg |
| Whole bacon turkey bravo sandwich on tomato basil bread | 2,530 mg |
| Mac and cheese in a bread bowl | 2,310 mg |
| Whole tuna sandwich on black pepper foccacia | 1,710 mg |
| Broccoli cheddar soup in a bowl | 1,470 mg |
| Whole citrus Asian crunch salad with chicken | 1,310 mg |
| Blueberry scone | 900 mg |
| Side portion French baguette | 450 mg |
Though most restaurant foods are high in salt, there are some ways to reduce the salt in some of Panera Bread’s items. Ideas for this include:
Skip the cheese on your sandwich or salad
Ask for salad dressing on the side and only use half of it
Choose an apple for your side instead of bread or chips
Order a cup instead of a bowl or bread bowl of soup
Order a half sandwich instead of a whole
What to order
As you can see, many of Panera Bread’s menu items are high in carbs or sodium or both. I like to get the “You Pick Two”, meaning you get to choose two items that are a smaller portion, such as a half sandwich instead of a whole or a cup of soup instead of a bowl. Pairing a half sandwich with a salad, for example, allows you to keep the carbs lower. You can also use some of the suggestions I gave above based on your health goals, such as skipping the cheese or ordering the dressing on the side. Some combinations to try are:
Half Napa almond chicken salad sandwich + cup of ten vegetable soup + apple
Half roasted turkey and avocado BLT sandwich + cup of homestyle chicken noodle soup + apple
Half Green Goddess Cobb with chicken salad + cup of cream of chicken and wild rice soup + apple
Half strawberry poppyseed with chicken salad + cup of broccoli cheddar + apple
Also, keep in mind that you can share items or take home half to eat later!
Special dietary needs
It’s easy to find something at Panera Bread even if you have a food allergy or intolerance. The one caveat would be if you have Celiac disease or a severe gluten allergy because of the large amount of flour present in the restaurant. Most people with Celiac disease cannot consume even the smallest amount of gluten without experiencing symptoms; ordering a salad that is gluten-free, for example, could still contain small amounts of gluten particles.
Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to find an allergen list on Panera Bread’s website, but this may be available in the restaurant. However, each menu item listed on the website does list allergens so that you can avoid certain food items if needed.
For example, if you need to avoid dairy, you can likely choose most salads or sandwiches and specify “no cheese,” but you’ll also want to verify that sauces or salad dressings don’t contain dairy. You best bet is to plan ahead and review the menu so you can make an informed decision when needing to avoid a certain food due to an allergy or intolerance.
Half Fuji apple chicken salad with dressing on the side
As you can see, Panera Bread offers some good options if you’d like to eat healthy, but there are also several less healthy items. I believe healthy eating is all about balance and moderation; if you eat out often, try choosing healthy options most of the time, but it is okay to get your favorites every once in awhile. What are some ways you like to make healthy choices when eating out?
