Best and Worst Food at Panera Bread

When you (occasionally) eat out, it’s important for you to understand what the best option is at the place you are eating.

Best Food at Panera Bread

You have plenty of healthy choices at Panera Bread, you just need to know which ones you should choose and which ones you should pass up.

Here’s a couple of healthier items that you may want to consider the next time you choose to eat out.

Tuna Salad on Honey Wheat – Full

If you are looking for a yummy sandwich without all the guilt, this is it!

Calories: 470

Total Fat: 16 g

Protein: 19 g

Sodium: 980 mg

Carbohydrates: 65 g

Fiber: 5 g

Smoked Turkey Breast on Country – Full

You can have a whole sandwich for 420 calories (unlike others, where you would have to order a half sized to get this amount of calories). You may want to consider the half sized, just because of the amount of sodium in this. Overall though, it’s one of the better items on the menu.

Calories: 420

Total Fat: 3 g

Protein: 33 g

Sodium: 1650 mg

Carbohydrates: 66 g

Fiber: 3 g

Full Strawberry Poppyseed & Chicken Salad – Full

Calories: 340

Total Fat: 13 g

Protein: 29 g

Sodium: 360 mg

Carbohydrates: 34 g

Fiber: 6 g

Worst Food at Panera Bread

Ok, I was actually pretty impressed with Panera Bread’s food, overall, but it still has some food on the menu that I would suggest skipping if you are trying to pick out a healthy meal or watching the amount of calories you are consuming.

Most Calories: Full Italian Combo on Ciabatta

Yikes! How can one sandwich have so many calories? This sandwich has different meats on it, cheese, and a “special sauce” that contributes to the amount of calories in this one sandwich.

Calories: 980

Total Fat: 41 g

Protein: 58 g

Sodium: 2620 mg

Carbohydrates: 95 g

Fiber: 5 g

Most Fat: Signature Mac and Cheese – Large

When Oprah Winfrey said that she gained almost 30 pounds of fat when she went on a Mac and Cheese “diet”, I am not surprised this one meal could cause so much damage. Oh, this meal also came in as a “tie” for the Most Calories as well.

Calories: 980

Total Fat: 61 g

Protein: 33 g

Sodium: 2030 mg

Carbohydrates: 75 g

Fiber: 3 g

Most Sodium: Full Bacon Turkey Bravo® on XL Tomato Basil

How can such a healthy sounding sandwich be full of an unhealthy amount of sodium? If you haven’t already guessed it, you can thank the bacon and turkey for the amount of sodium in this meal.

Calories: 800

Total Fat: 29 g

Protein: 52 g

Sodium: 2800 mg

Carbohydrates: 83 g

Fiber: 4 g

Most Deceptive: Pumpkin Muffin

Pumpkins are really healthy. Muffins can be healthy, if made to be healthy. Unfortunately, this muffin may sound healthy, but it’s packed with an entire meal’s worth of calories, yet it feels more like a light snack once you are done eating it. This can easily lead to trouble and over eating since you will probably continue to eat more since you haven’t yet satisfied your hunger.

Calories: 580

Total Fat: 22 g

Protein: 7 g

Sodium: 470 mg

Carbohydrates: 89 g

Fiber: 2 g

If you are trying to eat healthy, I suggest you stay away from obvious high calorie, high fat and high sugar treats like their brownies, cinnamon roll, and scones.

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Tags: Best and Worst Food, calories, carbohydrates, fat, Health, low calorie, Nutrition, Panera Bread, protein, sodium

Top Sources of Protein for Vegetarians

Protein, in addition to helping create strong muscle and bones, creates the building blocks for antibodies, hormones, neurotransmitters, and essential for the metabolism.

I prefer to get my protein from a variety of sources, not just from meat, dairy, and eggs. Here’s a list of Vegetarian protein sources, which can help you with getting plenty of protein throughout the day, and enjoying a variety of protein sources – even if you aren’t Vegetarian.

Beans and Legumes

Lentils- 1 cup, 18 gm

Black Beans- 1 cup, 15 gm

Kidney Beans- 1 cup, 13 gm

Pinto Beams- 1 cup, 12 gm

Chickpeas-  1 cup, 12 gm

Nuts and Seeds

Chia Seeds- 2 tbsp, 4 gm

Peanut Butter- 2 tbsp, 8 gm

Almond Butter- 2 tbsp, 5 gm

Sunflower Seeds- 1/4 cup, 6 gm

Hemp Seed- 4 tbsp, 15 gm

Quinoa- 1 cup, 9 gm

Vegetables

Avocado – 1 whole, 10 grams

Broccoli – 1 cup, 5 grams

Spinach – 1 cup, 5 grams

Peas – 1 cup, 9 grams

Artichoke – 1 medium sized, 4 grams

Asparagus – 1 cup, 5 grams

Beet Greens- 1 cup, 3 grams

Grains

Brown Rice- 1 cup, 5 mg

Farro- 1 cup, 8 gm

Freekeh- 1 cup, 12 gm

Amaranth- 1 cup, 9 gm

Buckwheat- 1 cup, 6gm

Barley- 1 cup, 7gm

Muesli- 1 cup, 8 gm

Miscellaneous

Whey Powder- 1 tbsp, 8 gm

Tempeh- 1 cup, 41 gm

Spirulina (Blue Green algae) – 1 tbsp, 6 gm

If I didn’t list it on here, please include your ideas in the comments section. Also, feel free to share what your favorite  protein source is!

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Tags: amino acids, protein, vegetarian

Twinkie’s Typical Meal Plan

A lot of people wonder what I eat every day, how I structure it, and how they too can implement my eating habits to help them lose weight. It’s taken me years to figure out a system that has worked for me, and hopefully my meal plan can help you too.

Here’s a simple outline on how I eat every day…

7:30AM – Breakfast

•Ionix Supreme by Isagenix®

•IsaLean Shake (Vanilla) by Isagenix®

-With my shake, I will include IsaPro (whey protein), Greens!, and FiberPro by Isagenix®)

10:00 AM – Snack

•Fruit

-I will try to pick out a different fruit every week. One week I may have an apple, while another week I will have grapes, watermelon or strawberries.

12:00PM – Lunch

•Sandwich

-I always use Ezekiel bread, and I either make an almond butter and honey sandwich, a tuna or salmon sandwich (with mayo replacement) or sometimes a deli sandwich with fresh tomatoes and sprouts. Easy and delicious!

2:00PM – Snack

•Vegetable

-I will have either sliced cucumbers, baby carrots, or some butternut squash.

4:00PM- Snack

•Protein

-I like to have some hardboiled egg whites (4-6) with a dash of sea salt, or a small amount of nuts, like almonds or pecans.

6:00PM – Dinner

•Protein and Vegetable(s)

-I enjoy a healthy dinner like baked Tilapia and steamed Asparagus. I try to make sure I have a small amount of protein joined with a delicious vegetable.

As you can see, I eat small amounts of healthy food all throughout the day.  I am never starving. I don’t allow myself to get to that point. I eat a lot of food…just not all at once.

Also, I make sure to drink plenty of water throughout the day!

This outline works for me, and I believe it will work for you too.

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Tags: Egg Whites, Fruit, Healthy, Healthy Food, Healthy Meals, Ionix Supreme, Isagenix, IsaLean Shake, Low Calorie Meals, Meal Plan, protein, Twinkie, vegetables, Weight Loss

The many Health Benefits of Salmon

Nutrition and Health Benefits

The American Heart Association recommends at least 2 servings of fish per week. Now, I know why… This fish is packed with a lot of healthy and beneficial nutrients! Salmon is not only low in calories, but it is also a great source of  important and healthy Omega-3 fatty acids (helps with the immune system,circulatory systems, and helps prevent unwanted inflammation) , B6,  B12, Niacin (processes fats in the body and lowers cholesterol), tryptophan (an amino acid which helps reduce headaches and even help stop cravings for unecessary amounts of carbohydrates and sweets),  Selenium, High in Vitamin D (an entire day’s worth!), Magnesium, and of course…protein!

Wild or Farmed Salmon?

Many don’t even bother to ask this question or understand the difference between the two, so I have to bring this up! Defintely go for the Wild Salmon. Farmed Salmon has been tested with much higher (up to 10 times the amount compared to Wild Salmon) amounts of toxins, including dioxin, toxaphen, dieldrin, polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB’s). These toxins are found to increase the risk of all cancers, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and can even surpress your immune system – just to name a few things. To keep it short and simple; you don’t want these toxins in your body, and if it is Farmed Salmon, the dangers outweigh the benefits and it is best to avoid them.

Food Preparation

You can buy Salmon in many different ways; fresh, frozen, canned, and raw (sushi). This is great because that means there are many ways to prepare this wonderful and healthy fish without ever getting bored!

Fresh Salmon is great as long as you are planning on preparing your meal same day, or at least in the next short while (usually there will be a “best before” date on the package). Frozen Salmon is convenient if you want to buy Salmon in bulk, without having to deal with your fish going bad. Both Fresh and Frozen salmon can be baked, steamed, and the Fresh can also be grilled.  Canned is not necessarily my first choice, but if you want it, I personally recommend choosing the canned Salmon with the bones and skin included, which gives you a higher amount of Calcium in it- perfect for Salmon sandwiches which can replace your Tuna sandwiches. Salmon Sushi rolls is another great way to enjoy Salmon! When I first tried raw Salmon, I was nervous that it might taste “fishy”, but if you go to a reputable Sushi Restraunt, it shouldn’t taste “fishy” at all, and you will enjoy it if you already enjoy sushi.

Serving: 4 oz

Calories: 261 (plain, nothing added)

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Stuffed Pasta Shells Bowl by Amy’s Kitchen

Need a yummy and healthy dinner, but don’t feel like cooking? You are in luck!

Nutrition

The Stuffed Pasta Shells Bowl is made with Organic Pasta Shells and Vegetables, such as Broccoli, Spinach, Onions and delicious Tomato puree. This dish comes out to be 73% Organic- the more the better! For those with allergies, this dish is Corn-Free,Tree Nut-Free, Soy-Free, and Certified Kosher.

This dish is high in protein (19 grams), Vitamin A (40% DV), Vitamin C (40% DV), Calcium (40% DV), and Iron (15% DV), and is low in Sugar, and has Zero Trans Fats.

Taste

The Stuffed pasta Shells Bowl tastes delicious- no question about it. You will probably feel like you are eating Lasagna at a high-end restaurant, without all the bad stuff that you just don’t need to put into your body.

I personally can’t go out and buy store bought lasagnas (my stomach just can’t handle them), so finding the Stuffed Pasta Shells Bowls from Amy’s Kitchen has been an amazing find for me. I am sure you will enjoy them as well!

Serving: 1 Bowl (3 Jumbo Stuffed Pasta Shells)

Calories: 310

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