Panera diet!

If you haven't checked out panerawww hidden menu u must do so now and thank me later. It's full of high Protein high veggies and low carb low cal meals. All are aroud 280 to 380 cals. I think I will be eatin bfast and dinner at Panera now on a daily basis. Lunch will be a 6 inch sub from subway. Simple. Easy. Delicious
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Replies

  • Wish I could but that would get expensive (panera tends to be higher priced )
  • LishieFruit89
    LishieFruit89 Posts: 1,956 Member
    No.

    Make food at home, save money, save sodium, and keep unnecessary preservatives out of your diet.
    You can make food at home that is far more satisfying than Panera and Subway...
  • Athena53
    Athena53 Posts: 717 Member
    I typically bring food from home, but when I forgot mine last week, I hiked over to a Paniera near work and got a Greek salad. I do like having the nutritional info up and knowing what I'm eating but I agree it would be a budget-buster to do that everyday.
  • corsayre8
    corsayre8 Posts: 551 Member
    I so do not get this mentality.

    It is like the women at work who bring frozen meals EVERY. SINGLE. DAY.

    Do I eat Subway, Panera, and frozen meals? Sure, on occasion.

    But eating that way does not teach you skills about sustaining this lifestyle. You don't learn how to shop for healthy food. You don't learn how to prepare prepare healthy foods. You don't learn what foods contain x amount if calories or which macros. All that teaches you is to choose between calorie options.

    I'm stunned when I have 50 plus year old women asking me if diet cupcakes or frozen yogurt are ok to eat, then turning around and refusing my offer to share my nuts because they are "too fattening."
  • MarineCodie
    MarineCodie Posts: 256 Member
    I only read the first few lines of the first post and then everyone's responses. My first reaction was, "Everyone needs to calm down and stop being so rude". Then, I went back to the OP and read the entire thing.

    Panera is EXPENSIVE - why would you need to eat there morning and night? I bet you can make those "healthy" options for way cheaper in your own kitchen. & Subway everyday for lunch? Why? You can make delicious subs at home.

    I just don't think it's a great idea to eat out every meal every day... call me crazy.
  • LishieFruit89
    LishieFruit89 Posts: 1,956 Member
    I only read the first few lines of the first post and then everyone's responses. My first reaction was, "Everyone needs to calm down and stop being so rude". Then, I went back to the OP and read the entire thing.

    Panera is EXPENSIVE - why would you need to eat there morning and night? I bet you can make those "healthy" options for way cheaper in your own kitchen. & Subway everyday for lunch? Why? You can make delicious subs at home.

    I just don't think it's a great idea to eat out every meal every day... call me crazy.

    That's why I said no. A loaf of bread is like 3$ or so, depending on brand and if white, wheat, rye, etc. A big thing of spinach, some condiments, some block cheese, deli meats or canned tuna, plus some other veggies like tomatoes and peppers will run you like 30$ (depending on your area and what sales are that week), that same 30$ will get you like two panera sandwiches and a few subway sandwiches. Just go grocery shopping, you'll have better and fresher ingredients. Since I wouldn't be surprised if the veggies weren't cut at that particular Subwayor Panera location but shipped in
  • AuntieKT
    AuntieKT Posts: 235 Member
    I love Panera and I think offering healthier choices is always a good idea...but why are they keeping these items a secret? I guess I haven't looked at everyone's posts yet or completely looked over the website with a fine toothed comb, but it seems that this is the case. They should put this stuff on the regular menu if they aren't already!
  • marieautumn
    marieautumn Posts: 928 Member
    I like panera on the days that I go out for lunch. I like that they post the calories which makes choosing a lunch easier.
    Eating out adds up though, and all of the things Panera offers I can easily make myself too.
    EDIT- also, subway isnt really a "healthy" meal. its mostly just a ton of extra bread.
  • thisisme13
    thisisme13 Posts: 150
    Must be nice to have that much money floating around.

    Personally, it's far too expensive to eat out so often. It's also far too much sodium and unknowns in food you are eating somewhere other than home.

    You can get much better nutrition for a much lower price by grocery shopping and making food at home. It really doesn't have to take a long time to prepare proper meals.

    This may work in the short term but once you start eating homemade food again you will have no knowledge on what to do, how to cook or what to make to ensure you keep the weight gone.
  • AuntieKT
    AuntieKT Posts: 235 Member
    No.

    Make food at home, save money, save sodium, and keep unnecessary preservatives out of your diet.
    You can make food at home that is far more satisfying than Panera and Subway...

    I'm pretty sure that most if not all of the things at Panera are organic...I could be wrong on that though I guess...
  • LishieFruit89
    LishieFruit89 Posts: 1,956 Member
    No.

    Make food at home, save money, save sodium, and keep unnecessary preservatives out of your diet.
    You can make food at home that is far more satisfying than Panera and Subway...

    I'm pretty sure that most if not all of the things at Panera are organic...I could be wrong on that though I guess...

    I'm pretty sure none of it is organic - pr if it is, its not at the CT or NH ones I've been too. Plus if it were organic, they're advertise the crap out of it and it'd be more expensive.
  • Mallory0418
    Mallory0418 Posts: 723 Member
    I get what you're saying. It's a great option to have when you NEED to eat out. But honestly, everything on that menu is quite simple and totally doable to make yourself at home. That way, you can actually control what ingredients go in to your meals but still have that yummy Panera-ness too. Restaurants ALWAYS have way more additives and preservatives in their food than you would think. Promise.
  • Mallory0418
    Mallory0418 Posts: 723 Member
    No.

    Make food at home, save money, save sodium, and keep unnecessary preservatives out of your diet.
    You can make food at home that is far more satisfying than Panera and Subway...

    I'm pretty sure that most if not all of the things at Panera are organic...I could be wrong on that though I guess...

    I'm pretty sure none of it is organic - pr if it is, its not at the CT or NH ones I've been too. Plus if it were organic, they're advertise the crap out of it and it'd be more expensive.

    That is absolutely correct. Organic sells...it would NEVER be a secret. I have never seen anything organic come from Panera. Chipotle on the other hand... is organic and magical. :love:
  • imchicbad
    imchicbad Posts: 1,650 Member
    I would be leary of high sodium. I wouldnt suggest this at all.
  • NutellaAddict
    NutellaAddict Posts: 1,258 Member
    I eat Panera usually once a week. While looking at their nutrition menu, some options seem pretty decent. One thing I learned is I always get the food to go (salads). I do this because I honestly think they are guestimating how much dressing they are really putting in them. When I ask them to make it to go...they put the dressing on the side, this way I can judge how much dressing really goes in there.
  • liittlesparrow
    liittlesparrow Posts: 209 Member
    Why don't you just eat and make your meals at home. A treat to panera or subway is okay every now and then, but there is no way to tell if what you're eating really has the calories you think it does in it. Plus it's cheaper, and you can make sure you're really eating whole grains and the food doesn't have a lot of added crap.
  • lizzzylou
    lizzzylou Posts: 325
    All you haters, leave the OP alone.....for me this is great info -- One who lives out of her suitcase for work and is rarely, if ever, at home.
  • Jenny775
    Jenny775 Posts: 108 Member
    I go to Panera at lunch occassionally when I haven't prepared my lunch ahead of time. I like that they have their nutritional information available online so I plan out my meal before I get there; however, their food (like most take out/restaurants) is high in sodium. Much better to make your own meals so you have total control over what you're eating.
  • DesignGrrl
    DesignGrrl Posts: 147 Member
    I would be leary of high sodium. I wouldnt suggest this at all.


    ^^ This. I just had the "Power Spinach Salad" there last night. It was the lesser of most evils there.

    It was delicious, expensive, and salty. 460 calories but 1000 sodium!
  • lizzzylou
    lizzzylou Posts: 325
    Although eating out every meal, may be expensive (relatively speaking) - the OP didnt ask for budgeting advice.
  • peace_frog21
    peace_frog21 Posts: 108 Member
    I love panera. I used to go there almost every day on my lunch break. I attribute their healthy options to making a big difference in my first 50lbs of weightloss. I spent a lot of money but it was worth it. And honestly as expensive as some fast food is getting, there's not much of a difference. I only derailed a little when they had Mac n cheese on the menu during winter :-)
  • liittlesparrow
    liittlesparrow Posts: 209 Member
    All you haters, leave the OP alone.....for me this is great info -- One who lives out of her suitcase for work and is rarely, if ever, at home.

    You are obviously a special case. I don't think OP lives out of their suitcase though. People are just saying not to live off of fast food. (and whether you like it or not, Panera is fast food)
  • CharliesInCharge
    CharliesInCharge Posts: 278 Member
    I so do not get this mentality.

    It is like the women at work who bring frozen meals EVERY. SINGLE. DAY.

    Do I eat Subway, Panera, and frozen meals? Sure, on occasion.

    But eating that way does not teach you skills about sustaining this lifestyle. You don't learn how to shop for healthy food. You don't learn how to prepare prepare healthy foods. You don't learn what foods contain x amount if calories or which macros. All that teaches you is to choose between calorie options.

    I'm stunned when I have 50 plus year old women asking me if diet cupcakes or frozen yogurt are ok to eat, then turning around and refusing my offer to share my nuts because they are "too fattening."

    SO SPOT ON ^^^^
  • ames105
    ames105 Posts: 288 Member
    Panera is one of my favs and has great healthy options. However, if you check out their nutrition listings, even their healthy items are very high in sodium and higher than you would think in fat. Their low cal chicken noodle soup is only 80-90 calories but almost half my daily allowance in sodium...its not a good balance.

    Eating at Panera and Subway is a good choice if you do lunch out every day (and are careful with your selections), but having breakfast and dinner there as well does sound like a bit much...a bit much money, a bit much salt and a bit too much temptation (do they have to offer you something from the bakery every time you order????).

    However, if that works for you, who are we to judge? I think most people here would tell you that you would have better results eating more well-rounded home cooked meals, but to each his own.
  • staceypunk
    staceypunk Posts: 924 Member
    http://www.panerabread.com/nc/slider1/hiddenmenu.php

    There's the link. The carbs and protein are good, but as pointed out Sodium is definitely too high to make it your lifestyle. Unless you are going from three mc donald's meals a day, then I guess it would be a decent lifestyle change.
  • toaster6
    toaster6 Posts: 703 Member
    No.

    Make food at home, save money, save sodium, and keep unnecessary preservatives out of your diet.
    You can make food at home that is far more satisfying than Panera and Subway...

    I'm pretty sure that most if not all of the things at Panera are organic...I could be wrong on that though I guess...

    I'm pretty sure none of it is organic - pr if it is, its not at the CT or NH ones I've been too. Plus if it were organic, they're advertise the crap out of it and it'd be more expensive.

    That is absolutely correct. Organic sells...it would NEVER be a secret. I have never seen anything organic come from Panera. Chipotle on the other hand... is organic and magical. :love:

    From my understanding, all their food is not organic but they do use a bit of organic items in the menu.
  • ahamm002
    ahamm002 Posts: 1,690 Member
    I imagine that the OP was exaggerating when they said they were going to eat at Panera morning and night. Why is everyone so serious! I'll be sure to check out the hidden menu next time I go to Panera. But it doesn't matter how healthy I order, I'm still going to end up eating all of the left over Big Kid's grilled cheese sandwiches that my kids don't finish. Why can't the adult grilled cheese have bacon on it too!
  • cwashkowiak
    cwashkowiak Posts: 44 Member
    Thanks for posting this, I had no idea =)
  • pohlcm08
    pohlcm08 Posts: 61
    http://foodbabe.com/2012/04/16/panera-bread-the-healthiest-fast-food/

    Read this article. Panera's menu is really not anything to get very excited about, their food has MSG and GMOs among other things that shouldn't be consumed regularly.
    But as a treat, I do love Panera! So I was pretty sad when I read all that yesterday.
  • djshari
    djshari Posts: 513 Member
    I used to have it as a treat... until they changed the french onion soup. I would always get that and a bacon turkey bravo. But they changed the soup and it is gross and while I liked their turkey sandwiches and I'm sure the salads are good I can get just as good or better for cheaper many other places (including my own kitchen).