Panera, Help!

SweetestHoney
SweetestHoney Posts: 95 Member
edited October 2024 in Food and Nutrition
Panera has excellent options for breakfast, lunch, and dinner but I need help with the sweets. I have looked at the nutrition information and I can't find anything to satisfy my sweet tooth without ruining my day.

Help!

-the girl who just got two free pastries and looked at the nutrition facts after / the girl with two pastries in her desk

Replies

  • cygnetpro
    cygnetpro Posts: 419 Member
    Unfortunately, there may be no way around it. I was going to ask if you could switch your "free pastries" out with something healthier, but I think you're saying that you already got the pastries?

    If so, can you just have a bite or so and save the rest to nibble on over a longer period of time? I am not a sweets person, so I could do that with pastries, but it'd be hard. :-/
  • u2fergus
    u2fergus Posts: 422 Member
    Eat a small piece of one thing and either share the rest with someone else or throw it away. It's better to waste some of it, if you absolutely HAVE to eat it, than to eat the whole thing and regret it.
  • MSepp
    MSepp Posts: 228
    The truth is you can have any of the baked goods at panera that sound good...in moderation. Buy one thing that you like and cut it into portion sizes (maybe into thirds or quarters in the case of something like a giant brownie). When it comes to pastries, it's difficult to find them in the store "healthy". Making them at home is a different story than buying it retail at panera, Starbucks or anywhere else...they'll all contain lots of sugar and fat. But you can just eat less of it. Satisfy your sweet tooth and save the rest for later! ;D

    Eat well!
    A Dietitian with a Sweet Tooth.
  • abrown4348
    abrown4348 Posts: 34 Member
    Dove bite-sized dark chocolates. Don't chew them - just let them melt in your mouth. They are 40 calories each and have nutritional benefits too! I don't think there's a pastry out there that would ever qualify as low-cal.
  • UponThisRock
    UponThisRock Posts: 4,519 Member
    If you can't fit it into your calories for the day, the best bet is to pass.

    Or, if you really, really, don't want to pass you could
    1. "borrow" some calories from tomorrow
    2. Just eat it anyway and don't worry about it (but don't make this a habit)

    Some might tell you to exercise extra for it, but I'm not a big fan of this mentality
  • Barneystinson
    Barneystinson Posts: 1,357 Member
    No easy answer for Panera besides getting a fruit cup or apple.

    We got catering from there the other day at work which included some gigantic box of gigantic Panera cookies. 460 calories for ONE toffee cookie. HOLY CRAP, that's bigger than the calorie count for my entire lunch.
  • hnsaunde
    hnsaunde Posts: 757 Member
    Dove bite-sized dark chocolates. Don't chew them - just let them melt in your mouth. They are 40 calories each and have nutritional benefits too! I don't think there's a pastry out there that would ever qualify as low-cal.

    I love this idea. I do it with the Lindt 70% cocoa dark chocolate bars. Each square is about 50 calories, and I can go through one in about 30 minutes and it totally curbs my sugar cravings. I eat 1 or 2 a day and that's it.
  • jmruef
    jmruef Posts: 824 Member
    I read somewhere once [sorry, I have no sources!] that we don't need as much of (insert name of sweet whatever here) to satisfy our desire for it as we think we do; we just get into this mentality of "clean your plate" or "I took it, I might as well finish it" so we ignore the "Yeah, that's enough - I'm satisfied" voice. Also, for me at least: I tend to eat while I'm reading/watching TV more often than not, so I'm not paying as much attention to the food and how it really tastes and how much I've had. I pay more attention now than when I joined MFP, but I'm still working on it.

    So: If you really want it, take ONE bite and put the rest away. Chew slowly. Close your eyes and savor the taste.

    Want another bite? Repeat.

    I bet you won't truly want/need more than 3 bites to get you over your sweet cravings.
  • MSepp
    MSepp Posts: 228
    I read a book for my continuing education in nutrition-it was called "Mindful Eating". It was full of tips like this...setting your fork down between bites...savoring each bite...take 20 minutes after eating to decide if you want seconds, etc.

    It really does work! The "slow food" movement is actually a great thing. Savoring what you're eating-save the rest for later.
  • ummommyme
    ummommyme Posts: 362 Member
    If you can't fit it into your calories for the day, the best bet is to pass.

    Or, if you really, really, don't want to pass you could
    1. "borrow" some calories from tomorrow
    2. Just eat it anyway and don't worry about it (but don't make this a habit)

    Some might tell you to exercise extra for it, but I'm not a big fan of this mentality

    I like what he said!
  • SweetestHoney
    SweetestHoney Posts: 95 Member
    Thanks everyone. I ended up indulging and enjoying my Panera and I had an extended workout that night to relieve some unrelated stress.
This discussion has been closed.

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