Is Panda Express Good For Weight Loss?

No Panda Express is generally not good for weight loss because the majority of the food on their menu is loaded with carbs fat and sodium.

However, as long as you eat there once in a while, you can choose options from their menu that are not that terrible for weight loss and you should be fine.

I myself am a fan of Chinese food every now and then and I am a nutritionist.

So don’t worry, I’ll navigate head to toe of the menu of Panda Express and choose the food combinations that are okay for you to eat from their list without self-sabotaging your weight loss goals.

Overall there are many options on the Panda Express menu that you could get away with for one day. Let’s find out which ones.

Weight Loss Friendly Appetizers at Panda Express

The following nutritional info is based on the menu available from the official website of Panda Express.

Chicken Potsticker (3 pcs)

Serving Size: 3.3 (oz)

• Calories: 160

• Protein: 6 g

• Carbs: 20 g

• Sugar: 2 g

• Fiber: 1 g

• Fat: 6 g

• Sodium: 250 mg

Chicken Egg Roll (1 pc)

Serving Size: 2.7 (oz)

• Calories: 200

• Protein: 6 g

• Carbs: 20 g

• Sugar: 2 g

• Fiber: 2 g

• Fat: 10 g

• Sodium: 340 mg

Panda Express has four options in the appetizer section. Out of them, I would pick these two as being somewhat ok for weight loss.

The reason I use the word “somewhat” is because as you can see they are still high in carbs which isn’t a big deal if this was a main dish but since it is just an appetizer and after this, you’ll select your main dish, the carbs might add up. So just be mindful of the portions.

Weight Loss Friendly Beef Entrées at Panda Express

Black Pepper Angus Steak Entree

Serving Size: 5.1 (oz)

• Calories: 210

• Protein: 19 g

• Carbs: 13 g

• Sugar: 7 g

• Fiber: 1 g

• Fat: 10 g

• Sodium: 560 mg

Broccoli Beef

Serving Size: 5.4 (oz)

• Calories: 150

• Protein: 9 g

• Carbs: 13 g

• Sugar: 7 g

• Fiber: 2 g

• Fat: 7 g

• Sodium: 520 mg

Compared to other beef entrees, these two would be my top picks mainly because they both limit their sugar at 7 g, plus calorie-wise they are not super high as well.

The only remaining dish that I didn’t include is Beijing beef it has 40 calories and 46 g carbs out of which 21 g is from sugar. So clearly not a winner in this section.

Weight Loss Friendly Chicken Entrees at Panda Express

String Bean Chicken Breast

Serving Size: 5.6 (oz)

• Calories: 210

• Protein: 12 g

• Carbs: 13 g

• Sugar: 5 g

• Fiber: 5 g

• Fat: 12 g

• Sodium: 560 mg

This is my top choice for two reasons, 1) it is super low in carbs, with only 13 g per serving, I think that’s great.

Especially because considering, you had one of the appetizers as well which was 20 g of carbs and nothing below that. This dish helps you curb your carb intake and not let it go out of bounds.

The other three dishes in this section are known as Honey Sesame Chicken Breast, Sweetfire Chicken Breast, and Sweet & Sour Chicken Breast.

Guess what all of them on average have between 35 – 40 g of carbs. So you can see why string bean is the top choice.

2) the second reason why I picked String Bean is because of its low-calorie content. The other entrees are all over 300 calories along with the high carb content.

Grilled Teriyaki Chicken

Serving Size: 6 (oz)

• Calories: 275

• Protein: 33 g

• Carbs: 14 g

• Sugar: 9 g

• Fiber: 0 g

• Fat: 10 g

• Sodium: 470 mg

The highlight of this dish is its high protein content. So if you opt for this one you are very likely to get full quicker as high protein foods trigger your satiety hormones better than carbs and fat.

Black Pepper Chicken

Serving Size: 6.3 (oz)

• Calories: 280

• Protein: 13 g

• Carbs: 15 g

• Sugar: 7 g

• Fiber: 1 g

• Fat: 19 g

• Sodium: 1130 mg

Although this dish is ok to eat, a couple of things I didn’t like are the low protein and high sodium content. So something to keep in mind.

Mushroom Chicken

Serving Size: 5.7 (oz)

• Calories: 220

• Protein: 13 g

• Carbs: 10 g

• Sugar: 5 g

• Fiber: 1 g

• Fat: 14 g

• Sodium: 840 mg

This dish is balanced out with mushrooms and chicken hence the lower protein content. And macro-wise it’s pretty decent as well.

Potato Chicken

Serving Size: 5.2 (oz)

• Calories: 190

• Protein: 8 g

• Carbs: 18 g

• Sugar: 4 g

• Fiber: 2 g

• Fat: 10 g

• Sodium: 680 mg

Pretty similar to the one above with being pretty low in protein and a little bit on the higher side in carbs. But the overall calories are low so you should be ok.

Also Read: Is Chicken And Rice Good For Weight Loss?

Weight Loss Friendly Seafood Entrées at Panda Express

Steamed Ginger Fish

Serving Size: 6 (oz)

• Calories: 200

• Protein: 15 g

• Carbs: 8 g

• Sugar: 6 g

• Fiber: 0 g

• Fat: 12 g

• Sodium: 1990 mg

This is my top choice in this category. As you can see above, it is pretty low in calories plus it only has 8 g of carbs making it a win-win for you to choose from.

What I absolutely dont like about this dish is the super high sodium content which is at 1990 mg per serving. (yikes).

So if you are someone who has high blood pressure. I would recommend staying away from this one and opting for the second option below.

Chili Crisp Shrimp

Serving Size: 4 (oz)

• Calories: 210

• Protein: 13 g

• Carbs: 19 g

• Sugar: 1 g

• Fiber: 2 g

• Fat: 10 g

This one while not my top choice but still kind of okay to eat. Mainly because of its low-calorie content. But what I don’t like is the carb content, which as you can see is a little bit on the higher side. But other than that it’s pretty ok.

Also Read: Is Shrimp Good For Weight Loss?

Weight Loss Friendly Sides at Panda Express

Super Greens

Serving Size: 7 (oz)

• Calories: 90

• Protein: 6 g

• Carbs: 10 g

• Sugar: 4 g

• Fiber: 5 g

• Fat: 3 g

• Sodium: 260 mg

Steamed Brown Rice

Serving Size: 4 (oz)

• Calories: 210

• Protein: 9 g

• Carbs: 43 g

• Sugar: 1 g

• Fiber: 4 g

• Fat: 2 g

• Sodium: 15 mg

Fun fact: You can order your sides in half quantities as well. So to have the best of both words and by that I mean veggies and rice, you could take half of super greens and half of steamed brown rice with your main entree.

Also Read: Is Egg Salad Good For Weight Loss?

Weight Loss Friendly Sauce Options at Panda Express

Chilli Sauce

Serving Size: 0.25 (oz)

• Calories: 10

• Protein: 0 g

• Carbs: 2 g

• Sugar: 2 g

• Fiber: 2 g

• Fat: 0 g

• Sodium: 125 mg

Soy Sauce

Serving Size: 0.21 (oz)

• Calories: 5

• Protein: 0 g

• Carbs: 0 g

• Sugar: 0 g

• Fiber: 0 g

• Fat: 0 g

• Sodium: 375 mg

Potsticker Sauce

Serving Size: 0.40 (oz)

• Calories: 10

• Protein: 0 g

• Carbs: 3 g

• Sugar: 2 g

• Fiber: 0 g

• Fat: 0 g

• Sodium: 290 mg

Hot Mustard

Serving Size: 0.25 (oz)

• Calories: 10

• Protein: 0 g

• Carbs: 0 g

• Sugar: 0 g

• Fiber: 0 g

• Fat: 1 g

• Sodium: 115 mg

Plum Sauce

Serving Size: 0.25 (oz)

• Calories: 15

• Protein: 0 g

• Carbs: 3 g

• Sugar: 3 g

• Fiber: 0 g

• Fat: 0 g

• Sodium: 55 mg

These sauces are all low-calorie and low-sugar ones, so you could choose to have it if you need more of it on the side like me.

Personally, I always like to add a little bit more chili sauce as I like to eat my fried rice as spicy but that’s just my preference.

Weight Loss Friendly Beverage Options at Panda Express

Black Tea

Serving Size: 32 (oz)

• Calories: 10

• Protein: 0 g

• Carbs: 3 g

• Sugar: 0 g

• Fiber: 0 g

• Fat: 0 g

• Sodium: 25 mg

Coca-Cola Zero Sugar – Medium

Serving Size: 30 (oz)

• Calories: 0

• Protein: 0 g

• Carbs: 0 g

• Sugar: 0 g

• Fiber: 0 g

• Fat: 0 g

• Sodium: 100 mg

Diet Coke – Medium

Serving Size: 30 (oz)

• Calories: 0

• Protein: 0 g

• Carbs: 1 g

• Sugar: 0 g

• Fiber: 0 g

• Fat: 0 g

• Sodium: 125 mg

Glaceau Vitaminwater Squeezed Zero – Medium

Serving Size: 30 (oz)

• Calories: 5

• Protein: 0 g

• Carbs: 2 g

• Sugar: 0 g

• Fiber: 0 g

• Fat: 0 g

• Sodium: 100 mg

Lemon Green Tea – Medium

Serving Size: 32 (oz)

• Calories: 10

• Protein: 2 g

• Carbs: 0 g

• Sugar: 0 g

• Fiber: 0 g

• Fat: 0 g

• Sodium: 0 mg

Minute Maid Light – Medium

Serving Size: 30 (oz)

• Calories: 15

• Protein: 0 g

• Carbs: 5 g

• Sugar: 0 g

• Fiber: 0 g

• Fat: 0 g

• Sodium: 105 mg

Passionfruit Mango Black Tea – Medium

Serving Size: 32 (oz)

• Calories: 10

• Protein: 0 g

• Carbs: 3 g

• Sugar: 0 g

• Fiber: 0 g

• Fat: 0 g

• Sodium: 25 mg

Sprite Zero – Medium

Serving Size: 30 (oz)

• Calories: 5

• Protein: 0 g

• Carbs: 0 g

• Sugar: 0 g

• Fiber: 0 g

• Fat: 0 g

• Sodium: 110 mg

As you can see, the majority of the drinks on this list are zero-sugar options.

These beverages are sweetened with artificial sweeteners like aspartame, acesulfame-K, or sucralose.

I am not saying that these ingredients are necessarily “healthier”.

Only that, unlike sugar-sweetened beverages, these drinks don’t cause a spike in your blood sugar levels.

As a result, you’re consuming drinks that have minimal to no calories. Therefore, in general, they are a better alternative to sugar-sweetened beverags.

Also Read: Is Kombucha Good For Weight Loss?

Foods to Avoid at Panda Express for Weight Loss

Dish Name	Serving Size (oz)	Calories	Total Fat (g)	Carbs (g)	Protein (g)	Sodium (mg)
Orange Chicken	5.7	490	23	51	25	820
Honey Sesame Chicken Breast	5.3	340	15	35	16	540
SweetFire Chicken Breast	5.8	360	15	40	15	370
Sweet & Sour Chicken Breast	5.5	300	12	40	10	260
Beijing Beef	5.6	480	27	46	14	600
Honey Walnut Shrimp	3.7	360	24	27	11	590
Golden Treasure Shrimp	5.0	360	18	35	14	440
Beyond Orange Chicken	4.75	440	22	47	13	810

Tips For Ordering Food from Panda Express

Here are some tips i would like you to keep in mind before ordering from panda express.

Try to Increase the Fiber Content

From the list, it’s evident that some dishes, including the two appetizers mentioned, are low in fiber yet high in carbohydrates.

To counterbalance the carb effects, consider pairing these with a salad. Vegetables are excellent fiber sources, which is crucial because fiber slows carbohydrate absorption in your intestines.

This results in a gradual increase in blood sugar levels rather than a rapid spike and subsequent crash, which can lead to quick hunger. It’s an interesting aspect of how our bodies work.

So, when ordering from Panda Express at home, consider preparing a salad yourself, or request one if dining at their restaurant.

Or if you are not a fan of salad, you could ask them to add more of the steamed vegetables to your entrees.

Limit Or Skip the Appetizers

While the two appetizer options I selected are relatively weight-loss-friendly, they still contain about 150-200 calories and 20g of carbs each.

On their own, these figures might seem manageable. However, these dishes are typically starters, preceding the main course.

When you add up the calories and carbs from appetizers with a main dish, like a chicken egg roll followed by broccoli beef and then another chicken or seafood entrée, the total can easily exceed 500 calories. So when you skip the appetizers you get fewer calories than you would have otherwise.

Avoid All the Sugar-Sweetened Beverages In the Menu

Steer clear of all sugar-sweetened beverages on the menu. The drinks I haven’t mentioned should be avoided as they are primarily sugar-laden, which is counterproductive for weight loss.

Also Read: Smoothie Vs Milkshake For Weight Loss

Pick 1/2 Steamed Rice or Super Greens as a Side Dish

The side dish options are generally high in carbohydrates, averaging around 400 kcal per serving.

Consuming these alongside the entrees mentioned can lead to a significant calorie intake for a single meal, potentially accounting for over half of your daily caloric allowance.

To circumvent this, opt for ‘super greens’, which are low in calories, or half a cup of steamed rice paired with a salad.

Watch Out For Your Sodium Intake

Some dishes, like the steamed ginger fish, are notably high in sodium, containing 1990 mg per serving.

This amount nearly fulfills the daily sodium intake cap of 2300 mg as recommended by Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

Eating a lot of salt prompts your body to retain water. A recent study discovered that high salt intake leads to increased thirst.

The body uses the additional fluid consumed to dilute the excess sodium it can’t excrete quickly enough.

However, despite this increased fluid intake, urine volume remains unchanged, indicating that the extra fluid is retained in the body.

Consequently, a sudden spike in sodium intake can result in weight gain, primarily due to fluid retention.

This explains why you may feel bloated after consuming high-salt foods, such as take-out or salty restaurant meals.

Panda Express Weight Loss-Friendly Meal Combinations

To help you keep your calorie intake in check. I created some food combinations that you can have in the table below.

Meal Combination	Appetizer	Main Course	Side	Total Calories	Total Carbs (g)	Total Fat (g)	Total Protein (g)	Total Sodium (mg)
Combo 1	Chicken Potsticker (3 pcs)	String Bean Chicken Breast	Super Greens	460	43	21	24	1070
Combo 2		Broccoli Beef	Super Greens	240	23	10	15	780
Combo 3		Mushroom Chicken	Super Greens	310	20	17	19	1100
Combo 4		Grilled Teriyaki Chicken	Super Greens	365	24	13	39	730
Combo 5		Steamed Ginger Fish	Super Greens	290	18	15	21	2250
Combo 6		Grilled Teriyaki Chicken	1/2 Super Greens + 1/2 Steamed Brown Rice	465	37	15	48	745

Be aware that Combo 5 is best suited for people without hypertension, due to its high sodium content.

Also, it’s worth noting that I intentionally omitted appetizers from most meals to help maintain a lower calorie intake.

However, you can still enjoy an appetizer if you wish. Just be mindful about selecting your main entrée and side dishes accordingly.

Conclusion

So, there you have it. The food options at Panda Express aren’t exactly weight loss-friendly.

But let’s not forget, it’s a Chinese food restaurant, and their primary goal is to make the food as delicious as possible.

To achieve this, a considerable amount of salt, oil, and sugar is often used, which is evident in their menu.

However, that’s precisely the reason I wrote this article. I want to empower you to walk into Panda Express with the knowledge of which dishes to choose.

This way, you can make informed decisions to keep your calorie intake as low as possible.

FAQ

Is Panda Express good for a diet?

Yes, Panda Express can be suitable for a diet if you choose their lower-calorie, high-protein options like String Bean Chicken Breast or Broccoli Beef, and pair them with sides like Super Greens. It’s important to select dishes mindfully based on your specific dietary goals.

Is Panda Express healthy after a workout?

Panda Express can be a reasonable option after a workout, especially if you choose protein-rich dishes like Grilled Teriyaki Chicken or String Bean Chicken Breast. These options can help with muscle recovery due to their protein content. However, be mindful of the sodium and sugar content in some dishes.

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