These Are the Most Unhealthy, Calorie-Filled Foods at Wawa, According to a Dietitian
You don't have to look hard to find unhealthy Wawa food options.
There are plenty of unhealthy Wawa food options. Here are some of the worst offenders, including the chocolate croissant, pictured here. Photograph by Claudia Gavin
With the universe’s largest Wawa opening on Friday in Philly, we have officially declared this Wawa Week in Philadelphia. Go here to follow all of our coverage.
Look, it doesn’t take a bloodhound to track down unhealthy Wawa food options for us. There are plenty of snacks, beverages, and meal items available in their many Philly convenience stores that are clearly not so good for us. That said, knowing the names and faces of some of the chain’s absolutely worst offenders could prove useful — if only to give you a little more motivation to make a healthier swap next time you’re running in for a snack.
Related: The Healthiest Things to Eat at Wawa
To help you keep an eye out for calorie bombs and fatty temptations, here’s a dietitian’s guide to the least healthy options at Wawa for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
BREAKFAST
LEAST HEALTHY BREAKFAST SANDWICH: Classic Bacon Breakfast Hoagie with Scrambled Eggs (1200 calories, 69 g fat, 74 g carb, 63 g protein)
This large hoagie may put you in food coma for the rest of the day with its high fat and carbohydrate content, plus its well over 2900 mg of sodium (the American Heart Association recommends no more than 2300 mg per day). It also doesn’t provide much fiber (3 grams). Still craving that breakfast hoagie? How about switching from the classic white roll to the wheat Shorti roll and adding some spinach and tomato, so that you’re getting your veggies in?
LEAST HEALTHY COFFEE DRINKS: Specialty Coffees
Yes, it shouldn’t come as a shock that I’m flagging all those high-sugar specialty drinks. I’m all for treating yourself and mindfully choosing a higher sugar/calorie food when you’ve decided that’s what you want. Let’s stay informed though. A 16-oz white chocolate latte with whipped cream and chocolate drizzle packs in 430 calories and 65 grams of sugar. That’s a lot! How about going with a 12-oz size instead, switch from whole milk to 2 percent milk, keep that whipped cream, but get rid of the chocolate drizzle and you’ve cut the calories down to 250, and the sugar almost in half (34 grams).
LUNCH
LEAST HEALTHY SANDWICH: BBQ Cheesesteak Classic Hoagie (1020 calories, 35 g fat, 127 g carb, 50 g protein)
To be honest, there were plenty of candidates for this position, but I chose this hoagie because I wanted to highlight the fact that many items with the BBQ in their name have a super high sugar content. This sandwich contains 56 grams of sugar. Consider that the American Heart Association recommends that consume no more than 100 calories (about 25 grams) and men no more than 150 calories (about 36 grams) of added sugar per day. Personally, I’d rather take that sugar in the form of seriously good chocolate and skip that BBQ sauce!
DINNER
LEAST HEATHY DINNER ITEM: All Beef Big Bacon Cheese Dog (810 calories, 47 g fat, 57 g carb, 37 g protein)
A hot dog is a popular choice for a quick meal on the go, but this one packs in 21 grams of saturated fat, and 2460 mg of sodium — more than the recommended daily amount. And the hot dog is such a quick eat, that you may eat it and feel that your meal is not complete! I’m all about using veggies to add volume and pretty colors to your meal. Want to stick with that hot dog? How about switching to just a regular hot dog (250 calories) and adding a kale and quinoa salad with apples (300 calories) for a more satisfying and balanced meal? In a perfect world, dinner may not be a Wawa hotdog, but if it needs to be, let’s make the best of it!
SNACKS
LEAST HEALTHY SNACKS: Pastries
The donuts and chocolate croissants will not keep your energy up to sustain your super-busy days. That chocolate croissant comes in at 460 calories, and is low in nutrients. Oh, and those Tastykake shelves…they may be tempting, but they’re also high-sugar, low-nutrition treats. Really need that Tastykake? How about sharing with a friend? That’s what friends are for.
Amy von Sydow Green, MD, MS, RD, is a Philadelphia-based dietitian/nutritionist with a passion for healthy nutrition, cooking, food trends, and developing new recipes. Learn more about her work here.
