Health

Lunch Break: The Healthiest and Worst Thanksgiving-Themed Lunches

The nutritional breakdown of stuffing-filled burritos and turkey-topped subs at Boloco, Au Bon Pain, Capriotti’s, Jettie’s, and Pret.

Thanksgiving-themed sandwiches and wraps have hit the menus of lunch spots in Washington. Capriotti's Bobbie sub comes with stuffing, cranberry sauce, and turkey. Photograph courtesy of Capriotti's.

If you can’t wait until Thursday to feast on your favorite Thanksgiving fixings, popular lunch spots have got you covered. Sandwich shops such as the spankin’ new Capriotti’s have their take on Thanksgiving meals, topping bread rolls with heaps of stuffing, cranberry sauce, and turkey, while Boloco wraps everything in its signature tortilla.

But how do these Thanksgiving-themed meals compare when it comes to nutrition? Read on for our menu breakdown of five wraps and sandwiches, listed from the unhealthiest to your best bet.

The Late November at Boloco
Boloco’s special original-size burrito is filled with roasted turkey, homemade stuffing, green beans, and cranberry chutney. But that translates to almost 700 calories and 1,767 milligrams of sodium. Opt for the bowl option to cut 340 calories. (One bonus: Boloco will donate $0.25 from the sale of every Late November burrito or bowl to Movember.)

Waldorf Turkey Wrap at Au Bon Pain
There are plenty of things in this 650-calorie whole wheat wrap that sound decently healthy (turkey, cheddar, apples, cranberries, walnuts, romaine lettuce, and maple-walnut dressing), but the sheer number of ingredients—there are almost 50!—is enough to scare us away.

The Bobbie at Capriotti’s
The sub, Vice President Biden’s favorite, includes four main ingredients: homemade turkey, cranberry sauce, stuffing, and mayonnaise. The mayo isn’t ideal, nor is the high amount of sugar from the cranberry sauce. Stick to the nine-inch, and keep this sandwich a once-in-a-while treat rather than a weekly meal. 

Nobadeer at Jettie’s
It has the same ingredients as the infamous Bobbie, but comes on sourdough. Again, the lack of healthy produce isn’t ideal, but sourdough is healthier than your average bread roll, thanks to its low fat content and decent doses of folate, selenium, and manganese.

Holiday Turkey Dinner Hot Wrap at Pret a Manger
The turkey wrap comes with gravy, sweet potatoes, nut roast stuffing, cranberry sauce, crispy onions, and black pepper and is a reasonable 550 calories. While the crispy onions are high in fat, the sweet potato provides a rich dose of vitamins A and C, fiber, and potassium.