The Panda Express Menu Item That's One Of The Unhealthiest You Can Order

Panda Express is among the biggest Chinese-American chain restaurants, with over 2,300 stores and $3 billion in sales. It has few major chain competitors outside of Pei Wei and P.F. Chang's (though of course there's the litany of small buffets and your favorite local places). To keep sales up and brand recognition flowing, the Panda Express menu offers something for everyone.

While many of Panda Express' menu items might seem unhealthy when you check their nutritional values, especially its orange chicken that TV's "Rick and Morty" jokingly (but lovingly) called "sugar chicken," other items are genuine treats for both the palate and your health.

Unfortunately, Panda Express' hard-to-find eggplant tofu is not one of those items. What should be a slam-dunk entree consisting of eggplant, tofu, red bell peppers, and a soy garlic sauce is limited in the nutrients you would expect it to have in abundance, plus it's laden with sugar and fat.

The most disappointing aspect of Panda Express' eggplant tofu is its limited fiber and protein. Eggplant and red bell pepper are normally excellent sources of fiber while tofu should be packed with protein. Instead, one serving of the entree has just 3 grams of fiber (about 11% of your recommended daily value) and 7 grams of protein (14%).

Sure, the meats on the menu have more protein, but tofu is a top protein replacement. As for fiber, while the eggplant tofu is tied for third-most fiber among the entrees, the amount is still paltry considering eggplant is high in the nutrient. These limited numbers occur because cooking foods can alter their nutritional content.

Then there's the addition of unhealthy ingredients, with the worst being sugar. A serving has 17 grams, a whopping 34% of your daily value, and fifth-most on the menu. Its fat content isn't great either, with 24 total grams (about 31%), 3.5 of which are saturated (about 18%). That 24 grams is third-most on the menu.

So if you want to order healthier entrees on your next trip to Panda Express, stick to menu items with the chain's "Wok Smart" branding (which the eggplant tofu lacks). These items have a minimum of 8 grams of protein and are under 300 calories. However, they can still contain shocking amounts of sodium, sugar and fat, so to be absolutely certain, make sure you're cross-checking the chain's nutrients info before chow meining down.