Wendys' Most Unhealthy Menu Item Gets Exposed By Nutritionist
Two Instagrammers were discussing the highly unique Wendy's Pretzel Bacon Pub. Said one follower, "Omg! I can't believe you ate that!!!" (via Instagram). Followed up the happy eater, "Sometimes you need a naughty meal! I should be good for a while!" When it premiered in September of 2020, Wendy's confidently proclaimed in a statement, "We married the fervor for our former pretzel bun with the increased love for gastropub-inspired flavors and created a cheeseburger that is, in a word, unforgettable" (via The Street). A single sandwich was $5.69 and contained about 730 calories. Eaters could choose to double or triple the burger too.
Lisa Richards, nutritionist and author of The Candida Diet, believes the Pretzel Bacon Pub Triple is the unhealthiest thing on Wendy's menu. Speaking with Mashed, Richards explains, "It is fairly obvious from a calorie standpoint alone why this burger earns the title worst Wendy's meal by providing nearly the full amount of calories most individuals need in a day at over 1500."
According to Richards, the bun alone is nutritionally problematic: "This bun is a marketing ploy to make consumers think they are getting a healthier and simply more fun bun based on its whole wheat nature and taste, but this is not the case. Any ingredients list that starts with 'enriched' should raise a red flag to consumers, whether the next word is wheat or not. This indicates a process where the wheat has been changed and had synthetic nutrients added back in."
Chart-topping nutritional values
Richards says that the nutritional red flags are many but adds that "the two that stand out most to me are the fat and sodium. The American Heart Association recommends not consuming more than 2,300 milligrams of sodium a day to protect against hypertension and heart disease. This burger contributes 1,940 milligrams of sodium by itself, not counting the high sodium fries that will likely be consumed alongside it." In other words, a Pretzel Bacon Pub Triple will help you blow right past your daily limit for sodium. The fat cont is also out of control.
Explaining the issue further, Richards goes on to say, "The daily recommended intake of fat is set at 30-40 percent of your calories, which equates to around 44-77 grams a day. This Wendy's burger packs in 109 grams of fat, 45 grams of which come from unhealthy saturated fat and 5 grams of trans fat. Put these two facts together and you have a single burger that raises one's risk for nearly every chronic disease including hypertension, heart disease, and obesity."
So will one burger treat cause long-lasting harm? We can't definitively say where the line is on individual indulgence. Your doctor or nutritionist is the best source of advice. We can confidently say you should NOT eat this meal regularly, though, as it doesn't really fit into any healthy diet. Even if you love Wendy's, you might want to pass on this one.