There is only one thing that can unite the country more than a pandemic. And that is Greggs.
I for one, am not entirely sure how we have all been coping without our (usually) pastry-based treats. It seems to be a fact that in tough times, we turn to carbohydrates and well, times have been tough.
You may have heard the news that Greggs are set to open some of their stores, so I am going to help you plan your lunch and snack times ready for what is bound to be their triumphant return.
We’re gonna be chatting about how to pick from the Greggs menu whilst still being on track to reaching those goals 💪🏽
Greggs’ Pastries and Savouries
This is what we’re here for, let’s face it.
If you’re looking for the savoury with the least amount of calories, then go ahead and grab the country’s favourite new pastry, the vegan sausage roll that comes in at 312 kcal.
Next best for calories, is the OG of the sausage-shaped rolls for an extra 16 calories.
If your aim is to pack in the protein, then unfortunately you’re not going to be saving the calories, as the savoury items with the most protein are the pizzas, with the three cheese and pepperoni and the three cheese pizzas having 22 and 20g of protein but 617 and 552 calories respectively.
What might surprise you is that the naughty-feeling bacon and cheese wrap is quite a good all-rounder. It packs 14g protein and 385 calories meaning that it could fit into a daily allowance quite easily.
Sandwiches
Despite not being their most famous offering, Greggs have an amazing range of sandwiches, both hot and cold.
The least calorific sandwiches on offer are a couple of classics, the ham roll which is a practically saintly 172 calories and the cheese roll which is 196 calories.
The belly buster of sandwiches is the southern fried chicken baguette at a respectable 593. In fact, you might be pleased to know (I certainly was) that all Greggs sandwiches come in under 600 calorie mark.
Having a decent ball park figure can make planning ahead easy or meaning far less stress when trying to find a filling on-the-go option within your calorie budget, whilst out on the high street.
Need those protein gains? For over 25g protein and under 500 calories, you could treat yourself to:
– Tuna crunch baguette (455 kcal, 28g protein)
– Roast chicken mayonnaise baguette (497 kcal, 26g protein)
– Roast chicken and bacon club baguette (498 kcal, 26g protein)
– Ham and mature cheddar cheese toastie (471 kcal, 28g protein)
Sweet Treats
If your sweet tooth is aching, do not panic. There are some sensible choices amongst the plethora of sticky, ooey-gooey, blood sugar spiking treats. If only something sweet will do, here at the top 5 sweets with the lowest calories:
– Glazed ring doughnut (a classic, to be fair! 202 kcal)
– Gingerbread man (179 kcal)
– Lemon shortbread with Belgian white chocolate (155 kcal)
– Mini triple Belgian chocolate brownies (97 kcal)
– Mini raspberry and almond bakes (69 kcal)
The sweet pastries? Yeah, you probably want to avoid those.
Snacks
Time for my favourite subject, snacking. Snacking can often be tricky to navigate. There’ll most certainly be times where you believe you’re doing the right thing, picking a ‘healthy’ snack only to find that it is absolutely fat and calorie-laden, and you’re still starving 20 minutes later.
If you want to grab a packet of nuts, because you like nuts, please knock yourself out. The Greggs 25g bags are 157 kcals. But if you’re buying a bag of nuts because you think it’s the right choice to make, put them down and pick up whatever if going to satisfy you the most.
The crisps (yes, even the tortilla chips) will set you back less than an extra 50 kcals. That being said, the snack with the most calories are the sweet chilli crisps at 203 kcals, so honestly, you do you.
Go on, go forth and eat Greggs, if you’re one of the lucky ones anyway.
Be sure to let us know your favourites from Greggs, or any hacks you know of down in the comments!
NOTE: Photos included are from Greggs
