Panda Express®

The pre-diabetes diagnosis has caused a major disruption in dietary patterns. Dinner venues were narrowed down to one choice: Panda Express® fast food. A fairly healthy dinner can be had for $9 or less. Consider that other fast food joints are offering 2 for $10 hamburger deals. Hamburgers? Not even close.

Mind you, not all Panda Express® entrées are created equal. Recommended dishes are: Mushroom Chicken, String Bean Chicken, Eggplant Tofu, Firecracker Chicken, Kung Pao Chicken, Beef Broccoli, Grilled Teriyaki Chicken (w/o sauce), along with brown rice and steamed vegetables combination. Other entrées are costlier, deep-fried, or has more simple carbohydrates.

The Panda Express® site has a fairly decent nutrition calculator to assist in planning somewhat healthy meals. Overall, Panda Express® seems to offer the best value and healthier alternative.