Are you trying to live a healthy lifestyle? It’s important to keep your body healthy and strong by avoiding excess sugar, saturated fats, and sodium, but sometimes we all get a craving for greasy and delicious fast-food. Other times we just need a convenient meal.
Whether you’re trying to lose fat, gain muscle, or just improve your overall wellness, there’s no shame in a quick burger, taco, or chicken sandwich every now and again.
Some options are healthier than others. We’re here to compare the nutrition and health quality of chicken sandwiches from Popeyes vs Chick-Fil-A.
Keep reading to learn which sandwich you should reach for next time you have that fried chicken craving.
Table of Contents
Protein
Protein is crucial when it comes to gaining muscle or losing excess weight, and this is the one area in which fast-food chicken sandwiches excel. This isn’t to say that they’re good for you, but any meat product will have enough protein to satiate you.
Both the Chick-Fil-A sandwich and Popeyes chicken sandwich have 28 grams of protein on average. Most people are recommended to have .38g of protein per pound of body weight per day, making this a pretty good portion of your daily protein.
While we can’t recommend these sandwiches as your daily protein source, they have more protein than your average protein bar or shake and many other meals.
Fat
Fat content is where these fast-food sandwiches can fail you.
Keep in mind that fats aren’t inherently unhealthy. We all need adequate fat to keep our skin and brains healthy. Fat doesn’t “make you fat.”
That said, these fats should be healthy fats like plant-based oils, nuts, and avocados. The fat from fried food doesn’t apply.
The fat content in a Chick-fil-A sandwich is between 17 and 19 grams depending on the specific sandwich. This is about 29% of your recommended intake. It’s not terrible, but you shouldn’t eat it every day.
The Popeyes sandwich, on the other hand, contains a whopping 42 grams of fat. This is over 60% of your daily recommended intake, meaning that the rest of your day should be healthy.
Between Chick-fil-A and Popeyes, when it comes to fat content Chick-fil-A is the obvious winner. The fat might make the Popeyes sandwich more delicious, but it comes at a serious cost.
Sodium
Did you know that excess sodium is bad for your health? We add salt to everything, so our diets are already sodium-rich. It’s in most of our foods.
Excess sodium leads to high blood pressure. This can lead to serious heart problems. So between Popeyes vs Chick-fil-A, who’s the winner?
The Chick-fil-A sandwich contains 1400 grams of sodium. That’s more than half of your recommended amount of sodium for every day. While this is fine every once in a while, you can’t eat like this every day. Your blood pressure will shoot through the roof.
That said, the Popeyes sandwich isn’t any better. It has 1443 grams of sodium.
Between the two sandwiches, the Chick-fil-A sandwich is better, but not by much. Any added condiments could even the two out.
Carbohydrates
Contrary to popular belief, carbohydrates are your friend. We all need carbs for energy. When you’re working out, carbs let you work out harder. You’ll have more endurance and feel better overall.
Even with the good qualities of carbs, if you don’t get a lot of exercise you don’t need that many. There’s a reason that low-carb diets are so popular. They work well enough even if you aren’t doing frequent workouts.
The Chick-fil-A sandwich has 41 grams of carbohydrates. The Popeyes sandwich has 50 grams.
That’s not a lot in comparison to the number of carbohydrates that nutritionists recommend (about 225), but keep in mind that carbohydrates are in everything.
They’re in fruits and vegetables, pasta, bread, sweets, and anything else that’s a part of your regular meals.
In other words, if you spend time at the gym it won’t hurt to grab a free Chickfila sandwich coupon, but if not, don’t make the fried chicken sandwiches part of your standard diet.
Calories
Ah, calories. When it comes to losing or gaining weight your general formula should be “calories in vs calories out.” When you exercise, this means that the calories that you work off should be more or less (depending on if you’re gaining or losing) than the calories that you consume.
If you’re not exercising, your calories should be more or less than the calories that you take in throughout your normal activities and at rest. This is where any fast-food becomes tricky.
Surprisingly, the Chick-fil-A sandwich isn’t too bad. It’s 440 calories, making it about a quarter of an average person’s recommended calories per day (about 2,000).
The Popeyes chicken sandwich comes in at about 690 calories. That’s a significant difference.
Keep in mind that all sandwiches are made differently. Even if you have the exact same order every time, there may be differences in size, condiments, and breading content, so the calories vary.
Also consider that when you’re ordering these sandwiches, you’re probably also ordering sides. The calories in fries, sodas, and shakes are also part of the meal.
Popeyes vs Chick-fil-A: Who’s the Winner?
Neither of these sandwiches are healthy. Very few fast-food meals have major health benefits (with some exceptions, but they’re few and far between).
If you want a chicken sandwich it’s almost always better to get one that’s baked or grilled, better yet, to make your own sandwich at home. You’ll have more control over the nutrition and ingredients.
When you’re craving junk food, though, between Popeyes vs Chick-fil-A, Chick-fil-A is the clear winner for anyone watching their nutrition. Between calories, sodium, fat, and everything else, it’s the best choice between the two.
Are you looking for more advice on living a healthy lifestyle? Check out the rest of our site!
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