The Healthiest Menu Items at Jason's Deli—and 8 To Skip

Founded in 1976 in Beaumont, Texas, Jason's Deli has been serving up a varied menu of delicatessen-style meals for nearly 50 years. Its selection of piled-high meat sandwiches, garden-fresh salads, loaded baked potatoes, and hearty pasta make it easy to find a lunch or dinner to suit any appetite. (Don't forget that other perk: free soft-serve ice cream!)

If you've ever wondered which of the chain's menu items make for healthier choices, you don't have to look too far. The Jason's Deli online menu lists calorie counts right next to each selection. As a nutritionist, I've taken an even deeper look at nutrition info at Jason's, searching out the 14 best and eight worst choices on the menu.

Read on for my recommendations for which meals to show some love and which to pass by, then check out 25 Healthy Fast-Food Orders, According to Dietitians.

Soups 

Best: Fire-Roasted Tortilla

Want something fiery—yet surprisingly light? Opt for the Fire-Roasted Tortilla Soup. A cup-sized serving contains just 160 calories, even when topped with shredded tortilla chips. And don't worry, this soup isn't just a cup of broth. It's got shredded chicken, stewed tomatoes, corn, green chilies, and more. Just note it has a relatively high sodium level of 930 milligrams.

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Worst: Irish Potato

The words "Irish potato" might bring to mind the historical potato famine on the Emerald Isle, but no one will be going hungry after ordering this Irish Potato soup. A one-cup serving packs 510 calories and 90% of your daily saturated fat target, not to mention over half a day's value of sodium.

Salads & Bowls

Best: Build Your Own Salad

*Nutrition varies

One of the best ways to make a healthy salad is to assemble it yourself! You can choose from an array of toppings at Jason's to create your favorite mix. Focus on veggies like broccoli, peppers, and tomatoes, add whole grains like quinoa, pump up protein with hard-boiled eggs or wild salmon, and top with an olive oil-based dressing—voila, a healthy lunch made to order.

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Best: Modern Med Bowl

The Modern Med Bowl lives up to its name with Mediterranean diet-friendly ingredients. A nutty quinoa base gets topped with diced chicken, feta cheese, olives, tomatoes, cucumber, and a zesty Greek dressing. It's a healthy mix of macronutrients that supplies plenty of fiber and antioxidants from its veggies and grains. If you'd like to take calories and saturated fat down a notch, go easy on the dressing and cheese.

Worst: Chicken Club Salad

If you're a savvy restaurant diner, you may already know that just because it's a salad doesn't make it healthy. That's certainly the case with the Chicken Club Salad at Jason's Deli. Its combo of chicken, avocado, bacon, Asiago cheese, and Ranch dressing adds up to epic levels of calories and fat (over 120% of the daily recommendation for saturated fat!). Steer clear of this heavy dish disguised as health food.

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Sandwiches 

Best: Spinach Veggie Wrap

No shocker here—a veggie-loaded wrap is among Jason's Deli's healthiest sandwich options. Spinach is chock-full of nutrients like vitamin C, vitamin K, fiber, iron, and potassium, while additional veggies like mushrooms and avocado round things out with vitamin D, vitamin A, and healthy fats. Plus, the whole thing is wrapped in a whole wheat tortilla. Can't beat that for a healthy choice!

Best: Wild Salmon-wich

How many fast food places offer a salmon sandwich? Not many. (Trust me, I've looked.) The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend eating fish two to three times per week—yet nearly 90% of us don't meet these targets. It's one good reason to order the Wild Samon-wich at Jason's Deli. Here, the abundant omega-3 fatty acids in salmon pair with even more healthy fats from avocados. Veggie fixings like lettuce and tomato amp up the health factor even further.

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Best: Avocado Toast

The avocado toast is a bit skimpy on protein, at just 7 grams per sandwich, but it is otherwise a clear standout for nutrition. It contains some of Jason's lowest sodium, plus 8 grams of fiber to support digestive health.

Best: Build Your Own Smoked Turkey Breast Sandwich

At Jason's, the beauty of build-your-own applies not just to salads but also to sandwiches. Craft your very own healthy sammie by selecting smoked turkey breast on an ancient grain bun. Then, veg out with extras like spinach, tomato, and cucumber slices. Nutritionally, it's nearly the same as a homemade lunch!6254a4d1642c605c54bf1cab17d50f1e

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Best: Build Your Own Veggie Sandwich

*Nutrition varies

Keep a (customizable) good thing going with the Build Your Own Veggie Sandwich. There's no limit to the fresh, healthy veggies you can pile atop a fiber-rich bread choice like multigrain wheat or an ancient grain bun. Radish, pickles, peppers, avocado—you name it.

With each veggie you add, you'll rack up antioxidants, the plant-based compounds known for quelling inflammation and supporting a healthy immune system. And if you're worried veggies alone won't provide enough protein, ask for fresh-cracked egg on your sandwich (it's included at no extra charge).

Best: Grilled Chicken Breast on Multigrain Wheat

Grilled chicken has become synonymous with "healthy protein"—and it's not all hype. When cooked on the grill, chicken is nearly pure protein. This customizable grilled chicken sandwich on multigrain wheat packs 38 grams of this macro. That's plenty to fuel most people's needs at lunch or dinner. Add fresh fruit as your side for a well-rounded meal.

 10 Fast-Food Chains That Serve the Best Grilled Chicken

Worst: Reuben the Great (Pastrami)

Don't get me wrong—I love a good Reuben as much as the next person. What I don't love? Downing 1,130 calories and more than a day's worth of sodium and saturated fat in one sitting. Though the pastrami Reuben the Great redeems itself somewhat with 6 grams of fiber and a whopping 63 grams of protein, it's not enough to recommend this hefty sandwich.

Worst: Ham & Salami Muffaletta

What's a muffaletta? It's a New Orleans-style sandwich served on thick, spongy bread that's usually round instead of square. Jason's Deli offers several iterations of the muffaletta, including this one with ham, salami, provolone cheese, and an olive mixture.

While your eyes are popping over these tasty ingredients, you might double-take at the nutrition info for the large size. In every nutrition category, this sandwich has enough to feed several people. Fortunately, it's pre-sliced into four pieces, which can easily be shared.

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Worst: Turkey Breast Muffaletta

Like its ham and salami counterpart, the large Turkey Breast Muffaletta is quite a gut-buster. You'll shave off a few calories and grams of fat by opting for turkey over ham—but don't count on that making this a smart order. It still comes close to the 2,000 calories per day given as dietary guidance for most adults. And then there's its truly astonishing sodium count: The sandwich supplies nearly four days' worth of salt.

Pasta & Potatoes

Best: Lighter Chicken Pasta Primo

Jason's Deli's pasta comes in two sizes: original and lighter. If you're looking for a pared-down plate, pick the lighter serving. Even though it's not the healthiest option on the menu, it saves significant calories and fat compared to the original size. The Lighter Chicken Pasta Primo, for example, provides just 720 calories. Leave off the Asiago cheese to bring calories and fat down even further.

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Best: Lighter Zucchini Garden Pasta

The Lighter Zucchini Garden Pasta has an edge over other Jason's pastas. Topped with roasted zucchini, it's the only one of its pasta dishes with a meaningful amount of veggies. As veggies go, zucchini is a great choice. Its fiber and potassium support a strong cardiovascular system, while antioxidants like lutein and zeaxanthin help protect eye health.

Worst: Creamy Chicken Pesto Pasta

Don't bother with the Creamy Chicken Pesto Pasta—unless you want to rack up more than 300% of the daily saturated fat recommendation and more than 200% of the daily sodium recommendation. Not only does this pasta come with a calorie-laden cream sauce, but it's also noticeably low in veggies. Grape tomatoes are the only veg represented here.

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Breakfast 

Best: Breakfast Sammie

It's not often that a breakfast sandwich with bacon makes the list of best morning meals. But believe it or not, the Breakfast Sammie at Jason's isn't a bad choice. It squeaks in at just 270 calories and provides 15 grams of protein to start your day strong.

Best: Mini Croissant

Another surprise! The Mini Croissant at Jason's Deli isn't nearly as devoid of nutrition as you might expect. This French classic contains just 5 grams of sugar and packs as much protein as an egg.

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Worst: Southwest Breakfast Wrap

I'll admit that the Southwest Breakfast Wrap is folded up in whole wheat tortilla—but that's about all the good I can say for this breakfast order. It's the highest-calorie of all of Jason's morning options. The good news is that to make this one a bit healthier, you can swap bacon or sausage for roasted or smoked turkey breast.

Dessert

Best: Gingerbread Muffin

For something sweet to end your meal at Jason's Deli, check out the 60-calorie Gingerbread Muffin. It's just the thing to finish things off without overdoing it. If you have room, you can go ahead and have two!

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Worst: Strawberry Shortcake

Fruit desserts are typically some of the best options—but that's not the case with the Strawberry Shortcake at Jason's. While its strawberries provide fiber, hydration, and micronutrients, these benefits are overshadowed by this treat's heavy cake and whipped cream. Save this one for a special occasion, or skip it altogether.