Nutritionists weigh in on Panera's virally charged soda

Nutritionists weigh in on Panera's virally charged soda

If a refreshing fruit-flavored soda from Panera Bread sounds like the perfect pick-me-up, you might want to heed a TikTok user's hilarious but insightful warning. Sarah Bau's recent video review of the chain's new "loaded" sodas has gone viral on social media after the content creator noted that the drink contains more caffeine than four shots of espresso.

In the caption of her post, Baus tagged Panera Bread and wrote, "This drink should come with a warning because it is delicious and will cause my cardiac arrest." She often works from a Panera to take advantage of the free Wi-Fi and free drink refills, she explains in the clip.

With the telltale signs of someone who's drank a lot of caffeine (such as speaking quickly and having a lot of ideas at once), Baus shares that she sometimes drinks "four or five" Mango Yuzu Citrus Charged sodas during her work sessions. "I always thought, 'Man, working at Panera makes me feel great!'" she says. "I feel great! I'm getting so much done!"

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It wasn't until she visited the restaurant with her husband, who has Type 1 diabetes, and looked up the drink's nutritional information to see if it was safe for him, that she realized exactly what was in her favorite drink. It turns out that a standard size 20 ounces contains a whopping 260 milligrams of caffeine and 82 grams of sugar.

“One espresso has 63 milligrams of caffeine,” says Baus, adding that she doesn’t drink coffee and didn’t think she consumed caffeine often. "I feel like the Hulk. And I drink these, and I really like them. I said I'm going to water them down. But Panera, who's going to create a product with 263 milligrams of caffeine?"

Baus' highly caffeinated warning has entertained nearly a million TikTok viewers and thousands of commenters (so much Panera is trending on Twitter ). But you might be curious about the soda drinks from a dietary perspective.

Panera Charged Lemonade caffeine content

First, there's the caffeine conundrum, which is at least partially responsible for Bau's nervous, frenetic energy levels in the now-viral clip. "Most people can consume up to 400 milligrams of caffeine without adverse side effects," says Natalie Rizzo, MS, RD, founder of Greenletes and author of Planted Performance. "To put that in perspective, most 8-ounce cups of coffee contain about 95 milligrams of caffeine, so that's about 4 cups of coffee per day." Technically, Panera's "supercharged" soda's 263 milligrams of caffeine is below this recommended daily limit.

How much caffeine is too much?

Still, there are many people who can't tolerate that much caffeine easily, adds Jessica Cording, MS, RD, CDN, a registered dietitian, health coach, and author. “Pregnant women should limit daily consumption to 200 milligrams or less,” she says. "People who are sensitive to caffeine, have underlying medical conditions that are worsened by caffeine, or are taking medications that affect caffeine metabolism may need to limit themselves to less."

Panera Charged Lemonade sugar content

It's hard to deny that even at the smallest size (described as "regular"), this drink is a low-key sugar bomb that both pros agree is better saved for special occasions, if only to avoid a serious blood sugar crash. “The U.S. Department of Agriculture recommendation for added sugars per day is about 10 percent of calories,” says Rizzo. "On a 2,000 calorie diet, that's 200 calories or 12 teaspoons or 48 grams of added sugar per day."

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The 82 grams of sugar found in Panera's "regular" "loaded" soda is equivalent to 20.5 teaspoons of sugar, Cording points out. “That’s more than you’ll find in most sodas,” she says. "While [I] don't know how much of this comes from added sugar versus juice, there is no protein, fat or fiber in this drink. Such a large amount of sugar (simple carbohydrates) will spike your blood sugar pretty quickly." You may end up feeling lethargic and/or sluggish and will likely be looking for more energy as soon as possible, says Cording.

Plant-based caffeine vs. synthetic caffeine

While Panera's marketing approach seems to imply that these drinks have some nutritional benefits (they're described online as "plant-based" and "clean"), Rizzo notes that "plant-based caffeine" is a confusing term. "People think that other sources of caffeine come from animals, but that's not the case," she explains.

"There is 'plant' or natural caffeine, which comes from things like cocoa beans or tea leaves, and there is also synthetic caffeine, which comes from two chemical compounds - urea and chloroacetic acid," Rizzo continues. "The body doesn't know what type of caffeine you're consuming, so the source of the caffeine really doesn't matter."

For the record, Panera's "supercharged" lemonade drinks contain coffee extract and guarana extract as a source of caffeine. The guarana fruit comes from a Brazilian plant whose seeds contain about four times the amount of caffeine found in coffee beans.

Should you drink Panera's supercharged lemonade?

Consuming this amount of caffeine and sugar in one sitting affects people differently. “The effects of caffeine depend on the amount/dose of caffeine as well as factors [such as the] time of day and the rate at which someone metabolizes caffeine based on individual body chemistry and/or underlying medical problems/medications,” says Cording.

However, there are short- and long-term effects of consuming too much caffeine. In the short term, it can lead to nervousness, headaches, digestive problems, irritability, feelings of anxiety and sleep disorders, explains Cording. In the long term, consuming too much caffeine can lead to chronic sleep problems, digestive problems and anxiety, she adds. Additionally, long-term excessive sugar intake can lead to chronic health problems such as type 2 diabetes and heart disease, notes Rizzo.

What happens when you mix caffeine and alcohol

However, there is absolutely no shame or prejudice in enjoying a sweet treat as part of an overall balanced diet. You can also make a DIY lightened lemonade at home if you are sensitive to caffeine and/or sugar. “The best way to cut down on sugar and caffeine is to make your own lemonade at home,” says Rizzo. “You can control how much sugar you put in.”

Cording recommends adding lemon juice, mango juice, yuzu juice, water and a bit of your favorite sweetener to taste to recreate a version of Panera's drink at home with less sugar and caffeine. You could follow Baus' example and dilute the drink with water, but Rizzo notes that this only reduces the sugar content slightly. Of course, drinking half and keeping it in the fridge for another day is also a good option to reduce the effects of the drink's caffeine and sugar content.