WaBa Grill is a popular fast casual restaurant chain known for its healthy rice bowls, wraps, and salads. One of their most popular menu items is the chicken bowl, which typically contains grilled chicken, rice, beans, vegetables, sauce, and other toppings. Many health-conscious customers want to know the calorie count of the chicken bowl to fit it into their daily meal plan.
Calculating the exact calories in a WaBa Grill chicken bowl is tricky because there are many customizable options. The type of protein, rice, beans, vegetables, sauce, and toppings can all impact the calories. Additionally, portion sizes may vary slightly between locations. However, we can estimate the calories by looking at the typical ingredients and using information provided by WaBa Grill and the USDA food database.
In this article, we will walk through the step-by-step process of estimating the calories for a standard WaBa Grill chicken bowl. We will look at the calorie counts for each component and add them together to get a rough calorie total. Having a calorie estimate can help you make informed decisions when ordering at WaBa Grill.
Chicken
The first major component of a WaBa Grill chicken bowl is the grilled chicken. WaBa Grill offers marinated, all-natural chicken breast without skin or breading.
According to the WaBa Grill website, a standard chicken bowl comes with 5oz of grilled chicken. The USDA food database lists boneless, skinless chicken breast as having around 110 calories per 3oz cooked. Therefore, 5oz would have about 185 calories.
185 calories for 5oz grilled chicken
Rice
The standard rice option for WaBa Grill’s chicken bowls is brown rice. Brown rice is a nutritious whole grain that provides fiber, vitamins, and minerals.
According to the USDA, 1/4 cup of medium grain cooked brown rice contains around 55 calories. Since a chicken bowl typically comes with around 1 cup of rice, that equals 220 calories.
220 calories for 1 cup brown rice
Beans
WaBa Grill chicken bowls come with pinto or black beans by default. Both varieties of beans are high in fiber, protein, and nutrients.
According to the USDA, 1/4 cup of cooked pinto or black beans contains around 110 calories. With around 1/2 cup of beans in a chicken bowl, that would be 220 calories from the beans.
220 calories for 1/2 cup pinto or black beans
Vegetables
WaBa Grill allows you to choose 2 vegetable toppings for your chicken bowl. Options include lettuce, cabbage, zucchini, mushrooms, bell peppers, and jalapeños. Vegetables provide important vitamins, minerals, and fiber with very few calories.
Since the vegetable toppings are unlimited, it is difficult to estimate a calorie count. However, we can assume half a cup total of assorted raw vegetables. The USDA estimates 25 calories per half cup of raw mixed vegetables.
25 calories for 1/2 cup vegetables
Sauce
At WaBa Grill, chicken bowls come with citrus-chile or spicy red chili sauce by default. The light citrus-chile sauce only contributes around 30 calories for 2oz. The spicy red chili sauce may have around 60 calories for 2oz.
We will estimate 45 calories on average for the sauce.
45 calories for sauce
Additional Toppings
There are additional toppings you can add to a WaBa Grill chicken bowl for an extra cost. These include guacamole, sour cream, cheese, and fried onions. Since these are optional, we won’t include them in our base calorie estimate. Just know that added toppings will increase the total calories.
Putting It All Together
Now let’s add up the estimated calories for each component:
– Chicken: 185 calories
– Rice: 220 calories
– Beans: 220 calories
– Vegetables: 25 calories
– Sauce: 45 calories
**Total estimated calories for a WaBa Grill chicken bowl: Around 695 calories**
This estimate assumes a bowl with the standard rice, beans, vegetables, sauce, and 5oz grilled chicken. The total calories can range from 600-800 calories depending on your customization choices.
Comparing to Other WaBa Grill Bowls
For comparison, WaBa Grill also offers chicken teriyaki, Korean, and shrimp bowls. These typically contain similar amounts of rice, beans, vegetables, and sauce as the regular chicken bowl. The main differences are:
– Teriyaki chicken bowl: Replace grilled chicken with teriyaki glazed chicken. The teriyaki sauce may add around 60 additional calories.
– Korean chicken bowl: Contains spicy Korean barbecue chicken instead of plain grilled chicken. The Korean barbecue sauce may contribute around 45 extra calories.
– Shrimp bowl: Replaces chicken with grilled shrimp. Since a 3oz shrimp serving has about 45 calories less than 5oz chicken, the total calories would be around 650.
So the teriyaki and Korean chicken bowls likely have around 750 calories total, while the shrimp bowl has closer to 650 calories. But the exact amount still depends on the toppings and sauces chosen.
Variables That Impact Calories
Keep in mind that the actual calorie count of your chicken bowl could vary based on:
– Chicken portion size – More or less than 5oz of chicken would change calories.
– Rice portion – Getting a different ratio of rice to other ingredients would alter calories.
– Beans – Choosing no beans would lower calories by 220.
– Vegetable toppings – More low-calorie veggies decreases calories.
– Sauce – Sauces significantly impact the totals.
– Added toppings – Ingredients like cheese, guacamole, and fried onions increase calories when added.
– Location/staff – Slight variations in portion sizes between locations and employees.
– Special requests – Customizing your bowl substantially could raise or lower calories.
So the calories can range from 500-900+ depending on what you order. Our 695 calorie estimate is meant to be a rough guideline, not an exact figure. The best way to know for sure is to customize your bowl in the WaBa Grill app or website nutrition calculator.
Tips for Creating a Lower Calorie WaBa Grill Bowl
Here are some tips to reduce the calories if you are looking for a lighter WaBa Grill meal:
– Choose grilled chicken, shrimp, or tofu instead of higher calorie meats like steak or pork.
– Opt for brown rice or mixed greens instead of white rice.
– Load up on extra veggies and ease up on rice and beans.
– Ask for light sauce on the side and use sparingly.
– Skip the sour cream, cheese, guacamole, and fried onion toppings.
– Choose lower calorie dressings like vinaigrette instead of ranch.
– Order a smaller sized bowl.
– Drink water instead of higher calorie sodas or juices.
Following these guidelines can help reduce your calorie intake by 200-300 calories, while still providing a filling, nutritious meal.
Nutritional Benefits of WaBa Grill Bowls
While the calorie count is important for weight management, it’s also key to consider the nutritional value of WaBa Grill chicken bowls. Some benefits include:
– High protein from chicken, shrimp, tofu, and beans to build muscle, curb hunger, and support metabolism.
– Good source of fiber from whole grains, beans, and vegetables to promote fullness, digestive health, and heart health.
– Whole food sources of complex carbohydrates like rice and beans to provide sustained energy.
– Vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants from fresh vegetables and grains.
– Healthy fats from ingredients like avocado, nuts, seeds, and olive oil in dressings
So in moderation, a WaBa Grill bowl can be a nutritious part of your diet, providing a balance of lean protein, complex carbs, healthy fats, and micronutrients. Just be mindful of portion sizes and high calorie add-ons.
WaBa Grill Nutrition Information
WaBa Grill provides nutrition calculators on their website and mobile app to help you determine the calories and nutrients in your customized bowl or meal. You can select each specific ingredient and sauce to get detailed nutrition facts.
The nutrition info includes calories, protein, carbs, sugar, fiber, fat, saturated fat, trans fat, sodium, and other specifics for each menu item. This allows you to make informed choices.
You can also find general nutrition facts for WaBa Grill menu categories on their website, such as:
– Bowls: 500-925 calories
– Plates: 475-850 calories
– Tacos: 300-500 calories
– Burritos: 650-1000 calories
– Salads: 225-475 calories
– Sides: 115-510 calories
Don’t forget to factor in any additional toppings and sauces that increase calorie counts. And be aware that the actual food may vary slightly from the stated nutrition facts.
Conclusion
In general, a standard WaBa Grill chicken bowl with standard rice, beans, vegetables, and sauce will be around 695 calories. However, the precise calorie count can range from 500-900+ calories depending on your specific order and any customizations or add-ons. Your best bet is to use WaBa Grill’s nutrition calculator to determine the calories in the exact bowl you plan to order. Focus on reasonable portions and healthy ingredient choices to keep your bowl as nutritious and waistline-friendly as possible.
