File this one under “Vital Information for Your Every Day Life” (although possibly not quite in the same vein as All That): You want to know the health information for Wendy's Ghost Pepper Fries and Jalapeno Fresco Spicy Chicken Sandwich? Well, we've already talked about whether or not they have actual ghost peppers in them (they do); in case you wanted more detailed info, though, here you go. This is my final ghost peppery gift to you before I bid these menu items goodbye.
As I previously noted, nutritional information for all of Wendy's menu items is delightfully easy to find. The website's nutrition section is well laid out and simple to navigate; in addition to ingredients and other nutritional content like the number of calories and sodium levels in each item, it also has a handy-dandy chart geared towards clearing up any questions about allergens. Now, normally I don't count calories, mostly because science says calorie counting isn't all that effective. When it comes to fast food or processed stuff, though, I do try to keep an eye on what a typical serving size is; it's usually smaller than you think, which makes it easy to overdo it accidentally. Hence, the inclusion of calories for both the sandwich and the fries below. Just, y'know… FYI.
Here a few highlights for both ghost pepper offerings; head on over to Wendy's website for every piece of information you could possibly need about them. I'm serious, you guys. It's got everything.
Jalapeno Fresco Spicy Chicken Sandwich
General info:
The Jalapeno Fresco Spicy Chicken Sandwich has 580 calories, which actually isn't that bad. Although I ordered both the sandwich and the fries, I ate comparatively few of the fries; if I hadn't been aiming to taste test both of them, I probably would have just gotten the sandwich — it definitely would have been enough to fill me up on its own. It's also got three grams of fiber and 32 of protein. It's worth noting that 290 of the calories are from fat; to see how the types of fat present in the sandwich break down, head here.
Ingredients and allergens:
We've been over this information, but for the curious, yes, the ghost pepper sauce does have actual ghost peppers in it. In addition to the ghost pepper sauce, the sandwich also consists of Colby jack cheese, cheddar cheese sauce, red onion, diced jalapeno, Wendy's spicy chicken breast, and a jalapeno cheddar bun. You can take a look at the ingredients for each of these components on Wendy's website.
Possibly because it's a limited edition item, neither the Jalapeno Fresco Spicy Chicken Sandwich is not on the otherwise helpful allergens table Wendy's provides on their website. However, we can infer the following based on the information available about the regular Spicy Chicken Sandwich and the ingredients in the sauces: It contains egg and wheat, and it may be cooked in the same oil as fish. There's also dairy in the form of regular cheese, cheese sauce, and the buttermilk-based ghost pepper sauce. We don't, however, know whether the sandich comes in contact with soy, peanut, tree nut, or shellfish at any point during its creation, so if those are concerns for you, you may want to play it safe.
Sodium:
As is the case with a lot of processed and fast food, the sodium content is where you really have to be careful. The recommended upper limit of sodium for American adults it 2,300 mg per day — but the number shrinks to 1,500 mg if you're over the age of 51, African American, or have high blood pressure, diabetes, or chronic disease. This particular sandwich has 1,390 mg of sodium; the that's under the upper limit for the average adult, but almost a full days' worth of sodium consumption for anyone in who falls under the second category.
Jalapeno Ghost Pepper Fries
General info:
At 500 calories, the Ghost Pepper Fries almost tie with the Jalapeno Fresco Spicy Chicken Sandwich, so bear in mind that if you order both and finish them both, you're looking at a total of 1,080 calories. The number of calories you need to fuel yourself every day varies depending on how active you are, how old you are, and whether you're a guy or a gal; however, the average adult typically shouldn't exceed 2,000 calories per day. Eating both the ghost pepper sandwich and fries in one sitting accounts for over half of that number, so, y'know… just keep all that in mind. Additionally, the fries have five grams of fiber and nine of protein; also, 300 of those 500 calories come from fat. Take a look at the full breakdown here.
Ingredients and Allergens:
The Ghost Pepper Fries consist of an order of regular fries topped with cheddar cheese sauce, shredded cheddar, ghost pepper sauce, and diced jalapenos; head here to check out the ingredients for each of those components.
Like the Jalapeno Fresco Spicy Chicken Sandwich, the Ghost Pepper Jalapeno Fries aren't on the allergens table on Wendy's website. However, based on what we know about the fries' ingredients, as well as the info listed for a regular order of fries, we can likely assume the following: They're prepared using oil that may have also been used to cook egg, fish, and wheat products; there's also obviously dairy (cheddar cheese sauce and ghost pepper sauce strike again). Again, we don't know anything about whether the fries get near soy, peanut, tree nut, or shellfish.
Sodium:
And again, sodium is usually where you want to be careful: The Ghost Pepper Jalapeno Fries have 890 mg of sodium in them. If you get both the sandwich and the fries, that's 2,280 mg — just shy of a full days' worth of sodium.
So there you have it. Go forth and ghost pepper if you feel like it; or don't, if you don't. Totally up to you. Who's ready for lunch?
Images: Wendy's (2)
