Eating Healthy at Subway
Something that I have always struggled with is eating a healthy lunch. Mostly because I am always on the go and finding time to make a healthy lunch to bring to work or class can be very time consuming. And trying to find somewhere quick to stop and eat healthy can be almost impossible. So decided I’d do some research of my own and figure out, if I have to, where to go out to eat and what to get.
In case you didn’t have time the night before, or whatever the case is, Subway is one of the healthiest “fast food” chains that most people will have in driving distance of where they work, without spending a fortune. Now the trick is to order the right sub, with the right toppings and dressings.
First lets start off with two of the better choices for 6” subs on 9-Grain Wheat bread, lettuce, tomatoes, onions, green peppers and cucumbers (does not include cheese):
Veggie Delite
230 Calories
2.5g Total Fat
0.5g Saturated Fat
280mg Sodium
5g Fiber
8g Protein
Oven Roasted Chicken
320 Calories
5g Total Fat
1g Saturated Fat
610mg Sodium
5g Fiber
23g Protein
Next we’ll take a look at two of the options to stay away from. Also remember that these numbers are only for a 6” sub. These subs are on 9-Grain Wheat bread, lettuce, tomatoes, onions, green peppers and cucumbers (does not include cheese):
Spicy Italian
480 Calories
24g Total Fat
9g Saturated Fat
1490mg Sodium
5g Fiber
20g Protein
Big Philly Cheesesteak
500 Calories
17g Total Fat
9g Saturated Fat
1280mg Sodium
6g Fiber
38g Protein
The best and worst choices for bread are:
Best:
9-Grain Wheat
210 Calories
2g Total Fat
0.5g Saturated Fat
280mg Sodium
4g Fiber
8g Protein
Worst:
Roasted Garlic
230 Calories
2.5g Total Fat
0.5 Saturated Fat
1240mg Sodium
2g Fiber
9g Protein
The best and worse choices for cheese:
Best:
Swiss
50 Calories
4.5g Total Fat
2.5g Saturated Fat
30mg Sodium
0g Fiber
2g Protein
Worst:
Processed American cheese
40 Calories
3.5g Total Fat
2g Saturated Fat
200mg Sodium
0g Fiber
2g Protein
And last but not least we have condiments. This is a tricky one because the best condiment is no condiment. I’ve seen plenty of times when someone ahead of me has a very promisingly, healthy looking sub and steps up to the last station and says “a bunch of mayo”. There is more fat in a single serving of mayo than in a lot of subs! So be careful when it comes to this.
Best:
Vinegar (1tsp)
Vinegar has no nutritional values and helps the taste of subs by making it not so dry.
Yellow or Brown Mustard (2tsp)
5 Calories
0g Total Fat
0g Saturated Fat
115mg Sodium
0g Fiber
0g Protein
Worst:
Mayonnaise (1tsp)
110 Calories
12g Total Fat
2g Saturated Fat
80mg Sodium
0g Fiber
0g Protein
Chipotle Southwest:
100 Calories
10g Total Fat
1.5g Saturated Fat
220mg Sodium
0g Fiber
0g Protein
Well to recap, in order to want to eat at Subway and be healthy about it, you have to restrict your options to certain choices.
Watch the sodium intake. There is a large amount of sodium found in a lot of restaurants like Subway, so remember to keep that in mind in order to keep a balanced diet.
Condiments: the biggest danger of all. Make sure to really know how many calories and grams of fat each one has before making your next visit to Subway.
Skip the soda and get a free cup of water. There are empty calories and sugar in soda that can be easily avoid for free! Actually you will save money by saving your health.
Skip the chips and get a bag of apples. After all, an apple a day keeps the doctor away.
Hopefully this can be as eye opening to you as it was to me about the choices you make at places like Subway
If you are interested in seeing the nutrition facts on your favorite subs or other choices at Subway, you can find all of that information here.
Yesterday you said tomorrow.
-Eric Hess