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