Diet & Fitness Blog
Tweak of the Week: Healthy Sandwich Switches
Email PageBy Shawn McKee
Staff Writer
Whether you call it a sandwich, sub, sammie, hoagie, hero or grinder, the combination of meats, cheeses and pretty much anything else you can squeeze between two pieces of bread is a quick and easy way to grab a bite to eat.
No matter how you slice it, Americans love sandwiches. A recent Texas A&M study found that the average
"Get rid of the processed white bread and start with a whole-grain bread, bun or wrap," said eDiets Director of Nutrition Pamela Ofstein. "By adding whole grains, you get more nutrients than with plain white bread. Whole grains add extra vitamins and minerals your body needs in addition to fiber -- which is not only good for your heart, but also promotes satiety, leading to a decreased caloric intake."
Pam also recommends using 2 to 3 ounces of lean, low-sodium deli meats like turkey, chicken, roast beef or even left over grilled chicken you made for dinner the previous night. Add vegetables such as lettuce, tomatoes, mushrooms, cucumbers and bean sprouts for an added health and flavor kick, and top it off with a slice of low-fat cheese to finish off your splendid sandwich.
Use low-calorie condiments like mustard, ketchup or low-fat salad dressing to avoid packing unnecessary fat and calories on your sandwich. Hold the mayo when it comes to condiments. One tablespoon of regular mayonnaise adds about 100 calories and 10 grams of fat to your sandwich, which will catch up with you. If you're like most Americans, that could add up to an extra 6 pounds worth of calories over a year!
If you must use mayo, switch to the light stuff and get about half the fat and calories, but mustard is the best for your sandwich -- weighing in with 10 to 20 calories per tablespoon. Simply switching condiments would save you 5 pounds worth of calories annually. Now you can stack your sandwich without packing on the pounds.
Our experts can offer a lot of other small changes you can do right now. Send your questions to our nutritional experts today!
Check out last week's tweak -- Drink to Weight Loss.
Labels: food, healthy, healthy snacks, tips, tweak
Comment by 
said... - Wednesday, September 17, 2008 6:33:00 PM
I am what the dr calls pre diabetic my hA1C is 6.1. My sugar in the am runs from 103 to 122.
I am trying to avoid white bread and bad carbs and sweets.
Sandy
Comment by said... - Wednesday, September 17, 2008 9:20:00 PM
When eating a sub, I use ww rolls and put the filling for the 6" sub on one hal of end of the bread (3") and cut off the rest of the bread. Cuts calories and carbs.
Comment by said... - Monday, September 22, 2008 7:14:00 AM
I buy reduced sugar juices for my family. It tastes as good as the full sugar stuff, but at a much more reduced amount of sugar and calories. My family loves it!
My son loves chocolate milk, so I buy the sugar-free chocolate syrup and add it to his milk. Less sugar, and less sugar-crazy's!
Comment by 
sweetlavender said... - Tuesday, September 23, 2008 6:37:00 PM
I love tuna salad sandwich.I found this recipe to be tasty and a lot less fat.it skips the mayo.
1 can tuna fish
mustard to taste(grey popon work best)
onions
celeryseed
dillweed
salt&pepper to taste
severed on my favorite 12 grain bread
Comment by said... - Thursday, September 25, 2008 4:01:00 AM
I drink my OJ with half OJ/half ice water...it saves on calories and sugar since full strength OJ sometimes hurts the tummy this works great for me!! Also when having a bowl of cereal I do the same thing...half milk/half ice water...you don't notice the difference in a bowl of cereal and it saves on calories and grocery expenses.
Comment by said... - Thursday, September 25, 2008 12:50:00 PM
My favorite sandwich is a low carb whole wheat wrap with lite deli sliced turkey, cucumber, juliened carrots, brocsprouts, tomatoes, spinach, 3 slices of avocado, and tons of banana peppers with a dash of spicy mustard. Yummo! Subway turned me on to this I just switched it up a bit to make it healthier with the whole wheat wrap. Enjoy!
Comment by said... - Monday, September 29, 2008 12:17:00 PM
Although ketchup is low in fat it is high in sugar. I opt for salsa (with no added sugar) in place of ketchup on my burgers. Hummus also makes for a great low-fat & healthy spread on sandwiches or as a dip with veggies!
Comment by Lauren said... - Monday, September 29, 2008 4:47:00 PM
Great Post. I personally love my breakfast whole grain English muffin with salmon. It keeps me full for hours and it's healthy. There is nothing wrong with sandwiches as long as you use the right ingredients.
Comment by said... - Thursday, October 02, 2008 12:52:00 AM
I go to subway and get oven roasted chicken breast on whole wheat leave the cheese out and add vinegar oil and the works (lots of veggies) spinach it leaves me full with a water and apple wedges on the side only five dollars
Comment by mducharme said... - Friday, October 03, 2008 9:26:00 PM
I love sandwiches too! I always use whole grain bread, horseradish, sprouts, tomato, avo, red onion, and any other veggies I feel like throwin in and never any meat...you don't even miss it. sometimes a thin slice of lowfat cheese..yummy!
Comment by Roxie807 said... - Monday, April 27, 2009 2:26:00 PM
I like ww lite bread (35 cal/slice) with sliced avacado, roasted red bell peppers & onions,black olives and thin sliced cucumbers. No need for mayo,catsup,or mustard. Healthy, low fat, fiber!
Comment by said... - Monday, April 27, 2009 10:43:00 PM
Hi if you are pre diabetic I suggest you eat a lot of corn (without the butter and cheese of course)just plain old fresh boiled corn, that will lower your sugar count and drink plenty of water. Lots of vegetables and avoid drinking alcoholic beverages if you can, limit your intake to 2 or 3 glasses of white wine (not red) per day, if not per week.
Regards Christine
Comment by said... - Tuesday, April 28, 2009 2:35:00 AM
I LOVE hardbread (knäckebröd in swedish) I eat the regular with 100% wg and 25% fiber and i have turkey on it, even some thai hot sauce or dijon mustard to spice it up. It is so delicious that I can eat it for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The only thing stopping me from eating it every day is that the hardbread makes my mouth abit sore. This is so great because it fills you up, if you dont like it as a meal like me you can always have it inbetween meals. Advantages: hardbread is great chewing resistance so your mouth gets a work out. 100% wg means less sugar. 25% fiber gets your tummy moving. turkey has almost no fat. dijon/thai sauce is spicy so it speeds up your metabolism.
Comment by said... - Wednesday, May 20, 2009 6:11:00 PM
Make sure to choose lunch meats that do not contain sodium nitrate. Sodium nitrate is a contributor to heart disease.
Comment by weight loss pills said... - Monday, July 13, 2009 8:24:00 AM
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The truth is that you need to look at your patterns and see why you are doing what you are doing. I am a former fat man. I have gained and lost 10 times my body weight and when I start gaining weight I can always link it to something else happening in my life. You dont need herbs, you dont need magic. Just replace some feelings with positive action like walking. Take a half hour a day and walk. You would be amazed what it does to your mood and your life. Get up and move on commercials. Take a weight and lift it every time you are watching TV. Get out and move yourself into a different direction in life and the changes will come. Up to me http://www.belmos.com are the best way to loss weight
Comment by said... - Wednesday, July 15, 2009 10:22:00 AM
Instead of mayo, I use a little light ranch dressing. More flavor, less fat. Also opt for ww tortilla instead of bread. Just toast lightly on top of the stove burner. Thanks for the horseradish idea, I hadn't thought of that. lots of flavor.
Comment by Lynn said... - Monday, August 31, 2009 10:21:00 AM
Instead of Mayo, my new favorite condiment is the low-fat Alouette garlic and herb spread.
It's only 50 calories per TBSP, and only 3.5 grams fat and 60 grams sodium. I have the SaraLee low-sodium meats on Brownberry Double Fiber bread - to die for!! (and healthy!)
Comment by said... - Monday, January 25, 2010 5:32:00 PM
The low-fat Alouette garlic and herb spread sounds wonderful. Where can I find/buy this?
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