Subway Sandwiches

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jenlouise4
jenlouise4 Posts: 48 Member
in Food and Nutrition
So I was watching "Supersize Me" (always a good way to get rid of the diet hunger pangs!) and it reminded me of something I was thinking the other day. Through occasionally looking at other peoples' food diaries, particularly those in the US* I've noticed that Subway sandwiches seemed to be quite common as a lunch option, which really surprised me. I'm not sure whether it's due to the fact that they are less common here in the UK but I've always seen them as essentially fast food places- I mean, all the food looks the same in a very processed way. I was baffled since even with the "healthy option" ones, you're still consuming food which most likely has additives and perhaps hidden ingredients that makes them less nutritional/wholesome. Why are some people on diets so averse to packing your own lunches? It's cheaper and you know exactly what goes into them, having chosen the ingredients yourself.
If someone could stick up for Subway I might understand it a bit better, or maybe you also see them as a daft alternative to the good old packed lunch? I mean, I know there's that guy who lost a crazy amount of weight on a Subway diet but that's very much subjective, and I'd imagine, dependant on his previous diet. Let me know your opinion- Subway: healthy or not? And why don't people want to do their own lunches more often?
Hope this hasn't come across as too harsh or mean. It's one person's view so take it with a pinch of salt and I'd be keen to hear your own :)

*apologies for the slight generalization. It's probably more widespread that that. Also, I duly admire those brave enough to leave their diaries open- this is just an observation and not a personal attack on anyone.
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Replies

  • skinnylion
    skinnylion Posts: 213
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    For some people it's just easier, and compared to other convenience lunch "restaurants" it is definitely one of the best options (i.e. instead of stopping at McDonald's.) Subway has lots of vegetables, and even though some ingredients are high in sodium you can still build a pretty good sandwich and save the time/effort you would have had to put into the same kind of sandwich at home.

    PERSONALLY I would much rather make my own, but I have lots of free time to do that kind of thing!
  • laken87
    laken87 Posts: 11 Member
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    i'm a SAHM,who only goes to town once a week. (we live in the country and i buy enough stuff to last a week.) i cook for my two children every night,except for the day that we go to town. on that day i normally go to subway and buy me a foot long sandwich,which i eat half for lunch and the other half for supper. it's a nice little change from cooking all the time. i normally get the steak & cheese and put so many veggies the person has a hard time closing it. and it is only like 350-380 calories for a 6 inch sandwich. so it's nice for me to have "healthy fast food" for a once a week treat.
  • TexanThom
    TexanThom Posts: 778
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    I am not on a "DIET". I am eating for the rest of my life, and if that means a low-cal sandwich, so be it. 450 calories is not a lot for a complete lunch.
  • jconnors2012
    jconnors2012 Posts: 22 Member
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    if you skip the cheese, have a light dressing and load it with veggies it is definitely a better option than most fast food places!
  • katemme
    katemme Posts: 191
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    Some work places don't have fridges or microwaves, so bringing something room temperature, or having warm yogurt or a soggy lean cuisine meal isn't going to work. At least Subway is the 'healthier' option, even though you can still eat like crap there.

    And I'm a dog walker, if I'm hungry I either have to go out or wait til I get back home to eat, if I didn't bring a clif bar or dry cereal with me.
  • MB_Positif
    MB_Positif Posts: 8,897 Member
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    I am with skinnylion...overall, Subway is just a better calorie option over the usual American fast food joint...with the exception of the excessive sodium in the deli meats. I pretty much only go there once or twice a year, but we occasionally make sandwiches at home with better bread, but the deli meats are pretty much the same as Subway.
  • iKapuniai
    iKapuniai Posts: 594 Member
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    I'd rather get a 450 calorie subway sandwhich MEAL than a 1,000 calorie hamburger. Simple as that.
  • AriesGrl
    AriesGrl Posts: 174 Member
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    Subway dosent just serve sandwiches.....they have great salads too...whats wrong with that?????
  • Jill_newimprovedversion
    Jill_newimprovedversion Posts: 988 Member
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    I like the salads, which doesn't REQUIRE you to add meat/cheese if you don't want it.
    Like every other salad option (buffet/restaurant), the highest cals come from the dressings/croutons/cheese
    ALL of those are OPTIONAL too.

    And the kids' meals offer a side of fresh apple slices.
    Often I get the kids' meal for myself.

    And some of us have jobs that require eating on the *run*
    which, BTW, isn't considered *exercise* :ohwell:
  • Louise1247
    Louise1247 Posts: 670 Member
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    Hey!! My mate works at Subway :)

    Here in the UK, all of the meats are not processed, but some reformed (re-moulded and some water added ) but some meats are as they are- fresh almost.

    The cheese is only 20kcal for a slice (2 triangles) so its not too much of a bad choice :)

    Dressings are the worst part, but as previously mentioned, just chose a healthier one :)

    Also- from my own exp. here in the uk the wraps are worse than the white bread for carbs! Any food is ok as long as in moderation so deffo based on convenience :D
  • wackyfunster
    wackyfunster Posts: 944 Member
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    Yeah, they are more or less fast food, but one of the only fast food places here with low fat options. The quality of their food is also a little bit better (outside of the US, labelling regulations are a lot more strict, so Asian or European fast food is actually a LOT healhier than American. Compare the nutritional info sometime if you want a laugh).

    E. g. Taco bell got busted here because to call something "beef" here, it must contain at least 28% (IIRC) beef, and theirs was something like 7% beef (the rest is fillers, "pink slime", refuse, etc. to save money). It's kinda ludicrous. Took
    me several years to be able to eat most meats here after moving back from Japan.
  • heidikat72
    heidikat72 Posts: 42 Member
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    let me start by saying i used to work at a subway so i might be a little biased. compared to other "fast food" places, they do have comparatively healthier options. and for some people at lunch it's all about convenience so a subway veggie delite sub on whole wheat or a big mac, fries and shake? yeah subway would be the better option in that case. of course making your own lunch is the best way to control the nutrition content but there are days when the convenience of being able to grab a quick relatively healthy bit on the run is needed.
  • sleepyjean88
    sleepyjean88 Posts: 180 Member
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    I think Subway is as healthy as you make it, yes you can have a footlong sandwich full of cheese meat and dressings, but you can also have wholegrain bread with grilled chicken and whack it full of veggies.
  • dad106
    dad106 Posts: 4,868 Member
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    I'd rather get a 450 calorie subway sandwhich MEAL than a 1,000 calorie hamburger. Simple as that.

    You can get a hamburger meal for around 450 calories.. just gotta get creative and have half the bun, not eat all the fries and choose a sensible drink.

    To OP:
    I pack my lunch because I find Subway to be disgusting.. and only eat it when I have no other option.

    I also know what I can eat to make up a meal that fits into my calories... and it's much easier to do when I can pack it.
  • meshashesha2012
    meshashesha2012 Posts: 8,326 Member
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    i like subway. for one they are everywhere, so there's always one around. plus they have healthy sandwiches on their $5 deal so it's super cheap and you can easily split it with a friend or save the other half for another meal.

    finally most of the delis here are INSANE with the amount of meat and cheese they put on sandwiches. mounds and mounds of it and it's never any rhyme or reason to it because you can go one day and one person with put almost a pound of meat on your sandwich and you go the next day and someone else will put twice that.. subway's bot like that at all, you always know exactly how much you're going to get .

    the sodium content is quite high, but it's about what you'd expect for lunch meats
  • keem88
    keem88 Posts: 1,689 Member
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    i try to bring my own lunch to work since we have a fridge and a microwave.
    my fiance is a manager at a retail store in a mall, and they do not have a fridge or microwave.
    i recently got him a lunch box and cold pack so he could bring sandwiches and what not, but for him it is easier to get food from the food court or a place around the mall. there is a subway there, and i know he would rather get a salad or sandwich from there loaded with veggies and lunch meat instead of going to arbys, mcdonalds, bk etc.
    i eat at subway every now and then if i dont have time to pack a lunch, since it does seem to be better than other fast food (although i am sure the veggies are mass produced and lost a lot of nutritional value, oh well)
    that is my reasoning for eating there, i can only speak for myself.
  • EuroReady
    EuroReady Posts: 199 Member
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    I dont mean to hijack the thread but...
    How do you log Subway sandwiches when they get made in front of you but not by you? I have been wanting to try it forever but I feel like it would be a lot of guesswork when logging. Thoughts?
  • Newf77
    Newf77 Posts: 802 Member
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    I am proud to say that I go to Subway pretty much every week. I prepare my meals at home 6 days a week {usually} and do pack meals for work. However on Saturdays after doing my shift I go home to just me and my dogs, I enjoy relaxing and have established a routine. I find no problem in having a meal that fits into my caloric intake from a fast food restaurant. I pick low sodium/calorie breads; load up the vegetables’; no cheese and if I add a condiment go for extra mustard. I get home get comfortable and share some time with my pooches and relax before the wife gets home. Like a previous poster stated any deli meat is going to have sodium content, yes at home sandwiches can be made with different bread that might be lower in sodium or calories but then again I really just like having one day that I can have someone else “pamper” me. It is in my pre-established parameters and I am constantly being told I need to eat my calories back so one day a week I do.
    As for open diaries, some people {I} have it open to friends only because they got tired of unsolicited comments or they just do not need the guidance.

    @EuroReady; MFP database has several of the sandwiches already in there, you can tell the "artist" what you want and do not want and most will accomadate the request for more veggies. No it is not an exact science and most the "Artist" do not weigh the ingerdents, but I have found them to stay fairly uniform.
  • iemcanadian
    iemcanadian Posts: 18
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    This is funny because I just had Subway for lunch for the first time in ages, haha.

    It's easy to customize what you want to fit your needs (lower cal, lower fat, etc) as well as get it exactly as you like it. It is also marketed as the "fresh, healthy option" and after that campaign with the guys losing so much weight, of course people associate Subway with healthy, fresh lunches.

    Also a lot of jobs are not equipped for storing food, or if someone is very busy they may not have time to prepare a lunch.
  • Austin1988
    Austin1988 Posts: 243 Member
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    Lower calorie and more filling than most fast food joints. I'm heading there now, since I didn't have time to go grocery shopping last night. Thanks for the idea!

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