Building
a Healthier Sandwich
by Erin Rogers, Health-E-Meals.com
For
many people, sandwiches are a daily staple for lunches or
dinners. Depending on your choices of bread and fillings,
they can range from nutritional nightmares to healthy, filling
meals. There are many delicious ways to enjoy sandwiches
that are both good for you and enjoyable to eat.
Let's break down a typical sandwich and explore some healthy
options:
The bread: For a healthy sandwich, look for breads that
have lots of fiber and are lower in calories. If you use
bread, try some of the delicious varieties of light bread
that still have lots of fiber, but are much lower in calories
than regular bread. If you're sticking with regular bread,
whole wheat varieties are the best choices. Remember also
that sandwiches don't, and shouldn't, always come on basic
slices of bread. Don't hesitate to build a sandwich on tortillas,
pitas, or rolls. Just use the same rules as for bread -
look for high fiber content, lower calories, and especially
for tortillas - lower fat.
The spreads: While many people can forego the usual mayo
on a sandwich, I have a hard time giving it up. So, I usually
opt for the light mayonnaise and go easy on portions. Of
course, mustard is another standard option - and there are
so many varieties of mustard to try. You can also try mixing
light cream cheese with some dried or fresh herbs and use
that as a sandwich spread. The English often use a chutney
on sandwiches, which can be delicious and is available in
most grocery stores in the U.S. Light salad dressings are
another option for some sandwich variety. Try ranch, thousand
island and honey mustard, or any of your favorites. Some
other unique sandwich spreads are salsa, horseradish, or
vinegars.
The fillings: Most of the usual sandwich fillings can be
made in a healthy way, and the options are virtually endless.
Here are just a few: turkey, ham, roast beef, tuna, canned
chicken, cooked chicken, peanut butter, canned crab, salmon,
shrimp, veggies. Some you may want to mix with some light
mayo and seasonings (canned tuna, chicken, crab, salmon,
shrimp); other you'll just want to use in smaller portions
(ham, roast beef, peanut butter). In terms of cheese, there
are two rules to keep your sandwich healthy. 1) Forego cheese
if your sandwich will still be delicious without it. 2)
If your sandwich really needs cheese, use a light or fat-free
variety.
The veggies/condiments: Here's where you can go wild! Load
up on fresh vegetables on your sandwich to really add some
great nutrition. The old stand-by's of lettuce and tomato
are great (try different varieties of lettuce, not just
iceberg). But, there are so many other veggies than can
be used on sandwiches - cucumbers, sprouts, mushrooms, spinach,
bell peppers, zucchini, onions, or try roasted or grilled
veggies (bell peppers, asparagus, eggplant, zucchini, yellow
squash, onions). Black or green olives can be used sparingly
as a condiment to tuna or chicken salad, just watch out
for fat and sodium. Additional condiments to consider, based
on your topping selection are capers, fresh or dried herbs,
salt-free seasoning blends, or sun-dried tomatoes.
If you make healthy choices in each of these categories,
you'll be well on your way to building a nutritionally-wise
sandwich. And there really is no excuse for getting bored
with sandwiches. As I've hopefully shown, sandwiches can
be made in so many different and unique ways! Use your bread
as a canvas and create a new masterpiece each day.
