I literally had 5 minutes for dinner last night before going to a meeting. There are tons of restaurants and delis near my midtown nutrition office, however I didn’t even have an extra 5 minutes to have a sandwich made or eat a salad. So I turned to good old Subway. I haven’t eaten there in years. Intellectually, I know it has low cal healthy choices for sandwiches - after all, if it’s good enough for Jared who lost over 100 pounds, it must be good enough for me! However I kind of associate it with “fast food” and boring sandwiches. I am used to the fancier more interesting (and yes, fattening!) sandwiches served at other locations.  (Pic is of Jared)

But I decided to give it a try. I ordered the 6″ turkey sandwich with cheese (only adds 50 calories and 4 gm fat because the slices are so thin) with extra turkey (an extra 50 calories and 1gm fat), lettuce, tomatoes, veggies and mustard. It came to about $5.00. This is a lot cheaper than most of the sandwiches from other places such as Au Bon Pain, Pax, Metro Cafe, Hale and Hearty. I must say that it wasn’t bad! I was actually suprised at the low calorie content as it seemed like a fairly large sandwich with a lot of bread. I think the trick is that the bread is light and airy, which lessens the calorie content. Total calories: 380  Total fat: 9.5 grams

Overall, I would recommend certain Subway sandwiches for a low calorie, relatively tasty, inexpensive lunch or dinner. It beats the 700 calories or more fancy wraps and sandwiches  (that can cost $8.00) that are sold at other locations!

6-inch Jared Sandwiches with 6 grams of Fat or Less Values include wheat bread, lettuce, tomatoes, onions, green peppers, pickles and olives. I would recommend adding in extra meat, as the portions they give you are on the small side. Mustard is the lowest calorie/fat condiment.

Ham
Oven Roasted Chicken Breast
Roast Beef
Subway Club®
Sweet Onion Chicken Teriyaki
Turkey Breast
Turkey Breast & Ham
Veggie Delite®
6-inch Sandwiches

Check out this link for the complete listing of sandwiches under 7 gm of fat and 400 calories or less (most of them are 300 calories or less!)

Related posts

• Sneaky Calorie Sabouteurs (1)
• Passing the Pizza Shop on the Way Home… (0)
• My Breakfast with “Jared” from Subway (1)
• Do You “Inhale” Your Food? (0)

What do these foods have in common: Japanese ginger orange salad dressing (the one that we all know and love), balsamic vinaigrette salad dressing, tuna salad sandwich and caesar salads. The answer is - they all contain  more calories than we think! I have been seeing these specific foods on my many of my clients food records lately and decided to dispel the myth that they are low in calories.

Japanese orange salad dressing
I was dismayed to find the the orange ginger Japanese salad dressing can contain up to 200 calories and 11 gm of fat for 2 T. That little take out container they give you contains 4 T. And I used to ask for extra as I thought it was low calorie.

Balsamic vinaigrette salad dressing
Many people think balsamic vinaigrette salad dressing (or any vinaigrette dressing for that matter) is low in calories because it contains mainly vinegar. Wrong! It is 3/4 oil. The little container (4 T.) from Cosi’s contains 359 calories and 39 grams of fat.

Tuna salad sandwich
Fish is healthy, therefore it must be low in calories. Not necessarily as it depends how it is prepared. Tuna salad from a deli tends to be loaded with mayo and tuna packed in oil. The sandwiches are also usually jumbo sized. A deli tuna salad sandwich can contain 650 calories and 35 grams of fat. The tuna melts are even worse - containing over 1000 calories and 60 grams of fat (Cosi’s again!).

Caesar salad
Many of us associate salads with dieting. Not this salad! The fat and calorie laden dressing can make this salad add up to 1000 calories and over 80 grams of fat.

Related posts

• What’s for Lunch? Cobb Salad (0)
• NYC Lunches for $5 or Less (0)
• My Dinner on the Run: Subway Sandwich (0)
• Do You “Inhale” Your Food? (0)

I was on the computer today working at the hospital and heard loud gulping/chomping noises. A nurse was in the corner of the computer room literally inhaling her lunch (a salad). I have never seen someone eat so fast. She obviously very pressed for time and was able to finish an entire salad in about 2 minutes. I was fearful that she might choke (we call it “aspirate” in the hospital). I thought how sad is was that she needed to eat that fast. I suddenly rememeber I did the exact same thing at my lunch. I had only 5 minutes to eat my lunch as I had a phone session with a client on my lunch hour.  So I choose to eat a pre-made sandwich (from the cafeteria - yuk!) instead of the salad I brought to work because I calculated I could eat a sandwich in about 3 minutes and and it would take me at least 10 minutes to eat the salad.

I know that the nurse and myself at not alone in our need to “inhale” our lunches. I hear these stories every day from my clients  - ” No time to eat lunch”, “Meetings during my lunch hour”,  “No time to wait in line for a salad”. So we tend to grab the quickest (and not always the healthiest!) lunch choice available. I doubt the the”slim” Europeans are inhaling their food.

Trouble with eating too fast:
1. It takes 20 minutes to feel that you are getting full. By eating so quickly, it is likely that you won’t feel satiated.
2. Food is an important part of our lives and we should enjoy what we are eating. By eating so fast, you won’t get any pleasure from eating. This will make it more likely that you will be headed towards the vending machines in a few hours for a treat (candy, chips, etc.)
3. Increased chance of choking (seriously!)
4. You probably aren’t making the most nutritious choice. It takes a lot more time to eat a salad with grilled chicken as compared to a slice of pizza or burger.

Tips to slow down your rate of eating:
1. If you rarely have time to leave your desk for lunch, try bringing your lunch from home. At least it will be there when you are ready for lunch. And of course, bring in something healthy!
2. You really need to make lunch a priority. I actually feel that lunch is the most important meal of the day because it will help determine how your energy levels will be for the rest of the afternoon. Skipping lunch, eating the wrong kind of lunch or eating too little for lunch will cause your energy levels to drop a few hours later.
3. Meet a friend for lunch. Studies show we eat slower when we are with others. Not too attractive to inhale food in the prescence of others!
4. Set a goal of leaving at least 30 minutes for lunch. Iif possible, try to get out of your office. This will help to breakup your day, aid in stress management and most likely give you a little burst of energy (as compared to sitting at your desk staring at the computer).

Related posts

• Your Plate or Mine? An Excerpt from my Colleague’s Book (4)
• Work While You are on the Treadmill… and Lose Weight (1)
• Will Eating Late at Night Make Me Gain Weight? (0)
• Will Diet Foods Contribute Towards Making Your Child Obese? (1)
• When it’s No Longer a Diet (0)