Eating sandwiches aren’t intuitively part of a healthy eating plan, but nutrition doctors say that you can enjoy them–with some Dos and Don’ts to keep in mind, of course. Read on for what sandwich rules Dr. Amy Lee, an expert in weight control, obesity and nutrition, swears by:
The Bread
Before we get to toppings, let’s discuss the important base of your sandwich–the bread. “First of all, unless you are going out of your way to really cut carbs, think about what breads you are eating,” Dr. Lee advises. This means reading labels and not making assumptions about the nutrition value of a bread based off how it looks. “Not all breads are created equal and not all brown-colored breads have fiber!” she advises. “I always teach my patients to read labels and to be able to count fiber grams per serving.” An easy rule of thumb: if one slice of bread has more than 4 grams of fiber, it is considered good amounts of fiber.
Toppings To Skip
Next, know that how many calories you burn is more about minimizing the things that will go straight into fat storage, Dr. Le explains. On this list of foods you should definitely *not* top your sandwiches with are sauces with lots of added sugar, candied or marinated nuts with added sugar and breaded meats that are fried.
Toppings To Include
Once you’ve ruled out those, you can focus on building a sandwich with foods that are not process and fruits, vegetables and whole foods. If you want to mind the calories and optimize content of the sandwich in terms of calorie-burning, Dr. Lee suggests thinking about ingredients that are high in good lean protein and complex carbs. Here’s a list of foods that Dr. Lee suggests, depending on your tastes and mood:
Deli meats (the less processed, the better), a whole egg, romaine, spinach or kale lettuces (versus iceberg), tomatoes, cucumbers, alfalfa sprouts, avocado, yellow or red onions, dash of olive oil and salt and pepper (tiny dash of salt brings out the flavor of veggies).
Star Topping
“Jalapeño peppers slices are my personal favorite,” she says of the low-calorie, high-fiber pepper with a kick. Eat if you dare!
So–there you have it, the perfect recipe for a metabolism-boosting, weight loss-promoting sandwich. Anyone else ready for lunch now?
