Sandwich healthy? Calorie bomb! Tip of the week 31

A healthy sandwich? A calorie bomb, that's what it is! A baguette (white or brown) with iceberg lettuce, ham, cheese, tomato, egg, cucumber and sometimes gherkin. Is this really a healthy sandwich or is it secretly fattening?

Actually, all the ingredients on a healthy sandwich can really be called healthy. The only downside when you order a healthy sandwich somewhere is that, unfortunately, most cafeterias do use the full-fat types of cheese for this. And the fattier butter, because that tastes better (fuller). Not bad in itself, after all, our bodies also need a little grease needed for the benefit of skin, brain, fat burning and vitamin absorption.

Yet all in all, while a healthy sandwich is not unhealthy for our bodies, it does make it "unhealthy" for the line!

A regular healthy sandwich (without mayonnaise!) averages 350 Kcal anyway! And with a few big dollops of mayonnaise, it can easily double that.

If you do crave such a sandwich, take it for lunch and preferably with brown (baguette) bread, or brown roll without mayonnaise and definitely not as a snack.

Better, of course, is to make a healthy sandwich yourself with

• wholemeal bread
• halvarine
• rocket salad
• low-fat cheese
• lean ham
• a boiled egg
• tomato
• cucumber.

That way, your lunch will consist of a low-fat combination with the right carbohydrates, keeping you satiated for longer.

In the process, the digestive system will have to work harder to digest the fibre in the wholemeal bread.

Because fibre is not absorbed into the intestinal wall, but it does stimulate intestinal contractions, your body will burn more calories with this alone!

Still want a bit of mayo on your sandwich? Then opt for chipotle sauce. You can create more flavour with herbs on your egg (paprika, black pepper, chives, basil and parsley). Do you like it spicy? Then add a little cayenne pepper and/or jalapeno!

Thanks to all the spices, salt becomes unnecessary. Fine, that only retains moisture anyway.

This week you may also weigh yourself! Click >HERE for handy weighing and measuring tips.

The above text previously appeared in the Balance book. The book is now sold out, but may still be available to order second-hand via the link below.

The Balance Book

Slimming blog >HOME