Subway is my “go-to” restaurant anytime I need a quick lunch that completes the impossible triangle: Good, Fast, and Cheap.
However, Subway is not without its pitfalls. Although they have a myriad of healthful options, they also have quite a few gut-bombs that’ll set you back half a day’s calories (and an entire day’s worth of fat & sodium). If you’re not careful on some of your choices, it’s easy to double the fat and calories in your sandwich… without adding any extra nutrition (or all that much flavor).
Also, don’t fall for the “Health Halo” that Subway proudly flaunts: People are likely to consume more calories at Subway than McDonald’s.
Some General Guidelines
Get a 6″ sandwich (or salad!). The Footlong sandwiches, unless you get the Veggie DeLite® without cheese, start at 540 calories and can have 2400mg of sodium — a whole day’s worth.
Don’t be fooled by the “6 grams of fat or less” menu. Although the healthiest choices are indeed on that menu, some of those options are crazy-high in sodium, and officially none of them include cheese (that’s how they keep the fat content so low) — and my experience is that just about everyone adds cheese.
Skip the soda (and get a free cup of water). They also have fresh-brewed iced teas, though make sure to get the unsweetened one.
Skip the chips. Get a Bag Of Apples instead, raisins, or perhaps a yogurt. They cost the same as the chips, and Subway includes them in the “combo” meal pricing (if you insist on getting that soda).
Watch the Sauce — or you’ll add hundreds of calories without even realizing it.
Load up the Veggies — all of the veggies are low-cal and nutritious. If you’re watching sodium, though, consider skipping the pickles (125mg in 3 chips) and jalapeños (70mg in 3 rings).
Swap Iceberg for Spinach — It seems most locations now offer Spinach as an option. Get that instead of the shredded Iceberg Lettuce. You get a similar crunch (and a better taste, in my opinion), and some bonus nutrients. (Spinach is one of the healthiest leafy greens, and iceberg is one of the least).
Before I get to the best/choice details, here’s my sandwich of choice. It’s delicious, with lots of great texture, crunch, and a bit of heat.
6″ Veggie Delite® on 9-grain wheat with Swiss cheese, spinach, tomato, cucumber, onion, bell peppers, black olives, jalapeño slices, avocado, vinegar, and fresh cilantro (or dried oregano).
427 cal, 4.8g sat fat, 20g total fat, 587mg sodium, 11g fiber, 15g protein
[ Update: Since originally writing this post, I learned that the 9-grain Wheat bread contains more High Fructose Corn Syrup than whole grain flour (read the comments). Now when I go to Subway, I'll get a veggie salad with avocado, and ask for spinach instead of lettuce. ]
Although I should probably cut out the cheese (my kryptonite), it’s just not going to happen. I add avocado because (1) it tastes great, (2) it’s got healthful unsaturated fats, and (3) makes the sandwich much more substantial. Note that I do not add oil or other dressing — the vinegar makes the sandwich plenty moist, and the jalapeño adds lots of zing. If I’m feeling saucy (sorry), I might add mustard.
As I mentioned above, the “6 grams of fat or less” menu includes sandwiches without cheese. Since most people include cheese (and every “sandwich artist” I’ve ever met assumed that I wanted cheese), that makes the nutrition information provided by Subway somewhat inaccurate. So, I added two “triangles” of cheddar cheese to all the “6 grams of fat or less” subs (which, of course, bumps their fat over 6 grams). Details on the specific cheeses are listed further down.
6” Sandwiches – Better Choices
Veggie Delite®
290 cal, 3.5g sat fat, 7.5g total fat, 505mg sodium, 5g fiber, 12g protein
Oven Roasted Chicken
380 cal, 5.5g sat fat, 9.5g total fat, 845mg sodium, 5g fiber, 27g protein
Turkey Breast
340 cal, 4.0g sat fat, 8g total fat, 1,005mg sodium, 5g fiber, 22g protein
Roast Beef
380 cal, 4.5g sat fat, 9.5g total fat, 935mg sodium, 5g fiber, 30g protein
“6 grams of fat or less” menu, 6” Sandwiches – Worst Choices
I’m singling these out mostly because of their outrageous sodium content — about half your daily max. Again, I’ve added two slices of cheddar cheese to the numbers below (so it won’t match the info on Subway’s website).
Black Forest Ham
350 cal, 4g sat fat, 9.5g total fat, 1,295mg sodium, 5g fiber, 22g protein
Subway Club
380 cal, 4.5g sat fat, 9g total fat, 1,255mg sodium, 5g fiber, 30g protein
Sweet Onion Chicken Teriyaki
440 cal, 4g sat fat, 9.5g total fat, 1,105mg sodium, 5g fiber, 30g protein
Turkey Breast & Ham
350 cal, 4g sat fat, 9g total fat, 1,235mg sodium, 5g fiber, 24g protein
6” Sandwiches – Worst Choices Overall
Remember, getting a Footlong will double these already-high numbers!
Subway Feast 
550 cal, 9g sat fat, 23g total fat, 2,610mg sodium (!!!!), 6g fiber, 39g protein
Big Philly Cheesesteak
520 cal, 9g sat fat, 18g total fat, 1,570mg sodium, 6g fiber, 39g protein
Chicken & Bacon Ranch
570 cal, 10g sat fat, 28g total fat, 1,190mg sodium, 5g fiber, 35g protein
Meatball Marinara
580 cal, 9g sat fat, 23g total fat, 1,530mg sodium, 9g fiber, 24g protein
Spicy Italian
520 cal, 11g sat fat, 28g total fat, 1,830mg sodium, 5g fiber, 22g protein
Tuna
530 cal, 6g sat fat, 30g total fat, 930mg sodium, 5g fiber, 21g protein
Cold Cut Combo
410 cal, 6g sat fat, 16g total fat, 1,450mg sodium, 5g fiber, 21g protein
Italian BMT®
450 cal, 8g sat fat, 20g total fat, 1,730mg sodium, 5g fiber, 22g protein
Subway Melt
380 cal, 5g sat fat, 11g total fat, 1,530mg sodium, 5g fiber, 25g protein
6” Bread Only – Better Choices
“Omega 3″ Wheat Bread
230 cal, 0.5g sat fat, 3g total fat, 310mg sodium, 4g fiber, 8g protein
9-Grain Wheat
210 cal, 0.5g sat fat, 2g total fat, 410mg sodium, 4g fiber, 8g protein
Honey Oat
260 cal, 0.5g sat fat, 3g total fat, 430mg sodium, 5g fiber, 9g protein
Sourdough - A bit low in fiber, but also lower in sodium.
210 cal, 1g sat fat, 3g total fat, 210mg sodium, 3g fiber, 8g protein
6” Bread Only – Worst Choices
None of the other bread options are great, since they’re all low in fiber — which means they’re probably using only refined flour — so I’ve listed everything else here from “least bad” to “worst of all,” more or less.
Hearty Italian Bread
220 cal, 0.5g sat fat, 2g total fat, 390mg sodium, 2g fiber, 8g protein
Italian (White) Bread
200 cal, 0.5g sat fat, 2g total fat, 390mg sodium, 1g fiber, 7g protein
Flatbread
240 cal, 1g sat fat, 5g total fat, 480mg sodium, 2g fiber, 8g protein
Wrap
240 cal, 1g sat fat, 5g total fat, 480mg sodium, 2g fiber, 8g protein
Italian Herbs & Cheese
250 cal, 2.5g sat fat, 5g total fat, 590mg sodium, 2g fiber, 10g protein
Monterey Cheddar
240 cal, 3g sat fat, 5g total fat, 460mg sodium, 1g fiber, 10g protein
Roasted Garlic
230cal, 0.5g sat fat, 2.5g total fat, 1,360mg sodium, 2g fiber, 8g protein
Cheese – Better Choices
Numbers listed below are for two triangles. Cheese does not contain any dietary fiber.
Also, there isn’t a huge difference between most of these choices. I picked Provolone and Swiss as the best because they have more protein than most options and a little less fat and sodium.
Provolone (two half-circles)
50 cal, 2g sat fat, 4g total fat, 125mg sodium, 4g protein
Swiss
50 cal, 2.5g sat fat, 4.5g total fat, 30mg sodium, 4g protein
Cheese – Worst Choices
Cheddar
60 cal, 3g sat fat, 5g total fat, 95mg sodium, 4g protein
Processed American Cheese
40 cal, 2g sat fat, 3.5g total fat, 200mg sodium, 2g protein
Pepperjack
50 cal, 2.5g sat fat, 4g total fat, 140mg sodium, 2g protein
Condiments – Better Choices
Yellow Mustard or Deli Brown Mustard (2 teaspoons)
5 cal, no fat, 115mg sodium, no fiber, no protein
Vinegar (1 teaspoon)
8 cal, no fat, no sodium, no fiber, no protein
Condiments – Worst Choices
Shown here from most offensive to least egregious.
Chipotle Southwest Sauce
100 cal, 1.5g sat fat, 10g total fat, 220mg sodium, no fiber, no protein
Mayonnaise (1 tablespoon)
110 cal, 2g sat fat, 12g total fat, 80mg sodium, no fiber, no protein
Light Mayonnaise (1 tablespoon)
50 cal, 1g sat fat, 5g total fat, 100mg sodium, no fiber, no protein
Olive Oil Blend (1 teaspoon)
45 cal, 1g sat fat, 5g total fat, no sodium, no fiber, no protein
I wonder what’s in the “blend?”
Fat Free Honey Mustard
30 cal, no fat, 115mg sodium, no fiber, no protein, 6g sugars
Fat Free Sweet Onion
40 cal, no fat, 85mg sodium, no fiber, no protein, 8g sugars
These last two aren’t so bad, except for the added sugars.
Side Dish – Better Choices
Apple Slices
35 cal, no fat, no sodium, 2g fiber, no protein
Raisins
130 cal, no fat, no sodium, 2g fiber, 2g protein
Baked Lays®
130 cal, no sat fat, 1.5g total fat, 150mg sodium, 2g fiber, 2g protein
Dannon Light and Fit® Yogurt
80 cal, no fat, 80mg sodium, no fiber, 5g protein, 11g sugars
Side Dish – Worst Choices
Any bag of chips, other than the Baked Lays®
Any cookie
Best Choices – Salads
Subway will turn pretty much any sandwich into a salad, which is great — though you definitely have to choose wisely, else you’ll end up with a ton of calories and sodium (mostly from the dressing).
Salads contain meat/poultry, iceberg lettuce, red onions, tomatoes, cucumbers, green bell peppers, and olives, and do not include salad-dressing or croutons.
Every time I’ve asked, they’ve happily made me a salad with spinach instead — which makes it a lot tastier, healthier, and, well, fancier.
Veggie DeLite®
50 cal, no sat fat, 1g total fat, 65mg sodium, 4g fiber, 3g protein
Oven Roasted Chicken
130 cal, 0.5g sat fat, 2g total fat, 280mg sodium, 4g fiber, 19g protein
Roast Beef
140 cal, 1g sat fat, 3.5g total fat, 500mg sodium, 4g fiber, 21g protein
Turkey Breast
110 cal, 0.5g sat fat, 2g total fat, 570mg sodium, 4g fiber, 12g protein
Worst Choices – Salads
Ham
110 cal, 1g sat fat, 3g total fat, 850mg sodium, 4g fiber, 12g protein
Subway Club
140 cal, 1g sat fat, 3.5g total fat, 810mg sodium, 4g fiber, 20g protein
Turkey Breast & Ham
120 cal, 0.5g sat fat, 3g total fat, 800mg sodium, 4g fiber, 14g protein
Salad Dressing – Better Choices
To get a bit more flavor, you may want to add Black Pepper, Dried Oregano, Fresh Cilantro, Banana Peppers (Pepperoncini), or Jalapeños.
Vinegar (1 teaspoon)
8 cal, no fat, no sodium, no fiber, no protein
Fat Free Honey Mustard
30 cal, no fat, 115mg sodium, no fiber, no protein, 6g sugars
Fat Free Sweet Onion
40 cal, no fat, 85mg sodium, no fiber, no protein, 8g sugars
Olive Oil Blend (1 teaspoon)
45 cal, 1g sat fat, 5g total fat, no sodium, no fiber, no protein
Salad Dressing – Worst Choices
Ranch (2 ounces)
320 cal, 6g sat fat, 35g total fat, 560mg sodium, no fiber, no protein, 2g sugars
Fat-Free Italian (2 ounces)
35 cal, no fat, 720mg sodium, no fiber, 1g protein, 4g sugars
Breakfast – Better Choices
Switching to Egg Whites cuts these numbers by approx. 30 calories, 1g of saturated fat, 2.5g total fat, and 1g protein.
Any Egg Muffin Melt, except the Double Bacon, Egg & Cheese
170-190 cal, 2-2.5g sat fat, 6-7g fat, 450-650mg sodium, 5-6g fiber, 13-16g protein
The basic “Egg & Cheese” melt is the best of all these.
Double Bacon, Egg & Cheese Muffin Melt
220 cal, 3.5g sat fat, 10g total fat, 640mg sodium, 5g fiber, 16g protein
Breakfast – Worst Choices
Switching to Egg Whites cuts these numbers by approx. 30 calories, 1g of saturated fat, 2.5g total fat, and 1g protein.
6” Cheese & Egg Omelet Sandwich
420 cal, 7g sat fat, 18g total fat, 1,060mg sodium, 5g fiber, 22g protein
Any 6″ Omelet Sandwich, except the 6″ Cheese & Egg
450-520 cal, 7-11g sat fat, 19-25g total fat, 1,430-1,450mg sodium, 5g fiber, 27-31g protein
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Menu Mondays are my recommendations for the most healthful options at chain restaurants. Although it may be tough to find “perfect” options when eating out, it’s important to choose “better” whenever possible, and I hope these guides will help make that easier for you.
indicates the “best-of-the-best,” and indicates the “worst-of-the-worst,” more or less.
Subway Nutrition Info – Subway “Sandwich Components”
Image by hawhawjames.
Hi. My name is Andrew Wilder, and I think Eating Rules! I write about three of them, and everything in between.
May 10, 2010 at 10:03 pm
Yeah I tend to rely on Subway as a “healthy” alternative to fast food too. But when I go I’m addicted to the meatball sub which I get toasted with lettuce and tomato and American cheese. How unhealthy is it….? (I get a footlong but only eat 6″ per meal)
May 11, 2010 at 12:14 pm
Hey Jessica!
Well, let’s see… The 6″ Meatball Marinara Sub is reported as 580 calories (one of the highest), 9 grams of sat. fat, 23 grams of total fat, 9 grams of fiber, 17 grams of sugar, and 24 grams of protein. It’s a bit higher in sugar than most of the other subs, but the real kicker is that it contains 1,530 mg of sodium — which, depending on who you ask, is at least 2/3 of your day’s allowance.
On the plus side, that includes cheese, so if you take that out, it’ll at least reduce some of the fat and calories (and a little bit of sodium). It’s also a larger serving size (379 grams) than most of the other 6″ subs.
Also, if you get the 9-Grain Wheat, Honey Wheat, or Omega-3 Bread, you’ll get a bit more fiber… although this sub is higher in fiber than most, oddly enough. I wonder if they have some wheat protein/filler in the meatballs?
May 12, 2010 at 12:55 am
What is surprising is that the 6″ meatball marinara sub has more calories than the kfc double down. You should really do an article on that and how something that seems so unhealthy actually is better than some of the other fast food items out there.
May 12, 2010 at 9:51 am
Hi Will -
Indeed, the calories of the meatball sub are higher than the double-down…But I wonder, which one is more satisfying, and will keep someone fuller longer? My guess is that the sub will be the winner in this regard — so for those few extra calories, it may help reduce calorie consumption later in the day.
The calorie counts are very close between the two, but the fiber count in the sub is 9 grams with the double-down having only 1 (from the fried breading, I presume). The double down also has an insane 53 grams of protein — which is nearly an entire day’s recommended amount…
It’s also tough to determine what’s “healthier” in relative terms (though some comparisons are quite obvious). How do you quantify it? Are calories the most important thing? How about sodium? Fiber?
I wonder if there’s a way to set up some sort of weighted algorithm to determine an overall “healthiness” of a given food? Perhaps it could consider each macronutrient and micronutrient in the food, relative to the total number of calories?
I will ponder this some more… Thanks!
September 27, 2010 at 5:16 am
Just a note (unless this is your cheat). The 9 Grain Wheat contains HFCS
September 27, 2010 at 8:38 am
Oh no! Great catch, Tamara. That’s disappointing (though not really all that surprising, sadly).
I just found their ingredient lists (PDF). Not surprisingly, each of the breads would need to be a cheat meal — the 9 Grain Wheat (and therefore the Honey Oat as well) both have HFCS, but at least they include some whole grains.
Then again, it’s really not much — there’s actually more HFCS than whole wheat! Dang. (First five ingredients in the 9-grain wheat bread: Enriched wheat flour, water, yeast, HFCS, whole wheat flour.)
The regular Italian (white) bread has “sugar,” but no whole grains at all.
As a possible solution: I’ve been getting salads at Subway recently. They’ll use Spinach instead of Iceberg Lettuce if you ask, so for about five bucks you can actually get a pretty good salad… I get red wine vinegar for the dressing (no oil), and a bit of pepper. Plenty of favor, no cheating required.
(Sidenote: Eating at a restaurant is almost always going to be a cheat. Unfortunately, in this “day and age” it’s nearly impossible to prepare every meal at home (who has the time?)… This is why I continue to post the Menu Monday recommendations. I choose not to let The Perfect be The Enemy of The Good, as the saying goes. Even if we can’t make the “best” choices, we should always strive for “better” choices. Having said that, if you catch any other details that I miss, please do continue to post in the comments!)
Thanks,
Andrew
May 18, 2011 at 8:01 am
The Subway’s in my area all offer a veggie patty, similar to a Gardenburger patty, however I have not been able to find ANYWHERE what the nutritional info is! I typically get the veggie patty loaded with additional veggies because it is more filling (to me) than just plain veggie. Have you seen the nutritionals anywhere?
May 18, 2011 at 9:27 am
Hi Dawn! I just pulled the PDF of their nutritional info on their website, and found the veggie patty — it’s in the “Limited Time Offer/Regional Subs” section towards the bottom of the first page.
6″ Veggie Patty on 9-grain wheat bread with lettuce, tomatoes, onions, green peppers and cucumbers:
390 cal, 7g total fat, 830mg sodium, 8g sugars, 23g protein, 8g fiber (wow!)
Interestingly, most of their 6″ subs have only 3 to 5 grams of fiber. The only other 6″ sub on the menu that has more fiber is the Meatball Marinara (which makes no sense at first glance, since meat has no fiber — I guess they add fillers of some kind.)
If I get a sandwich there, I usually get avocado on my Veggie Delite because it helps keep me satiated longer. (Then again, I’ve been trying to avoid subway’s bread ever since I found out there’s more high fructose corn syrup than whole grains in their bread…see comments above.) Lately I’ve been sticking to salads (and I get spinach instead of iceberg lettuce, which really takes it up a notch!).
September 12, 2011 at 3:15 pm
Just wanted to note that for some reason, Subway’s mustard has TWICE the amount of sodium as regular yellow mustard (French’s, etc). 115 vs 55. Boo!
December 12, 2011 at 11:57 am
Hmm. Just one more way in which Subway’s “Health Halo” should be a little more tarnished than it is.
December 11, 2011 at 2:51 pm
I’d glad you posted this. Thanks! I’ve been on the subway diet recently for the past week and a half, having a 6″ for breakfast lunch and dinner, veggie delights with Swiss cheese on wheat bread. Btw, the veggie delights are $2 this month, and I just found out that if you GET IT UNTOASTED THERE IS NO TAX! So I have been spending $6 a day on food everyday, which I have decided to be a faster, cheaper, and almost-healthier option than cooking at home.
However, I have two comments:
1. I’m surprised the jalapeños have 70 mg of sodium, where as if you look online for the nutrition facts of jalapeños, they normally don’t have sodium. Maybe just subway’s jalapeños…? Weird. I’ll get all of the veggies except pickles and maybe exclude jalapeños as well at times.
2. Now that you mention HFCS in the healthiest bread available (the wheat bread. They don’t sell the omega 3 bread at my subway), how bad is it that in having 1.5 feet of this wheat bread everyday?
Thanks!
December 12, 2011 at 12:04 pm
Hi Eman,
If you find that a 6″ Veggie Delight (DeLite?) is satisfying, affordable, and it’s helping you lose weight, I don’t see much harm in that. Of course, I’d definitely encourage you to have them load up on the veggies as much as possible, and be sure you’re avoiding the mayonnaise, oil, and other creamy sauces.
The jalapeños are not fresh — they’ve been canned, and soaked in salt water (just like pickles). So that’s where the sodium is coming from.
I also recommend, if it’s an option at your local Subway, to have them use spinach instead of the regular iceberg lettuce. They don’t charge extra, and you’ll get a lot more nutrition that way.
As for your other question, the HFCS in the bread… I don’t think the HFCS itself is the biggest cause for alarm (though I certainly don’t recommend it!) — it’s more that even the healthier-seeming breads, are almost entirely refined grains. That’s a bigger problem than the small amount of HFCS or sugar.
Perhaps one way to balance things out — and keep it a little more interesting! — is to get a spinach salad every so often. If you get vinegar as your “dressing,” and get avocado on top, it’s actually quite flavorful and satisfying. Just be sure you’re getting all spinach, and not the worthless iceberg lettuce.
Hope that helps? Please do keep us updated!
December 13, 2011 at 3:25 pm
Hi Andrew,
Yes, that helps and thank you! I think the Veggie “Delite” is superb and now I always get it without pickles and sometimes without jalapenos.
I will keep you guys updated if I come across anything new regarding Subway. Actually, I just found out that Jillian Michaels (The Biggest Loser woman) is advocating to make the Subway bread healthier. I think we can write to Subway with some sort of petition to truly crown Subway with the Health Halo we once thought it deserved.
To healthy eating!
Eman
December 15, 2011 at 4:51 pm
That’s a great idea! Want to head over to change.org and start a petition? I’ll be happy to sign it and to help spread the word.
December 18, 2011 at 11:56 pm
Yeah that sounds good. Best to give it a start. I’ve never been on that site before, but I’ll try and see what I can do, then I’ll let you know!
December 19, 2011 at 12:37 am
Hi Andrew,
Link:
http://www.change.org/petitions/subway-provide-a-whole-wheat-bread-and-remove-the-high-fructose-corn-syrup
I tried uploading a picture, but it won’t let me right now. Let me know what you think and what I should add to improve my petition! Thanks for spreading the word to anyone you know!
May 11, 2012 at 8:04 am
I love subway;)