A meal at Subway involves vegetables and it’s not deep fried, so yes, it’s relatively better than McDonalds or Burger King. They’re famous for their “6 grams of fat or less” subs, which is much better than the 40-something grams of fat in a quarter pounder. So, if you’re in a life or death situation where you need to choose between two evils, Subway is (arguably) the way to go.
But, if you’re really trying to clean up your diet and only wish to eat nutritious foods that don’t harm your body, Subway is not the way to go. The truth about Subway is that, not unlike other fast food joints, their foods contain TONS of preservatives and additives. Preservatives are man-made chemicals put into food so that the bacteria and microorganisms in the air don’t cause it to spoil when it sits on the shelf (or in the fridge) for way longer than food is intended to sit on a shelf. Or in a fridge. Additives are extra chemicals like artificial coloring, flavoring, and sweeteners. Research continues to show that these chemicals are harmful to our bodies. For example, two common preservatives, sodium benzoate and ascorbic acid (or vitamin C), create a carcinogen (cancer-causing chemical) when put together. Preservatives and food additives have been linked to several types of cancers, ADHD, obesity, obstructive lung diseases and asthma, heart disease, birth defects, belly fat, digestive and appetite problems, …. basically, you name it. Here is a list of preservatives and additives and their effects.
The USDA authorizes the use of over 3,000 chemical preservatives that are unrecognizable by anyone without a chemistry degree. Why? Because they suck, and you live in a free country and are blessed with the choice to eat or not to eat these foods.
Below are a few ingredients lists in Subway’s foods. Keep in mind that with any food, you should be looking at and scrutinizing every component of the ingredients list of everything you eat. As a general rule, if you don’t recognize something, you shouldn’t be eating it. Making bread really only takes 3 or 4 ingredients, all of them actual foods: flour, yeast, water, maybe some salt or honey. If you want to see what a bread recipe should look like, Clean Eating magazine has a recipe for clean whole wheat bread here.
Now check out Subway’s bread….
9-grain Wheat Bread
Enriched wheat flour (wheat flour, malted barley flour, niacin, iron, thiamine
mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), water, yeast, whole wheat flour, sugar, contains 2% or less of the
following: wheat gluten, oat fiber, soybean oil, wheat bran, salt, wheat, rye, yellow corn, oats, triticale,
brown rice, barley, flaxseed, millet, sorghum, yeast nutrients (calcium carbonate, calcium sulfate,
ammonium sulfate), vitamin D2, dough conditioners (DATEM, sodium stearoyl lactylate, potassium
iodate, ascorbic acid, azodicarbonamide), caramel color, refinery syrup, honey, yeast extract, natural
flavor, enzymes.
mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), water, yeast, whole wheat flour, sugar, contains 2% or less of the
following: wheat gluten, oat fiber, soybean oil, wheat bran, salt, wheat, rye, yellow corn, oats, triticale,
brown rice, barley, flaxseed, millet, sorghum, yeast nutrients (calcium carbonate, calcium sulfate,
ammonium sulfate), vitamin D2, dough conditioners (DATEM, sodium stearoyl lactylate, potassium
iodate, ascorbic acid, azodicarbonamide), caramel color, refinery syrup, honey, yeast extract, natural
flavor, enzymes.
Catch my drift?
CHICKEN BREAST PATTY
Chicken breast with rib meat, water, seasoning (corn syrup solids, vinegar powder [maltodextrin, modified corn starch and tapioca starch, dried vinegar], brown sugar, salt, dextrose, garlic powder, onion powder, chicken type flavor [hydrolyzed corn gluten, autolyzed yeast extract, thiamine hydrochloride, disodium inosinate and disodium guanylate]), sodium phosphates.
Chicken breast with rib meat, water, seasoning (corn syrup solids, vinegar powder [maltodextrin, modified corn starch and tapioca starch, dried vinegar], brown sugar, salt, dextrose, garlic powder, onion powder, chicken type flavor [hydrolyzed corn gluten, autolyzed yeast extract, thiamine hydrochloride, disodium inosinate and disodium guanylate]), sodium phosphates.
If you made chicken breast at home, the ingredients would be:
chicken. spices.
and it would look like this...
and it would look like this...
You know, like real chicken.
FAT FREE HONEY MUSTARD
High Fructose corn syrup, water, prepared mustard (distilled vinegar,
water, mustard seed, salt), Dijon mustard (distilled vinegar, water, mustard seed, salt, white wine, citric
acid, turmeric, spices, tartaric acid), country Dijon mustard (distilled vinegar, water, mustard seed, salt,
white wine, spice), distilled vinegar, honey, food starch-modified, cider vinegar, contains less than 2%
of lemon juice concentrate, salt, phosphoric acid, artificial color (titanium dioxide), sodium benzoate and
potassium sorbate (as preservatives), xanthan gum, dehydrated onion, egg yolks, dehydrated garlic,
caramel color. Contains eggs.
water, mustard seed, salt), Dijon mustard (distilled vinegar, water, mustard seed, salt, white wine, citric
acid, turmeric, spices, tartaric acid), country Dijon mustard (distilled vinegar, water, mustard seed, salt,
white wine, spice), distilled vinegar, honey, food starch-modified, cider vinegar, contains less than 2%
of lemon juice concentrate, salt, phosphoric acid, artificial color (titanium dioxide), sodium benzoate and
potassium sorbate (as preservatives), xanthan gum, dehydrated onion, egg yolks, dehydrated garlic,
caramel color. Contains eggs.
This next one’s my favorite…..
Mind you, this is supposed to be an egg. As in, “ingredients: egg.”
EGG OMELET PATTY (Regular):
Whole Eggs, Egg Whites, Water, Nonfat Dry Milk, Premium Egg
Blend (isolated pea product, salt, citric acid, dextrose, guar gum, xanthan gum, extractive of spice,
propylene glycol and not more than 2% calcium silicate and glycerin to prevent caking), Soybean Oil,
Butter Alternative (liquid and hydrogenated soybean oil, salt, soy lecithin, natural and artificial flavors,
beta carotene (color), TBHQ and citric acid added to protect flavor, dimethylpolysiloxane (antifoaming
agent added), Salt, Beta-Carotene (color). Contains egg.
Blend (isolated pea product, salt, citric acid, dextrose, guar gum, xanthan gum, extractive of spice,
propylene glycol and not more than 2% calcium silicate and glycerin to prevent caking), Soybean Oil,
Butter Alternative (liquid and hydrogenated soybean oil, salt, soy lecithin, natural and artificial flavors,
beta carotene (color), TBHQ and citric acid added to protect flavor, dimethylpolysiloxane (antifoaming
agent added), Salt, Beta-Carotene (color). Contains egg.
You get the point. Don’t put this stuff in your body.
To stay away from preservatives, buy:
-organic: no preservatives or harmful pesticides involved
-fresh: (or frozen, but check the ingredients label for additives!)
-natural: The USDA’s definition of “natural” is crap, but it generally means chemical-free.
So is Jared lying?
No, Jared really lost the weight because he exercised and made sure that he burned more calories than he ate. If you ate bacon cheeseburgers but burned more calories than you ate and you are as deconditioned as Jared was, you would lose weight. (Recall this post on how to lose weight.) You can also lose weight by replacing meals with cigarettes, developing a drug habit, or taking one of those weight loss supplements that were banned twenty years ago, but that doesn’t make you healthy, nor does it make it safe.
Go to the grocery store. Buy bread, meat, veggies and cheese, and make yourself a sandwich.
....or a wrap!
Eat “fresh”, Subway? Come on.
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