By Judy Davie
“I was wondering if you had any healthy sandwich ideas?”
A healthy meal consists of vegies, a serve of protein, some good fat and some low-GI, high-fibre carbohydrate. Your sandwich should be constructed similarly.
The bread should be your first consideration and makes up the low-GI, high-fibre component of the meal. Best choices include wholegrain, wholegrain sourdough, wholemeal lavash, wholemeal pitta bread and mountain bread. If you are buying your sandwiches from a sandwich store near work and they don’t have any of these options, it’s worth taking your own bread along, as compared to most commercial processed bread, all these choices have a lower GI and many more nutrients, including protein, B vitamins and fibre.
The next thing to consider is how to moisten your sandwich. Avocado is definitely the best choice here as butter is high in saturated fat and the margarines used in many sandwich shops are usually cheaper brands containing trans fats — dangerous substances which simultaneously increase LDL cholesterol (the bad stuff) and lower the good HDL cholesterol.
While it may have a high fat content, avocado is a good monounsaturated fat and is rich in B vitamins and vitamin E. It will help reduce high blood pressure and the signs of premature aging.
If you don’t like avocado, you could pep up a sandwich with a preservative-free hummus, beetroot or eggplant dip. Mustard and horseradish can also be used but do steer clear of mayonnaise. Whole egg mayo is very high in fat and commercial mayos are full of all sorts of other unhealthy food additives.
Choose from a range of protein choices — some healthy options include egg, tuna, salmon, low-fat ricotta, falafel, chicken and beef. Avoid single cheese slices and processed meats as these contain food additives with known health risks.
Finally add the salad, the more the better: tomato, grated carrot, sprouts, lettuce, onion, beetroot … With a quota of five serves of veg a day as the requirement for great health, it’s a perfect opportunity to make up two of your serves.
At the end of the day there are literally thousands of sandwich combinations and when you use any of the options above, they’re all healthy and delicious.
Some favourite choices
Vegetarian: Wholegrain roll, hummus, tabouleh, tomato, falafel
Falafel are deep-fried but can be made at home and baked — for recipes using falafel, visit www.thefoodcoach.com.au
Fishy wrap: Barley mountain bread, avocado, tuna, tomato, rocket, grated carrot, Spanish onion, capers
Meat lovers: Wholegrain sourdough, horseradish, grated beetroot, lean beef, lettuce, sprouts, shallots
Chicken and chive sandwich: Wholegrain bread, chicken, low-fat cottage cheese, chives, avocado, tomato, cucumber
Mix the chicken, cottage and chives together with seasoning and spread over the bread with the other ingredients on top.
