How Healthy is the Oven Roasted Turkey Bread Sandwich from Subway?

Meta: It’s actually among the healthiest meat sandwich options at Subway. The turkey sandwiches from other fast-food can be a lot worse. 

These days, we’re all just a little bit concerned with our health. Even when this pandemic finally runs its course (and good riddance), the fact is that the majority of adults in the US are overweight. So, we’re all concerned about calorie counts, and plenty of us are also worried about fat, cholesterol, and sodium intake. 

The good news is that you don’t have to be a dedicated vegetarian to lose weight. You can find various sandwiches that won’t overload you with calories and all the other bad stuff. And the best example of that is the Oven Roasted Turkey Breast Sandwich from Subway. 

What’s In It?

You start with the Hearty Multigrain bread, where you put in the thin slices of turkey breast that’s been roasted in the oven. While turkey meat in general can be rather flavorless without the sauce, the turkey breast from Subway is exceptionally flavorful. This has a flavor with surprising depth, unlike the neutral turkey meat you usually find. 

There aren’t any cheese or sauce in the default setting, but then again, you don’t need them. You do get crisp fresh veggies that your nutritionist will approve of. These include cucumbers, green peppers, lettuce, red onions, spinach, and tomatoes. This particular combo of veggies can be found in many other sandwiches, since it’s a proven formula. 

You get all these ingredients and yet the turkey breast footlong costs $8.64 only. That’s amazingly reasonable, especially when you cut this in half so you can share it with your buddy. 

How Is It Healthy? 

It starts with how you only get 260 calories with the 6-inch version of the sandwich. That’s amazingly low-cal, and you won’t find many sandwiches with that low of a calorie count outside the purely vegetarian options. 

Even if you add any sort of cheese to this, you only increase the calorie count to a range of 300 (with American Cheese) to 320 calories (with Monterey Cheddar). 

Add more veggies, like the black olives, jalapeños, and pickles, and the calorie count remains the same. 

As is, the sodium count isn’t bad either 880mg. You only get 3.5g of saturated fat and zero trans fat, along with a measly 6g of sugar. 

All these are exceptional stats, especially considering the turkey sandwiches you might get at other fast-food joints. 

The Alternate Turkey Sandwiches

Quizno’s Turkey Bacon Guacamole Sandwich on Ciabatta

This is one way to highlight the low-calorie level of the Subway turkey breast. That’s because this sandwich comes with a whopping 880 calories. Part of the reason for that is the inclusion of the avocado among the ingredients. This is responsible for lots of the calories. 

Sure, the avocado comes with plenty of good nutrients, along with healthy fats. But this sandwich also comes with 13g of saturated fat. That’s not good for your arteries and your cholesterol levels. 

Potbelly’s Turkey BLT

The sodium level of this sandwich is out of this world, since it contains 2,066mg of sodium all by itself. When the American Heart Association says that you shouldn’t go over 2,300mg a day and the ideal limit is just 1,500mg of sodium per day, then you can understand how this is bad for you. 

It’s just too much sodium, and it will certainly get you over the limit with the sodium from the meals of the rest of the day. 

Yet, that’s not all. This sandwich also comes with 92mg of cholesterol. That’s a lot higher than the 40mg of cholesterol you get from the Subway version. 

Panera’s Sierra Turkey Sandwich on Asiago Cheese Focaccia

Yes, this can be quite tasty. What else can you expect when you get smoked turkey breast along with chipotle mayonnaise, red onions, and field greens. 

But then again, you’re also taking in 730 calories. That’s almost 3 times the calorie amount you get from the Subway Oven Roasted Turkey. This also contains 27g of fat, whereas the Subway version only has 8g of total fat. 

Panera’s Bacon Turkey Bravo Sandwich on Tomato Basil Bread

If you want your doctor to scream at you in frustration because you’re supposed to reduce your sodium intake, get this sandwich. This comes with a heart-stopping 2,910 of sodium. That’s the side effect of a sandwich that has smoked stuff like smoked turkey breast, smoked Gouda cheese, and applewood-smoked bacon. 

Jimmy John’s Beach Club

This loads you up with 810 calories, along with a worrisome 42.5g of total fat. You really should just get half this sandwich, but it’s hard to resist when you have lots of turkey meat layers along with avocado, cucumber, lettuce, tomato, provolone cheese, and mayo. 

Jersey Mike’s Chipotle Turkey Sub

This has 840 calories and 12g of saturated fat. It’s a tasty sandwich otherwise, with the roasted turkey, along with the lettuce, tomato, and chipotle mayonnaise. 

Cosi’s Turkey Stuffing Sandwich

This is another sodium monster, since you’re getting 1,724mg of sodium. You really ought to stay clear, even if you have a healthy heart. 

Blimpie’s Turkey Provolone Sub

The stats are really problematic, with 820 calories, 85mg of cholesterol, and 26g of total fat. 

When you consider all these alternatives, the Subway Oven Roasted Turkey breast sure looks great, doesn’t it?