How to Build a Healthy Sandwich at Wawa
Even though summer is over, Wawa’s Hoagiefest seems to always live on through every season in the city of brotherly love. Many of my clients enjoy a good hoagie for lunch and it’s even a go-to for some families when dinner time consists of driving kids to and from soccer practice. Don’t fret. I’ve compiled a list of dietitian-approved ingredients that will help you feel confident and proud when ordering.
MADE TO ORDER SANDWICH/HOAGIE
1.Breads
2 slices of wheat bread ~180 calories
1 shorti wheat roll ~290 calories
1 slice of cheese ~100 calories
To save 90-100 calories, skip the cheese or have sandwiches opened faced by losing 1 slice of bread. If you have a shorti roll, definitely skip the cheese.
2. Meat
Cold
Oven roasted turkey 80 cal/680 mg Na/16 g pro
Honey smoked turkey 90 cal/860 mg Na/16 g pro
Roast beef 120 cal/380 mg Na/22 g pro
Hot
Hot Turkey 120 cal/800 mg Na/14 g pro
Chicken Steak 140 cal/560 mg Na/22 g pro
Roasted Chicken 150 cal/600 mg Na/25 g pro
If you’re not feeling super hungry, choose veggie (0 calories) or roasted veggie 60 cal/250 mg Na/2 g pro
3. Spreads
mustard ~3 calories
mayo (little bit) ~30 calories
honey mustard ~40 calories
spicy mustard ~30 calories
For reference, ranch dressing will run you ~200 calories and if you get a regular serving of mayo (not “little bit”), it will run you ~100 calories.
4. Toppings
Add all of the veggies you like because fresh veggies only contain about 5-10 calories. The benefits of the fiber, nutrients, and water content of veggies far outweigh their negligible calories.
Avocado
Cucumber
Hot peppers
Jalapeno Peppers
Lettuce
Onions
Oregano
Pepper
Pickles
Roasted veggies (30 calories, these veggies have oil, definitely won’t break the calorie bank but just be mindful these have more calories)
Roasted peppers
Spinach
Sweet peppers
Tomatoes
Swap lettuce for spinach. Spinach has 10x the amount of lutein and zeaxanthin (antioxidants) than lettuce.
Skip the extra cheese and meats.
You can use Wawa’s easy-to-use Nutrition Calculator to build your favorite sandwich and discover how many calories it is.