Learn how to make delicious, vitamin-packed sandwiches with healthy ingredients

These days, many people have given up eating sandwiches because they think that they are high calorie, unhealthy options. However, they can be a perfect mid-morning or afternoon snack and even an impromptu lunch or dinner, provided you pick the right bread and ingredients.

Bread has been demonised in recent years. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends consuming 250 grams of bread every day. However, in Spain, for example, we barely eat 100 grams per person. Bread is made of flour and water, so it is mainly carbohydrate, which should account for almost 50% of a balanced diet.

100 grams of bread contain around 260 kcal (white and wholemeal alike), as well as group B vitamins and fibre (if the bread is wholemeal, 8 grams more). If you add a variety of fresh vegetables and delicious dressings to the mix, you have a snack packed with nutrients.

Keys to a healthy sandwich

For a tasty, healthy sandwich, nutritionists recommend you follow these guidelines:

1. Type of bread

There are more than 300 varieties of bread (baguette, ciabatta, country bread, oats, rye, etc.). Always choose wholemeal bread or one with quality cereals. Although white and wholemeal bread have the same calories, the latter has more nutrients, vitamins and a better taste.

2. Size

For a sandwich to be equivalent to a meal, the portion of bread must weight between 60 and 100 grams, but it all depends on how your physical constitution and your needs. If you get regular exercise and are under 40, the perfect portion is 80-100 grams. If you are watching your weight and have a sedentary lifestyle, then you should not eat more than 60 grams (a quarter of a baguette).

3. Veggies

Always include some fresh vegetables, either cooked or raw (tomato slices, lettuce leaves, sliced mushrooms, strips of roasted green pepper…). You should eat vegetables with at least your two main meals, so you shouldn’t leave them out of your sandwiches, either. The result will be juicier, more colourful and will contain more vitamins.

4. Dress with olive oil

Extra virgin olive oil, considered culinary gold, is the ideal condiment for a snack. As well as having numerous properties, eating it raw with vegetables makes the antioxidants (substances that prevent degenerative disease and slow ageing) easier to absorb.

5. Stay away from sauces

A light sandwich should not be loaded with sauce, particularly if it is precooked. If you want to add some extra flavour, choose yoghurt to keep the calories down.

6. Sausages and low-fat cheese

Choose proteins you add to the bread with care. Choose cold meats such as cured ham, boiled ham or turkey and low fat cheeses such a Camembert, ricotta, cottage cheese or Mozzarella). Try to avoid foods that contain saturated fats, which raise cholesterol.

A good example of a healthy sandwich (and a very Mediterranean one) could be wholemeal bread, tomato, fresh cheese, avocado, black olive and a drizzle of virgin olive oil, that will add a rich, intense flavour.

Did you know that a good sandwich is better than a bad set meal?

This post is also available in: Spanish