GMA Recipe: How to Make a Healthy Sandwich

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How to Make a Healthy Sandwich
From Heidi Skolnik, Nuritritionist and Men's Health magazine
2002

Sandwiches like the Reuben, the Dagwood and the Philly cheesesteak are staples of a guy diet. After all, what goes better with a cold beer and the baseball game?

But these machismo-laden meals don't come cheap. Consider those sandwich favorites to be are pit stops on the road to a beer belly -- or worse, obesity.

Even single-decker sandwiches can pack as much as 25 grams of fat, accounting for 50 percent of their total calories. It's not the cold cuts that make a sandwich fatty. It's the cheeses, sauces, and bacon strips that often get added to these lean meats.

As Good Morning America continues its Summer Weight Loss Challenge -- through a partnership with Men's Health magazine -- we took a look at how to make classic sandwiches healthy by adding flavorful, and healthy, ingredients.

Many of the recipes call for reduced-fat cheeses, fat-free mayonnaise or mustard, and whole-grain bread. To help meet about 20 percent to 25 percent of your daily fiber requirement, you should choose bread that contains 3 to 5 grams of fiber per serving and lists "whole wheat flour" as the first ingredient.

Spicy Philly Cheesesteak

Ingredients

1 medium onion, sliced

1 small red bell pepper, sliced

1 small green bell pepper, sliced

2/3 cup medium or hot salsa

4 multi-grain hoagie buns

1/2 cup shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese

Directions

1. Cook the onion and bell peppers in a nonstick skillet until tender.

2. Add the salsa and heat until warm.

3. Construct the sandwiches with the buns, roast beef, onion, peppers and cheese, then warm them in the microwave for 1 to 2 minutes on high, or until the cheese starts to melt.

Makes 4 sandwiches

Per sandwich, 353 calories, 26 grams protein, 44 grams carbohydrates, 7 g total fat, 3 grams fiber.

Turkey BLT Wrap

Ingredients

1 Tbsp. fat-free mayonnaise

1 flour tortilla

3 slices turkey bacon, cooked

3 ounces roast turkey breast, diced

2 slices tomato

2 leaves lettuce

Directions

1. Smear the mayonnaise on the tortilla

2. Line the middle of the tortilla with the bacon and top with the turkey breast, tomato, and lettuce.

3. Roll the whole thing tightly into a tube.

Makes 1 Wrap

Per wrap: 275 Calories, 21 grams protein, 28 grams carbohydrates, 9 grams total fat, 1 gram fiber.

Ham, Pineapple and Cheese Sandwich

Ingredients

1 kaiser roll

1 tsp. Dijon mustard

1 leaf lettuce

1 slice reduced-fat Swiss cheese

2 slices ham lunch meat

2 rings canned pineapple, drained

Directions

Slice the roll in half. Spread mustard on the bottom half, and top with the lettuce, cheese, ham and pineapple.

Makes 1 sandwich.

Per sandwich: 382 calories, 24 grams protein, 42 grams carbohydrates, 13 grams total fat, 2 grams fiber.

Grilled Portobello Sandwich

Ingredients

1 Portobello mushroom (4 ounces)

1/3 cup light herb vinaigrette dressing

1/2 large red bell pepper, sliced

1 clove garlic, finely minced

1 tbsp. fat-free mayonnaise

1 onion-flavored sandwich roll

1 slice reduced-fat Monterey Jack cheese

Directions

1. Drop the mushroom in a re-sealable plastic bag. Add the dressing, seal the bag, and let the mushrooms marinate in the fridge for a couple of hours.

2. Next, plop the mushrooms on a grill or in a nonstick skillet, along with the pepper and cook for 4 to 5 minutes per side.

3. While the mushroom cooks, stir the garlic and mayonnaise together and spread the mixture on the sandwich-roll halves. Add the mushroom and cheese and assemble.

Make 1 sandwich.

Per sandwich: 306 calories, 14 grams protein, 44 grams carbohydrates, 10 grams total fat, 6 grams fiber.

Classic Italian Meatball Sub

Ingredients

1 pound extra-lean ground beef

1/2 cup crushed saltine crackers

1 large onion, diced

1 clove garlic, minced

1 jar (16-ounce) tomato sauce

1 loaf French bread

1/2 cup shredded reduced-fat mozzarella cheese

Directions

1. Mix the beef, crackers, onion and garlic in a large bowl.

2. Roll the mixture into golf ball-size meatballs. Cook the meatballs in a nonstick skillet until browned all the way around.

3. Drain the fat from the skillet and add the tomato sauce.

4. While it's warming, slice the loaf of French bread in half and use a fork to scoop out some of the bread in one half, forming a shallow trench.

5. Spoon the meatballs and sauce into this ditch, sprinkle with the shredded mozzarella, and top with the other bread half.

Makes 4 servings.

Per serving, 614 calories, 38 grams protein, 85 grams carbohydrates, 14 grams total fat, 7 grams fiber.

Beef and Beet Rye

Ingredients

2 tsp. prepared horseradish sauce

1 tsp. reduced-fat mayonnaise

2 slices rye bread

1/4 pound thinly sliced roast beef

1/4 cup pickled red beets

1 leaf lettuce

Directions

Spread the horseradish sauce and mayonnaise on the bread. Sandwich the beef, beets and lettuce between the slices.

Makes one sandwich.

Per sandwich: 340 calories, 29 grams protein, 40 grams carbohydrates, 7 grams total fat, 5 grams fiber.

Chicken and Peach Salad Sandwich

Ingredients

1/2 cup diced chicken breast

1 stalk celery, diced

1 small onion, diced

1/4 cup canned peach slices, drained

1 tbsp. sliced almonds

1 tbsp. reduced-fat mayonnaise

4 slices multigrain bread

Directions

Mix the chicken, celery, onion, peaches, almonds and mayonnaise in a bowl and spoon onto the bread.

Makes two sandwiches.

Per sandwich: 290 calories, 25 grams protein, 38 grams carbohydrates, 8 grams total fat, 12 grams fiber.