Subway’s Claim To The Tuna Throne

In a world where on-the-go meal options are increasingly in demand, healthy choices are highly sought after as a substitute of the unwholesome fast food lunchtime of burger and fries.

One convenience food restaurant chain that can make it a bit easier to undertake a nutritious selection is sandwich giant Subway, the largest fast food chain in the world in terms of outlets, and which sports the tuna sub as a healthier alternative on its menu, as well as it being one of the most best loved sandwiches across markets. There are nearly 45,000 Subway locations in 112 countries, in total vending more than eight million sandwiches a day. And the tuna sub is the second best seller, standing for eight percent of sales, causing the major single-brand restaurant chain to be one of the world’s biggest canned tuna buyers.

Tuna is the only long-standing seafood option available on Subway menus worldwide, but in some countries such as Australia, and some locations in the US, you can find a “Seafood Sensations” sandwich with a mix of crab and pollock. Additionally, the chain recently introduced an Alaskan pollock sandwich, available for a limited time only.

By opting for the tuna choice on Subway’s menu, you’re taking a good choice for your diet, but is it the most environmentally friendly decision? Late last year, Subway became the 40th member of the International Pole and Line Foundation (IPNLF), now sourcing a small amount of its tuna from pole and line fisheries, with demand from the chain being far too big to be able to source all from this fishing method. Subway said the move was a firming of its commitment to pole and line, and states that in the long-term its goal is to source all of its tuna from MSC or “equivalent” fisheries, however has not provided a time frame for this goal.

When ordering at Subway you design your own meal, so just how calorific your quick lunch is, or is going to be, is up to your mixture of bread, cheese and sauces. But basing your sandwich on a healthy seafood protein is a good start. With about 37 million possible different combinations available, the tuna subs can be fit to suit anyone’s taste, also for the ones attempting to stay slim.

According to Livestrong, the tuna sub is one of the four healthiest choices on offer at the convenience restaurant, along with the Monterey Chicken, Veggie Delight and Oven Roasted Chicken sandwiches. The tuna sub’s main ingredient is simply flaked skipjack in water mixed with mayonnaise. If you drop the cheese, a 6-inch contains around 480 calories, 20 grams of protein and 600 mg of sodium.

In this count, the vegetables included are lettuce, tomato, onion, green pepper and cucumber on 9-grain wheat bread. Atuna decided to test this exact sub, and see if the lack of cheese and condiments would affect the taste. And the midday grub did not disappoint.

Purchasing the variant in question on a Friday means a discount on the price, as it is the “Sub of the Day”, costing EUR 3.00 (USD 3.50). Any other day it would cost EUR 4.00 at a Subway outlet in the Netherlands, with the price being similar in most other European countries.

The tuna is pink in color with sizeable chunks that are not too flakey served in a toasted bun which accompanies the tuna nicely. The bread is not made soggy by the tuna-mayo mix, which is mild and tasty. The suggested vegetables are a good match with the fish; the cheese and sauce are not missed as the sandwich is flavorful and juicy. The protein to bread and vegetables ratio is pretty much perfect and all the flavors blend together nicely. All in all, if you make the right pickings at the counter, a tuna sub can be both a healthy and delicious lunch time option.

To what extent your tuna lunch will hit your waistline can however be greatly affected by the bread you choose. The 9-grain is among the lowest calorie bread the chain offers, together with Hearty Italian Bread and Sourdough Bread, containing 210 calories each. Choosing any of the other breads offered such as Italian Herbs and Cheese can increase the energy in your tuna sandwich to over 500 calories. However, it is still a more wholesome option than a Big Mac and fries at McDonald’s, which will give you nearly 850 calories.

And don’t forget the sauces; adding a tablespoon of regular mayonnaise, in addition to the mayo already in the tuna mix, or ranch dressing can add an extra 110 calories to your meal, although there are less-calorific possibilities available, such as fat free honey mustard dressing which will add around 30cal.

If you’re looking for an even healthier option, there is also an alternative to take your lunch as a salad, with all the ingredients from the sandwich, just without the carbs, as is possible with all subs. The tuna salad contains around 310 calories according to the Subway website. A tuna salad is also available at another popular fast food restaurant, McDonald’s, in form of a Niçoise salad. This salad only has 178 calories, but McDonald’s does not carry the same healthy status as Subway, and the bestselling products at this chain are dominated by beef burgers. This hints that McDonald’s goers do not frequent this restaurant for a health fix and might be unlikely to choose the tuna option.

There are not many tuna alternatives available from convenience food restaurants, and fish choices are more commonly a white fish. The biggest competitor for the tuna sub does however come from McDonald’s. The Filet-O-Fish, a burger with a fried pollock fillet, is the chain’s main fish option. The burger does beat the tuna sub on its sustainability claim, as it does carry MSC certification, a commitment not yet made by Subway. And per portion, the burger also contains less calories with around 310 calories per 150g serving.

Even though this represents less calories than the tuna sub’s 480, the Subway sandwich is considerably bigger at 290 grams. This means that the sub is the healthier alternative with 165cal per 100g compared to the Filet-O-Fish’s 206 calories per same weight.

However, as shown, the options you make when creating your sub can hugely change how healthy your lunch will be. And from the healthiest to the unhealthiest choices, the calorie content can vary from around 480cal to a whopping 700cal. But if you have health on your mind, a Subway tuna sandwich is obtainable pretty much everywhere all over the world, making it easy to choose well when running short on time.