9 Healthy Picks at Subway Nutritionist Approved!

Eating out can be a challenge, so I recently I perused Subway’s entire menu and came up with these 9 healthy picks for you to enjoy the next time you’re on the go and decide to “eat fresh”. Living up to its  tagline, Subway is pretty nutritionally sound these days with its chicken made from 100% white chicken and containing less than 1% soy protein. Subway also says all its chicken is raised without antibiotics and is free of artificial flavors and preservatives.

While Subway has done a great job at stepping up to past consumer complaints about food quality, don’t just assume that ALL options on the menu are “healthy”. Picking the right options and making substitutions when you can is paramount to successfully navigating their menu and keeping your goals in check. 

Check out our Instagram post if you want an easy bookmark to these options when you’re out and about!

SUBWAY BREAKFAST

1. Steak Egg White & Cheese Flatbread

Getting your protein in at breakfast doesn’t have to be a challenge if you’re having to grab something on the go. Customize Subway’s standard Steak Egg & Cheese flatbread for egg whites and no cheese, to halve the fat content and reduce sodium by almost 200mg. Add a little spicy brown mustard if you like a little extra kick.

2. Black Forest Ham Egg & Cheese Flatbread

Get some extra healthy fats from whole eggs with the Black Forest Ham, egg and cheese flatbread. Albeit a little high on the sodium scale, this is a super tasty option for brekkie and pretty well-balanced macro-wise.

SUBWAY SALADS

3. Meatball Marinara Salad

Surprisingly a meatball marinara salad or sub is nowhere near as “bad” calorie or macro-wise as one might expect. Even the sodium content isn’t off the charts. Winner winner meatball dinner! Great job Subway!

4. Chicken & Bacon Salad (no ranch no cheese)

Customizing the menu is a great option, don’t forget you always have that choice to control the extras like dressings and toppings that often add a lot of calories. If you were to have the ranch and cheese with this chicken and bacon salad, you’d be looking at 32g of fat for the whole salad and 430 calories. Sodium intake also nearly doubles!

5. Oven Roasted Chicken Salad

Typically this salad contains just 17g protein, but by doubling the meat you literally get twice as much! A great way to get some lean protein in when you’re in a bind for lunch.

Another salad option that is great for getting in some veggies if you’re on the road is the Veggie Delite salad (also great for vegetarians). You can even add the Subway Vinaigrette for a little more flavor and this salad would still only amount to 120 calories. It’s not falling into one of my top picks because it doesn’t provide much protein at all so is not really a balanced meal, but it still is a great healthy option for when you need some more veggies in your life!

RELATED: What to Eat at Panera

SUBWAY WRAPS & SUBS

In the past if you’d asked me to pick the healthier option between a sub and a wrap, I would have for sure picked the wrap. At some point in my mind I decided that wraps had less calories than bread, maybe it’s because they’re flatter!? 🤔 This is why I always look at nutrition information now. The wraps at Subway actually contain 16g more carbs than the 6″ 9-grain wheat subs!

Some of these subs are great options post-workout or opt for the choices with slightly higher fat for a more balanced lunch. 

6. Turkey Breast in Spinach Wrap

The Subway turkey breast spinach wrap is a little higher in carbs than the subs – nothing wrong with carbs, but just make sure this fits with your goals – but it also has a tremendous amount of protein which is great! What’s not so awesome about this wrap is that it’s pretty high in sodium, presumably down to the fact that this is deli turkey meat which is cured and preserved with salt by manufacturers. So while this is a good option from the standpoint of a well-balanced meal that’s likely to fill you up, I probably wouldn’t make this my go-to on every visit to Subway.

Just be aware if you’re eating other processed foods throughout the day that your sodium intake may be higher than usual and you’re likely to experience some bloating if you eat too much. The American Heart Association also recommends a maximum daily intake of 2,300mg for most adults to keep your arteries and heart healthy!

7. Rotisserie Style Chicken on 9 grain wheat 6″ sub

This is one of my favorite choices off the Subway menu. Sodium is in check and macronutrients are on point! No need for added dressings or sauces with this sub, it’s super tasty in its own right.

8. Oven Roasted Chicken on 9 grain wheat 6″ sub

The oven roasted chicken sub is a fantastic option if you want a decent meal but don’t want anything too dense. It’s a perfect pre or post workout meal if you’re in need of carbs and protein.

If you do want to add a little more flavor to your sub but keep the calories in check, you can add mustard. Another good choice is vinegar and a little oil for a boost of some healthy fats.

9. Veggie Delite 9 grain wheat on 6″ sub

For the vegetarians among you, even if you eat fish, steer clear of the tuna wrap (or tuna sub) as they are LOADED in mayo. One wrap easily contains enough fat for one person’s daily recommended intake! 😱

Their Veggie Delite sub is far healthier and even a provides a modest amount of protein.

I’m interested, what’s your go-to order at Subway? And do you typically pick any from my top-rated list? If you found this helpful you might want to check out our related post about 11 High Protein Picks at Panera.