You want something quick and easy to make and eat for lunch. As a kid, you were likely given a sandwich. That meal and has now become a staple for your lunch, but you keep hearing that bread is unhealthy. There are so many experts telling you to ditch the bread and look for alternatives for lunch.
While some bread can be bad for you, not all of it is. There are also plenty of other ways to create a sandwich for your lunch. None of them take longer than five minutes to make. Just make sure you don’t devour them in another five minutes—because they are delicious and you’ll be tempted to inhale them instead of enjoying them.
So, when you have just five minutes, these are some healthy sandwiches that you want to make with some tips to keep the ingredients healthy.
Start with the Right Type of Bread
You can’t make a sandwich without bread, can you? Well, there are ways around it, but sometimes you just want the traditional outer to your meal.
Instead of picking up the white bread on the market look out for whole wheat versions. Whole wheat is healthier for your body. The main benefit is in the fiber that you will get in the food, rather than just getting empty carbs that offer very littleregarding nutrition. The fiber in whole wheat bread will break down slower than white flour, which means you feel fuller for longer.
The chances are that you will feel far more satisfied at the end of your meal. You won’t be tempted to pull out the desserts to finish off your meal.
If you want to take a step forward in getting rid of the loafs of bread, you can always opt for a baguette. Pull out the dough from the bread and just have the crusty section on the outside with a bit of bread still attached to the crusty goodness.
The dough is one of the worst parts of the bread. Weight Watchers members found that removing the dough meant they saved a decent amount of points in their meals to be able to enjoy their treats instead.
Another major benefit of taking out the dough is that you have more space. You can add more fillings to make sure you get your five a day within your meal.
Cut out the bread entirely by opting for pita bread or tortilla wraps instead. Okay, so there is still some wheat and gluten in some cases, but you are getting rid of some of the health side effects of eating bread. There are also some gluten free options easily available to help keep some discomforts to a minimum.
Tortilla and pitas come in whole wheat varieties. They will give you the fiber while keeping the calories down compared to normal bread.
Of course, you can completely cut out the bread and tortilla wraps. Opt for using lettuce leaves as your bread instead. It’s a weight loss friendly sandwich and still holds all the fillings in. You’ll need to get an iceberg or romaine lettuce and use the crunchy white parts of the lettuce to get the best grip.
Egg whites also make good bread alternatives for sandwiches. You can fry the eggs into a thin omelet and create a wrap out of it. Perfect for your breakfast burritos, right?
Pack with Vegetables of Your Choice
Now let’s start to look at the fillings. The main ingredient that you want to use is vegetables. Any type of vegetables will do. The more, the merrier!
Vegetables are low in calories—in many cases negligible! You will get plenty of water through them, as well as other nutrients. They also add a crunch to your sandwich and plenty of fiber to make your lunch filling and tasty.
Try out a range of vegetables and mix and match depending on the other ingredients that you want to use. Tomatoes and cucumbers tend to be the most favored, but you can always add some peppers, mushrooms, onions, and even avocado.
Tomatoes, lettuce, avocado, and cucumber work together extremely well as a vegetable sandwich. There’s no need to add any meat in, and you won’t need many dressings, although a little mayo will go well with it or a ranch dressing will work well. You can also make your own coleslaw to use in the sandwich instead.
To make your own coleslaw, you just need some mayo with shredded carrot, cabbage, and red onion. Mix it all together and pop in a bowl in the fridge. Add to your meals as you see fit! You can use cream cheese instead if you want to get rid of the mayo!
Pack out your sandwich with the vegetables. You want your dish to be overflowing with them to the point that you may need to pull out the veggies and eat them separately.
When you do use vegetables, try to get organic ones. These are free from chemicals and will have all the natural nutrients preserved in them.
If you fancy something a little different, you can also add some apple or pear to your sandwiches! Yes, this is a tasty way to add something sweet and fruity to your day. Make an apple slaw with some cream cheese and red onion to create a healthy dressing for your sandwich.
Opt for Lean Meat or Fish
You don’t need to add meat or fish to your sandwich. In fact, just a vegetable sandwich is a great way to save on the calories and enjoy a multi-coloured, nutrient-packed meal.
If you do want to add something a little more to your sandwich, make sure it is filled with healthy and lean protein. This means lean meats and fish. You will find that turkey or chicken are better meat options unless you have lean versions of pork or beef. A few slices of beef work well with some mustard and onions to create a quick, basic, steak and onion sandwich.
Cook some chicken or turkey breasts and shred them up. Mix them with a range of vegetables and some mayo or cream cheese. This is the perfect sandwich filling for wraps and baguettes since there is little chance of losing it through the sides of your bread! It also works extremely well for pitas.
If you want to use slices of chicken or turkey, consider grilling them and layering your sandwich with your favorite vegetables and even some slices of pineapple! You can create a spicy mayo dressing to finish off the meal.
When it comes to fish, oily fish is better. They are filled with the omega 3 fatty acids that your brain will need. When you get to lunch time, your brain will search for anenergy boost. Feeding it the oily fish and omega 3s will help to boost the release of the right chemicals and improve your cognitive function. You’ll find that you need to snack less around 3pm when you hit that mid-afternoon slump.
What’s the big deal about protein? Well, it’s another food group that breaks down slowly. Your body needs to work harder, so the metabolic rate is increased. At the same time, you’re left feeling fuller while your body gets rid of the food that you’ve eaten. You’ll have sustained energy levels, and you’ll feel the need to snack in the afternoon much less than if you didn’t bother with protein.
At the same time, you will give yourself the nutrients that help to build muscle. The stronger your muscles are, the more calories you will burn in your resting state. You will find it easier to lose weight and will feel healthier and fitter.
When You Want Protein without the Meat
You don’t need meat to get the protein. There are plenty of vegetarian and vegan options out there.
Let’s start with the most common vegetarian option that really is healthy for you: egg mayonnaise. If you make the mayo, you have far more control over the nutrients and just how healthy it is.
Boiling a few eggs to put in your sandwich isn’t going to take too long. In fact, you can boil them and pop them in the fridge until you’re ready to eat them. You can also make a large bowl of egg mayonnaise at the weekend and use it for your sandwiches throughout the week.
Eggs are misconstrued as being unhealthy. Many people claim that they are high in cholesterol, so are bad for you. The truth is that while they are high in cholesterol, they are high in the cholesterol that you want to get. They are high in HDL cholesterol, which is the stuff that lines your arteries with a smooth layer. Your blood is able to flow right throughout without clumping and clogging.
Your doctor may see that your overall cholesterol levels are high, but ask for a test that looks at both LDL and HDL cholesterol. You’ll find that with an egg-based diet the HDL will be higher and you may have very low amounts of LDL, as the HDL stop the LDL levels increasing to dangerous levels.
If you want to get away from all animal products, then you could opt for chickpeas and lentils as your sandwich filling. They can be blended together to create a paste as a filling, or you can opt for mixing them with a range of veggies and some vegan-friendly mayo.
Chances are you’ve never even considered legumes, lentils, and chickpeas as a sandwich filling. It’s also possible to mix them with quinoa to make a sandwich filled with protein without even thinking about animal products.
Tofu also works as a sandwich filling. This can make you feel like you’re enjoying a meat-filled sandwich without all the extra calories. Make sure you drain your tofu with paper towels before you use it in your sandwich filling. Otherwise your bread will end up soggy.
Think Carefully About Your Dressings and Condiments
Mayonnaise is often the go-to option for a sandwich. Sure enough, it is easy, and you can make a sandwich with it in five minutes. However, it’s not always the easiest.
If you’re going to use mayo, consider making your own. You can keep the amounts of sugars and salts added to it to a minimum. You also control other ingredients that are thrown in, while adding extra spices or flavorings to create a mayonnaise that works perfectly for your fillings.
Another option is to switch the mayo out for some tahini. This is popular in Middle Eastern and Mediterranean diets and is created from roasted sesame seeds, so the base is animal product free. There is a spicy taste to the dressing when bought from the shops, but you can get the plain dressing and add your own flavorings to it. Tahini works extremely well with chicken and turkey.
Don’t forget that mustard is a healthy option. The mustard seed is full of antioxidants so it will help to support your immune system in the same way that the vegetables in your sandwich will. There are different types of mustards available, depending on how hot you want it. Dijon is one of the most popular, but normal yellow mustard is there if you want something in a squeeze bottle!
Finally, add some sriracha to your sandwich. This is the most popular Thai sauce, and it is hot. You’ll want to try it before you fill your sandwich with it to make sure you can handle the heat. Instead of making eye mayo sandwiches, replace the mayo with this sauce and create something out of this world. It’s also excellent with chicken and fish.
Make Your Own Sandwich in 5 Minutes
Now you just need to put your sandwich together. The hardest part will be deciding on the type of sandwich that you want. I’d suggest creating a list of fillings and dressings that work together well. Create a plan for each day of the week, so you get something different in your healthy sandwiches each day of the week.
Have tubs of shredded poultry, pork, and beef in the fridge, you can have bowls of egg mayo, tuna, and other fish, and even jars of sauces at the read. All you need to do on a morning is pop it all together. When you have sandwich ingredients that will make the bread soggy, put them in small tubs in your bag and create your healthy sandwich in the office in just five minutes. You have the rest of your lunch break to enjoy!
