Sandwich Fillings

Some ideas for low sodium sandwich fillings, to be updated on an irregular basis. My husband loves salad, but not in sarnies, so there is an unashamed meat bias here. My top tips are to make sure your Sunday roast is big enough to leave leftovers, and to buy fillets to cook and slice yourself - those "delicatessen" meats in the supermarket are chock full of salt.

- Pork & apple sauce

- Chicken breast with chilli and lime (marinade in chilli and lime juice, then char grill - slice the chicken before or after, depending how much crispy edge you like)

- Emmental and sliced tomato or chutney (much lower in sodium than pickle)

- Roast beef and mustard (make your own mustard - the powder has no sodium in it compared to ready-made mustard which has 3g per 100g)

- Lamb and mint sauce

Dispatches: Sandwiches Unwrapped

This week's Dispatches on Channel 4 took a look at sandwiches. Much of the programme focussed on a sandwich factory which had rats, however they also took a look at nutrition.

Boots came out top for nutritional value, most often reaching the FSA guidelines for low sodium/fat/saturated fat. Subway and Pret a Manger both did poorly, as did the posh sarnies from Marks & Spencer.

Looking at the Subway website, it's not straightforward to fathom out what you get in any given sandwich, as they list all the ingredients separately, however here are the highest and lowest options I could put together, avoiding dressings...

Highest sodium option - Wrap with Meatball Marinara - 2.6g sodium per sandwich, more than the daily recommended intake for an adult

Lowest sodium option - Honey Oat 6 inch Veggie Delite - 0.5g sodium per sandwich

Eat

I found this great site today too - the Sandwich Guide which has reviews of high street sandwiches, and also the British Sandwich Association who, on their home page, helpfully provide a definition of a sandwich for us (burgers do not count as sandwiches, apparently). Who would have thought there would have been so much information out there on the humble sandwich?

Anyway, here are some sodium levels for the sandwiches and soups at Eat. All figures are g of sodium per pack/portion. bear in mind that the government recommended daily intake for an adult is 2.4 g - some of these options come very close to giving you that in one part of one meal. In summary - avoid the baguettes and soups, and go for the chicken sandwiches instead.

Sandwiches...
Lowest:
Cajun Spiced Chicken 0.4g
Thai Citrus Chicken 0.4g
Chicken Salad 0.4g
Herb Cream Cheese and Roast Vegetables 0.42g

Highest:
Hot Smoked Salmon and Cucumber 1g
Chilli Crayfish 1.1g
Bacon, Lettuce and Tomato 1.2g
Prawns with Garlic Mayonnaise Wheat Free 1.2g
Smoked Salmon and Cream Cheese Wheat Free 1.2g
Tuna and Cheddar Melt 1.21g
Chorizo and Peppers Baguette 1.27g
EAT Club 1.43g
Roast Ham, Brie and Cranberry Baguette 1.8g
Ham and Jarlsberg Baguette 1.97g

Soups...
Lowest:
New England Clam Chowder 0.4g

Highest:
Hungarian Goulash 1.1g
French Onion 1.13g
Corn Chowder 1.18g
Cream of Corn 1.5g

Low Sodium Options at Starbucks

Sodium levels in some treats from Starbucks. All figures are g of sodium per 100g. I haven't included the yoghurts and salads because that's not why I go to Starbucks, frankly. But there are a couple of sandwich options here too.

Low Sodium Cake
Fairtrade chocolate chunk shortbread 0.02g
Mixed berry loaf with mascarpone icing 0.02g
Belgian chocolate brownie 0.03g
Marshmallow twizzle 0.03g
Granola 0.06g
Lemon drizzle cake 0.09g
Summer valencia orange cake (wheat and dairy free) 0.09g
Chocolate caramel shortbread 0.13g
Faitrade chocolate cake 0.13g
Low fat carrot and valencia orange cake 0.13g
Low fat wholemeal banana, date and raisin cake 0.13g

Coffee
Now here's a shock - some coffees are high in sodium. My favourite frapps are high, and having soy milk instead of dairy pushes the figures up too.

Sandwiches:
In general - avoid the panini, and go for a wrap instead.
Highest
Cheese & Marmite panini 0.8g
Oak smoked salmon 0.8g
Lowest
Smoked salmon & edamame bean flatbread 0.2g
Roasted chicken salad with mange tout wrap 0.2g
Roasted chicken & green herb mayo 0.2g

Pret a Manger

Pret a Manger is somewhere I often buy my lunch. They show their sodium contents on their website as g of sodium per pack, here. I've used these same figures below, because it's a good way of doing it, and saves me doing any division. It seems baguettes are the best option, and the hot wraps best avoided. Government guidance is to have no more than 2.4g of sodium a day.

Sandwiches (not including Slim Pret, and weekly specials)
Lowest: Devonshire Red Chicken and Rocket 0.61g
Highest: Summer Ham Salad 1.31g

Baguettes & Salad Wraps
Lowest: Brie, Tomato and Whole-leaf Baguette 0.38g
Next Best: Dry-cured Ham & Greve Baguette, and Dolphin-friendly Tuna Baguette, both 0.5g
Highest: Hoisin Duck Wrap 1.1g

Breakfast Baguettes
Lowest: Free Range Egg Mayo and Roasted Tomato 0.12g
Highest: Smoked Salmon, Free-range Egg Mayo and Cress 0.43g

Hot Wraps
Lowest: Jalapeno Chicken 1.08g
Highest: Spicy Falafel Melt 1.53g

Salads
Lowest: Chicken Avocado Salad 0.4g
Highest: Smoked Salmon, Wild Crayfish & Dijon Dressing Salad 1.29g

Soup
Lowest: Lentil, Tomato and Turmeric Soup 0.35g
Highest: Italian Meatball Soup 1.23g

Sushi
Lowest: Salmon Nigiri 1.8g
Highest: Deluxe Sushi 2g

Bakery
Highest: Egg & Bacon Croissant 0.98g
Lowest: Almond Croissant 0.0003g