30 Sandwich Swaps


30. Subway Steak, Egg, and Cheese Omelet Sandwich

490 calories
20 g fat (8 g saturated, 0.5 g trans)
1,430 mg sodium

Subway’s Omelet Sandwiches, albeit better than most fast-food breakfasts in the country, are still a big step down from the Muffin Melts. Make sure you choose accordingly.


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Steak, Egg, and Cheese Muffin Melts

380 calories
14 g fat (5 g saturated)
1,200 mg sodium


29. Panera Bread Grilled Bacon, Egg, & Cheese Sandwich

510 calories
24 g fat (10 g saturated, 0.5 g trans)
1,060 mg sodium

There are two differences between these sandwiches. First, this one is built on ciabatta, which provides 50 more calories and half as much fiber. And second, it replaces the ham with bacon, which means an extra 100 calories of mostly fat.

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Breakfast Power Sandwich

360 calories
14 g fat (6 g saturated)
860 mg sodium


28. A&W Crispy Chicken Sandwich

550 calories
25 g fat (4.5 g saturated, 1.5 g trans)
1,130 mg sodium

The word “crispy” is the restaurant’s way of discreetly warning you that this piece of chicken has been covered with breading and plunged into a bucket of sizzling hot oil. Any similarity to regular chicken was completely lost in the process.


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Cheeseburger

420 calories
21 g fat (7 g saturated, 0.5 g trans)
1,040 mg sodium


27. Hardee's Charbroiled Chicken Club Sandwich

560 calories
30 g fat (8 g saturated)
1,430 mg sodium

What goes into a club at Hardee’s? Cheese, bacon, and mayonnaise—the unholy trinity of sandwich toppings.


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Little Thick Cheeseburger

450 calories
23 g fat (9 g saturated)
1,180 mg sodium


26. Blimpie Grilled Chicken Caesar Ciabbatta

580 calories
20 g fat (5 g saturated)
1,480 mg sodium

The emperor has no clothes! Nine times out of 10, when you see the word Caesar, expect trouble. Consider this in the same nutritional red zone as mayo-bloated chicken salad. Ciabatta sounds fancy, but it’s essentially no different from white bread. Switch to 6-inch wheat and you’ll gain an immediate 3 grams of belly-filling fiber.

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Turkey and Cranberry

350 calories
4 g fat (0.5 g saturated)
1,220 mg sodium


25. Jack in the Box Sausage Croissant

580 calories
39 g fat
(13 g saturated, 4 g trans)
770 mg sodium

Two simple but immutable rules are at play here: 1) Bacon always beats sausage, and 2) buns always beat croissants.


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Bacon Breakfast Jack

300 calories
14 g fat (5 g saturated)
730 mg sodium


24. Subway 6-inch Meatball Marinara Sandwich

580 calories
23 g fat (9 g saturated)
1,530 mg sodium

Subway offers plenty of healthy options, but the meatball sub isn't one of them. Add some cheese and maybe a sauce and this 6-incher will end up costing you at the gym.

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6-inch Roast Beef on wheat

310 calories
4.5 g fat (1.5 g saturated)
800 mg sodium


23. Wendy's Chicken Club Sandwich

630 calories
30 g fat (10 g saturated)
1,390 mg sodium

Chicken clubs rarely deliver on their low-cal reputation, and that’s especially true at fast-food joints. Unless it’s made with grilled chicken and no mayo, expect it to be on par with the burgers.


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Jr. Cheeseburger and 5-Piece Crispy Chicken Nuggets

490 calories
26 g fat (8 g saturated, 0.5 g trans)
1,150 mg sodium


22. Carl's Jr. Charbroiled Santa Fe Chicken Sandwich

630 calories
35 g fat (8 g saturated)
1,410 mg sodium

Triple Whoppers are supposedly charbroiled, but that doesn’t make them healthy. Here, the addition of cheese and a mayo-based sauce ups the fat ante by a factor of five.


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Charbroiled BBQ Chicken Sandwich

380 calories
7 g fat (0.5 g saturated)
1,010 mg sodium


21. Atlanta Bread Company Turkey Club Panini

635 calories
25.5 g fat (7 g saturated)
1,255 mg sodium

Not an altogether terrible meal, but certainly not up the standard one would expect from a collaboration between turkey and salmon—two all-star proteins with serious low-calorie potential. The problem is the sandwich comes on oversized panini bread and the salad carries an aggressive dose of sugar and oil.


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Honey Maple Ham on Honey Wheat

370 calories
11.5 g fat (4 g saturated)
890 mg sodium


20. Starbucks Egg Salad Sandwich with Grande Tazo Iced Chai Tea Latte

730 calories
26 g fat (7 g saturated)
945 mg sodium

The words salad and sandwich are best taken on their own. When combined, expect an excess of mayo-based binder and a flood of calories. Tack on a Chai Tea Latte with 42 grams of sugar and you have a snack with more calories than five bowls of Breyer's chocolate ice cream.


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Roma Tomato and Mozzarella Sandwich with Grande Black Shane Iced Tea

460 calories
18 g fat (7 g saturated)
590 mg sodium


19. Outback Roasted Filet Sandwich

763 calories
20 g fat (6 g saturated)
3,333 mg sodium

Outback's ability to bump up the calorie count of almost any dish is once again on display here. By no means should a steak sandwich with provolone cheese and garlic herb aioli have almost 800 calories. Treat yourself to a New York Strip and save roughly 250 calories.


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New York Strip Steak (8 oz) and Fresh Seasonal Veggies

516 calories
29 g fat (15 g saturated)
788 mg sodium


18. Hardee's Monster Biscuit

770 calories
55 g fat (18 g saturated)
2,310 mg sodium

When they say “Monster,” they mean it. This 700-calorie behemoth should be enough to scare anyone: It contains nearly a full day’s worth of sodium and saturated fat. Instead try the Sunrise Croissant with Bacon. It’s not exactly diet-friendly, but if you’re stuck at Hardee’s, it’s a way to escape without too much damage.

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Sunrise Croissant with Bacon

450 calories
29 g fat (12 g saturated)
900 mg sodium


17. Arby's Market Fresh Roast Beef & Swiss Sandwich

780 calories
37 g fat (11 g saturated, 1 g trans)
1,700 mg sodium

The bread that houses this sandwich is responsible for an astounding 380 calories, much of which is thanks to a recipe that calls for 14 grams of sugar from mostly high-fructose corn syrup.
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Super Roast Beef

430 calories
18 g fat (6 g saturated, 1 g trans)
1,070 mg sodium


16. Denny's Moon Over My Hammy

780 calories
42 g fat (16 g saturated)
2,580 mg sodium

The Moon Over My Hammy has been a staple on the Denny's menu for years. Considering the dish serves up 16 gram of saturated fat and an entire day's worth of sodium, we think it's overstayed its welcome. Denny's either needs to give this breakfast classic a nutritional makeover or strike it from the menu completely.


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Veggie-Cheese Omelette

500 caloris
37 g fat (12 g saturated)
940 mg sodium


15. Au Bon Pain Sausage, Egg, and Cheddar on Asiago Bagel

810 calories
46 g fat (20 g saturated)
1,340 mg sodium

Bacon always trumps sausage in the breakfast meat category, but at Au Bon Pain, the race isn’t even close. Subbing in bacon for this sandwich would save you 240 calories and 23- grams of fat. Do you really love sausage that much?


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Bacon and Egg Melt on Ciabatta

470 calories
23 g fat (10 g saturated)
980 mg sodium


14. Quiznos Turkey Club Torpedo

815 calories
37.5 g fat (9 g saturated)
2,4440 mg sodium

We can't vouch for the militant theme running through the names of Quiznos’ subs, but this is one that lives up to the title. They load bacon, cheese, and mayonnaise into the war-head and aim the Torpedo right at your gut.


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Pesto Turkey Bullet and Tomato Basil Soup (cup)

455 calories
18 g fat (7 g saturated)
1,800 mg sodium


13. Five Guys Cheeseburger

855 calories
55 g fat (26.5 g saturated)
1,240 mg sodium

What Five Guys calls a “cheeseburger,” the healthy world calls a “double cheeseburger.” Yes, even without embellishments this bulky hunk of beef has more calories than two McDonald’s Quarter Pounders.


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Little Cheeseburger

580 calories
32 g fat (15 g saturated)
1,071 mg sodium


12. Cosi Tuna Melt

874 calories
40 g fat (11 g saturated)
1,154 mg sodium

Another complete waste of one of the world’s healthiest proteins. What is it about tuna that drives sandwich makers to turn to an ocean of mayo and a sea of melted cheese? This is one of the worst items in the entire store.


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Shrimp Remoulade Sandwich

456 calories
20 g fat (6 g saturated)
825 mg sodium


11. Domino's Pizza Chicken Bacon Ranch Sandwich

880 calories
46 g fat (17 g saturated, 1 g trans)
2,370 mg sodium

Don’t bother looking to the sandwich menu for reprieve. More than half of these greasy bread boats break 800 calories, making them second only to pasta in their potential for caloric punishment. If you want something other than pizza, wings are your best bet.

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Chicken, Bacon, and Roasted Red Pepper Pizza (2 slices; large, Brooklyn crust)

670 calories
16 g fat (6.5 g saturated)
925 mg sodium


10. Red Robin Whiskey River BBQ Chicken

965 calories
52 g fat
1,842 mg sodium

Alternative burgers nearly always lead you astray in the restaurant world. Any nutritional benefits you might receive by swapping out ground beef for a lean chicken breast are lost when it's smothered in salty sauces and sitting on a bed of deep-fried onions. At Red Robin, the safest choice is always the Natural Burger. It's not the healthiest in the world, but at least you can escape fairly unscathed.

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Natural Burger

569 calories
24 g fat
989 mg sodium


9. Quiznos Regular Tuna Melt

1,000 calories
66 g fat (14 g saturated)
1,350 mg sodium

Quiznos' melt suffers from the same affliction as Cosi's: too much mayo and cheese. This subpar sub certainly isn't worth the 1,000 calories.


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Pesto Turkey Bullet and Tomato Basil Soup (cup)

455 calories
18 g fat (7 g saturated)
1,800 mg sodium


8. T.G.I. Friday's California Turkey Burger with sweet potato fries

1,005 calories

This sounds like the healthy rebuttal to a plain burger and fries, but the calories tell another story entirely. When will a chain restaurant finally make a turkey burger worth eating?

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Flat Iron Steak with chef's vegetables and mashed potatoes

820 calories


7. Panera Bread Italian Combo on Ciabatta

1,040 calories
45 g fat (17 g saturated, 1 g trans)
3,090 mg sodium

When it comes to Italian-style sandwiches, you can always count on a mound of fatty meat tucked inside a big portion of doughy bread. All told, the final product usually ends up somewhere around the 1,000-calorie mark—like this one at Panera Bread. Cut calories and get a range of flavors by going with a You Pick Two combo.


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Half Asiago Roast Beef Sandwich and Half Fuji Apple Chicken Salad

610 calories calories
29 g fat (10 g saturated, 0.5 trans)
1,050 mg sodium


6. Boston Market Rotisserie Chicken Salad Sandwich

1,040 calories
60 g fat (9 g saturated, 1 g trans)
1,780 mg sodium

Boston Market may have shaved 4 grams of trans fat from this sandwich, but it also grew by an extra 240 calories. Chicken salad has hit a new all-time low.


Eat This Instead!

Beef Brisket, Green Beans, and Dill Potatoes

480 calories
27 g fat (4 g saturated)
560 mg sodium


5. Applebee's Reuben

1,130 calories
80 g fat (28 g saturated, 4 g trans)
3,550 mg sodium

Piled sky high with fatty slices of pastrami, the Reuben is a sandwich that is guarunteed to destroy your diet for the day. Although the calorie, fat, and sodium counts are all high, what's most troublesome about this version from Applebee's is that it contains a staggering 4 grams of trans fat. That's two days' worth and reason enough to stay away from this sandwich.

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Spicy Shrimp Diavolo

500 calories
10 g fat (3.5 g saturated)
1,910 mg sodium


4. Denny's Grand Slamwich

1,320 calories
90 g fat (42 g saturated, 1 g trans)
3,070 mg sodium

Bacon, sausage, ham, eggs, cheese, and mayo conspire to create the worst breakfast sandwich in America. Start your day with this and you’ll need to wait 48 hours before consuming another gram of saturated fat. And that’s before you get to the hash browns that come on the side.


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2 Fried Eggs with Honey Ham and Hash Browns

560 calories
41 g fat (11.5 g saturated)
1,150 mg sodium


3. Cheesecake Factory Grilled Turkey Burger

1,331 calories
31 g saturated fat
1,674 mg sodium

Terms like “grilled” and “turkey” are intended to temper your nutritional worries, but a quick look behind the buzz terms reveals that you could stuff nearly four Wendy’s Double Stack Burgers into the vast caloric trench created by this “healthy” alternative.


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The Factory Burger

737 calories
15 g saturated
1,018 mg sodium


2. Cheesecake Factory Grilled Portobello on a Bun

1,377 calories
22 g saturated fat
1,362 mg sodium

Like the turkey burger, the portobello burger is another sandwich that restaurants love to tout as a healthy alternative. Unfortunately, that's rarely the case. This example from Cheesecake Factory is the worst we've found, but you should remain skeptical anytime a portobello sandwich is on the menu.


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The Factory Burger

737 calories
15 g saturated fat
1,018 mg sodium



1. Chili's Buffalo Chicken Ranch Sandwich w/ fries

1,560 calories
86 g fat (14 g saturated)
4,010 mg sodium

Given the rate of wing consumption in this country, clearly hot sauce-slathered chicken and blue cheese or ranch is a winning combination. Problem is, chains such as Chili's are using this high-calorie combo to create sandwiches that are some of the worst on the menu. Along with fries, this tangy train wreck has two days' worth of sodium and more than a day's worth of fat.

Eat This Instead!

Grilled Chicken Sandwich w/ Veggies

610 calories
12 g fat (5 g saturated)
1310 mg sodium

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