Day 52 - Subway

In 1965, Fred DeLuca, who was trying to fulfill his dream of becoming a medical doctor, opened up a submarine sandwich shop in order to help him pay for his education. After giving him a loan of $1,000, Dr. Peter Buck, Fred's friend, became Fred's partner. Their business relationship forged and caused a change in the landscape of the fast food industry.

Fred DeLuca

Their first store was opened in Bridgeport, Connecticut in August of 1965. The partners decided to set a goal of opening another 31 stores in ten years. Throughout his business venture, Fred learned the basics of running a business and the importance of having a "well-made, high quality product, providing excellent customer service, keeping operating costs low, and finding great locations." These lessons in the business world provided the foundation for the success of the Subway restaurants.

By 1974, the two business partners owned and operated 16 sandwich shops throughout Connecticut. When they realized that they would reach their goal soon, they decided to begin franchising the company, launching the Subway brand into a period of massive growth.

Today, the Subway brand is the world's largest submarine sandwich chain with more than 34,000 locations around the world. They pride themselves on serving fresh, delicious, made-to-order sandwiches.

Subway Locations in the U.S.

But before we go along with the Subway's appearance of healthy food, I want to take a look at the nutritional quality of the most popular subway sandwiches. The sandwich calories are based on them having 9 grain wheat bread, lettuce, tomatoes, onions, green peppers, and cucumbers.

My favorite sandwich is the Black Forrest Ham sandwich. In a six inch sub, you will consume a total of 290 calories and 4.5 grams of fat, 1 of which is saturated. You will also get about 25mg of cholesterol, 7 grams of sugar, and 1200mg of sodium. In most respects, this sandwich is actually pretty good for you, until you get to the sodium. Then it becomes just as bad as most fast food products.

Aaron's favorite sandwich is the Buffalo Chicken sandwich with Ranch on it. This sandwich contains 420 calories and 15 grams of fat, 3 grams of which are saturated. The sandwich also has about 55mg of cholesterol, 7 grams of sugar, and 1290mg of sodium.

The Veggie Delite sandwich contains 230 calories and 2.5 grams of fat, 0.5 grams of which are saturated. It also has 0mg of cholesterol, 5 grams of sugar, and 410mg of sodium. Of all the sandwiches, this is definitely the best choice.

The Egg and Cheese Muffin from the breakfast menu has a total of 140 calories and 3.5 grams of fat, 1 grams of which are saturated. It also contains about 5mg cholesterol, 0 grams of sugar, and 490mg of sodium.

Finally, from their pizza menu, an 8 inch cheese and veggie pizza contains about 740 calories and 22 grams of fat, 9 grams of which are saturated. It also has about 50mg of cholesterol, 9 grams of sugar, and 1270mg of sodium.

If you are interested in looking at any more of subway's sandwiches, go ahead and look up the nutritional facts on their website. They list the calorie counts for the products as a whole, as well as the bread, veggies, meats, cheeses, and more individually. Interestingly enough, while some of the products do contain a massive amount of sodium, others have the least amount of any fast food product. I guess if you were to have to eat fast food at some point, Subway might be the lesser evil of all the chains.

Exercise: Today is a yoga workout! Vinyasa 2, which means that it is a medium intensity. Grab a video or head into a class today to get your hour long yoga session in today! We worked on a lot of balancing today… so try to focus on balance as you do your practice.

Eat: I read in today's paper that grocery prices are expecting to rise about 2 or 3% this year; so here is a tip for when you head into your local grocery store: Before you go shopping, plan out all of your meals for the week; including snacks and meals. Then look through your pantry and fridge for what you already have. Make a very specific list of the ingredients you need and only get those items when you are shopping. Make sure to also check all of the weights of the products, prices, and nutritional facts to make sure you are getting the healthiest foods at the best price deal. This will help you from both over buying and over spending. Don't forget to include vegetables in your meals AND pick up a few kinds of fruits for snacks!

Relax: When I got home today (which was at about 12:30am by the way) I was trying to decide if I wanted to sew up some flowers for my mother's business (I help out with some of the work) while I watched a show I DVR'd, or if I wanted to just relax while I watched my show. I decided, after consulting my sister who had a snow day tomorrow, to just sit and watch my show with her. (It is "our" show after all.) Sometimes, it is nice to just seriously sink into your couch after a long day and watch a show you really enjoy with someone! I highly recommend it. I'm sure I'll get those flowers done tomorrow anyway :)