This is a guest post from Vani Hari (a.k.a. The Food Babe).
Subway is the single largest chain restaurant in the world. That means you’ve probably eaten there at some point in your lifetime and if you are like me could possibly have 10 of these restaurants within a 1 mile radius of your house.
But is eating at America’s favorite fast food chain really eating real food?
Subway would certainly like you to think so. With their slogan “Eat Fresh,” marketing with avocados and a guy who lost hundreds of pounds eating their famous sub sandwiches, it’s easy to get duped.
You may also feel tricked when you see a little heart logo, indicating a menu item at Subway is “heart healthy.” Just last week it was announced that the American Heart Association (AHA) has endorsed several menu items at Subway and added the heart logo to indicate which ones.
At every Subway on the “sneeze guard” glass they display one version of their nutritional information – the infamous “6 grams of fat or less” menu. This menu includes calories, fat grams, and that new little heart logo, but doesn’t display anything about the ingredients. Doubting that Subway or the AHA would actually ever create a real food information guide for you, I decided it was time to do this myself. Below are the “6 grams or less” menu items and critical real food information you should know about each choice.
Let’s take a closer look.
- Subway definitely keeps it fresh and I figured out how. Every single one of their items on the “6 grams or less” menu has preservatives to keep it …well…fresh! Sure Subway makes your meal right in front of you, but what is really happening behind the scenes? Boxes of already cut up and prepackaged processed foods and chemical additives are being shipped from Big Food industry factories to each location.
– - The 9 grain wheat bread might look and smell freshly baked but it contains close to 50 ingredients including refined flours, dough conditioners, hidden MSG, refined sugars, etc. Could bread this processed ever be real food? Certainly not, when it includes a chemical ingredient called azodicarbonamide, which is banned as a food additive in the U.K., Europe, and Australia, and if you get caught using it in Singapore you can get up to 15 years in prison and be fined $450,000. Azodicarbonamide is more commonly used in the production of foamed plastics, however, it is allowed in the United States as a food additive, a flour bleaching agent, and a dough conditioner that improves elasticity of bread. The U.K. has recognized this ingredient as a potential cause of asthma if inhaled, and advises against its use in people who have sensitivity to food dye allergies and other common allergies in food, because azodicarbonamide can exacerbate the symptoms. Let’s not forget it only takes 4 or 5 simple ingredients to make REAL whole-wheat bread including flour, yeast, salt, water, and maybe honey.
- Three sandwiches on this menu, along with several other menu items not listed, are comprised of processed meats and filled with nitrates and forms of MSG. The consumption of nitrates need to be taken very seriously. Nitrates are frequently converted into nitrosamines, which have been proven to increase the risk of disease dramatically. The latest research from World Cancer Research Fund declared that “processed meat is too dangerous for human consumption.” Studies have shown it may only take 1.8 ounces of processed meat (about half of what is in a typical 6 inch sub) daily to increase the likelihood of cancer by 50%, heart disease by 42% and diabetes by 19%. I still know people who eat Subway for lunch everyday, but I’m glad I don’t know anyone on the actual Subway Diet. Sheesh. I can’t imagine what their percentage would be, could you?
– - Can you believe the American Heart Association is now putting their seal of approval behind these processed meat based Subway menu items? WOW. After all these studies that show an increase in heart disease? Is this a joke? Even the processed turkey meat that seems harmless because it doesn’t contain nitrates is full of preservatives, chemical flavorings, and carrageenan. I wrote about carrageenan last month after the Cornucopia Institute revealed a study that once the food grade version of carrageenan is ingested it turns into a carcinogen in your digestive system.
- Preservatives and even artificial colors are added to many of their “fresh” vegetable offerings – like the banana peppers and pickles. The ingredients for the black olives unveiled a new additive I learned about, “ferrous gluconate,” which is an iron based preservative that helps keep olives black.
– - While the “6 grams or less” menu says the totals don’t include cheese or salad dressings, it is important to know that some of the cheeses offered at subway also have artificial colors, preservatives, and even cellulose that’s made from wood pulp.
– - Two of the healthiest sounding salad dressings were actually the worst based on my analysis. Fat free honey mustard and the red vinaigrette both have corn syrup, artificial colors, preservatives, and other chemical additives.
To top it off, the majority of foods at Subway have been conventionally sourced and probably include pesticides, antibiotics, and/or growth hormones. In my research, I didn’t find one single organic ingredient or menu item available at over 36,000 stores. Even the lemon juice comes in a pre-packaged squirt pack filled with preservatives. Because of this I haven’t consciously ever considered going to a Subway in the last 7 years.
Last weekend, I broke this streak and went into a Subway in search of real food. I have to admit the thought of going into a Subway and ordering off the menu was a little bit daunting, but I decided this was the best way to get the answers to my questions, like whether or not their avocado was really fresh or not. Could it be possible for me to order something and actually take a bite without squirming? Going against my Eat With Your Dollars philosophy and purchasing something from the “bad guys” went against every bone in my body. But I did it.
Watch it all unfold in the video below. Everything at Subway may not be “fresh” but if you are ever stuck on a deserted island and this was the only place you could eat… now you know what to order.
Special thanks to Nicole Galuski for filming
P.S. You can check out my favorite “fast food” sandwich I am eating now and how to get it here.
Comments have been closed on this article, which was written by Vani Hari. If you have a question or comment you can reach her at http://FoodBabe.com.
Healthofyou
July 2, 2013 at 3:06 amGreat blog. Love to see it again with more pots.
TJ
July 2, 2013 at 1:02 pmFrom where do you get your information? This article present facts without telling the readership how you got the facts. Let me be clear that I do believe you, but I would like to see the facts for myself and so I can show others.
Eric
July 31, 2013 at 12:54 amWell, one of the sources quoted was an article written by someone who I would not call credible, and the World Cancer Research Fund, on their website said that they’ve never said what was quoted in both this article and the article that she is quoting from.
The latest research from World Cancer Research Fund declared that “processed meat is too dangerous for human consumption.â€
Here is the link to their response to this claim:
http://www.wcrf-uk.org/about_us/media/press_release.php?recid=217&utm_source=s-m-story&utm_medium=webpage&utm_campaign=wcrfhome
Of course, processed foods are bad, but to say that they’re too dangerous for human consumption is a far stretch.
Evan
July 2, 2013 at 9:37 pmHow is it that this person creating the chart would know that these items contain GMO’s. It says ‘Likely contains GMO’s’. That doesn’t really give good information at all. It almost makes me assume that the entire chart should have ‘Likely contains’ before each unwanted item.
7 Seater Cars
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Margaret
July 8, 2013 at 12:38 pmThanks for spreading the word about the difference between real food and food with preservatives, etc. We are trying to educate customers, too, since we make Wave Hill Breads in Norwalk, CT, out of natural ingredients and we make our breads and pastries by hand. We bring them to farmers’ markets and also retail food markets including Whole Foods and Stop & Shop, as well as local food stores in Fairfield and New Haven Counties in Connecticut and Westchester County in New York State.
Greg
July 9, 2013 at 11:15 pmI used to eat at Subway about once a week. But it started making me really bloated and tired. I figured it was the bread, so I changed to their flatbread and that did not help. So I started eating their salads and it was even worse. Then I found out they put MSG on their veggies. That is when I stopped eating at Subway! But at least know I know a little more about what was causing this. Good article. Thanks for posting it.
Lynwood
July 12, 2013 at 4:47 amReally lots of beneficial information.
Angela W
July 14, 2013 at 10:12 amVani, you really owe people reading your blog the source of your information. Did your send Subway food to an actual third-party lab for analysis? Did Subway provide you with detailed analysis of ingredients? Until then, this is all heresay and makes it almost impossible for people to take you seriously.
meg
January 17, 2014 at 5:44 pmA detailed list of ingredients is actually provided on the subway website:
http://www.subway.com/Nutrition/Files/usProdIngredients.pdf
No need to seek out a third party lab when Subway gives up the info voluntarily.
Dan
July 20, 2013 at 2:54 pmA lot of fast food chains have the ingredients of there food on there website. Or when you go there ask to see the ingredients list on the case they come in there all in the back. Unless its really busy they should grab the box for you check for yourself. Say your allergic to something and you want to double check the ingredients.
Alex
July 21, 2013 at 8:45 amMore propaganda from the organic, anti-science lobby. Not everyone can afford to grown their own vegetables in their backyards. Unsubstantiated claims about believed additives is just a matter of faith, not science. Making organic, unprocessed foods is beyond the pay range of everyone but the 1%. Subway is a healthy alternative to burger and taco joints and anyplace that puts grains and vegetables above sauce and meat should be encouraged.
Jessica
July 23, 2013 at 12:45 pmI’m not a part of the 1% but we eat mostly unprocessed foods. They’re not always organic but at least they’re not full of artificial colors, fats, sweeteners, preservatives, etc. I cook everything from scratch and it doesn’t cost extra money (in fact, a lot of times it’s less) it just takes time. I’m a full time employee and the mother of a 15 month old. So we had to make our diets a priority in order to make it work. It’s a choice.
And just for the record, with the exception of the “Likely contains GMO’s”, all the additives are actually listed in the ingredients list which you can obtain from their website.
Yea Okay
July 21, 2013 at 11:22 amWow. Now we don’t need any proof of GMO’s. The fear mongering of public opinion on GMO’s is so strong you can just write “Likely” and people won’t eat the food.
Natasha
July 26, 2013 at 5:16 amInteresting read. thank you. I am curious however; with the preservatives mentioned being outlawed in Europe can Subway claim its ‘Freshness’ here?
Jamie
August 8, 2013 at 4:04 pmThank you so much for this information! Have you done this for other “healthy” fast food chains? Or restaurants? I’m always trying to explain my reasoning to other people but they just don’t get it. Thanks!!
Janie
August 9, 2013 at 10:53 amHi Janie here, I like your site.
Patrick M
August 11, 2013 at 2:21 pmJust FYI
The links in this sentence above:
” Studies have shown it may only take 1.8 ounces of processed meat (about half of what is in a typical 6 inch sub) daily to increase the likelihood of cancer by 50%, heart disease by 42% and diabetes by 19%. ”
Merely need to another blog. That blog’s sources? OTHER BLOGS.
So, these figures lead any interested person in a wild goose chase for the source of the “STUDIES”. Therefore, these figures are, to me, guesstimations by an anonymous source. Possibly a blogger, or someone else who doesn’t know how to do / doesn’t have access to subscriptions for scholarly research. Why cite, in general, “studies”? “studies” is meaningless without a proper citation directing the reader to a proper source.
Therefore, most of this article seems to be bunk. Although, I will accept that subway has lots of artificial ingredients in general, because this article cannot provided verified specific information.
Patrick M
August 11, 2013 at 2:21 pmJust FYI
The links in this sentence above:
” Studies have shown it may only take 1.8 ounces of processed meat (about half of what is in a typical 6 inch sub) daily to increase the likelihood of cancer by 50%, heart disease by 42% and diabetes by 19%. ”
Merely leads* to another blog. That blog’s sources? OTHER BLOGS.
So, these figures lead any interested person in a wild goose chase for the source of the “STUDIES”. Therefore, these figures are, to me, guesstimations by an anonymous source. Possibly a blogger, or someone else who doesn’t know how to do / doesn’t have access to subscriptions for scholarly research. Why cite, in general, “studies”? “studies” is meaningless without a proper citation directing the reader to a proper source.
Therefore, most of this article seems to be bunk. Although, I will accept that subway has lots of artificial ingredients in general, because this article cannot provided verified specific information.
Mannard
September 8, 2013 at 3:51 pmA good rule of thumb is: if a restaurant has a TV commercial, its probably GMO
mabdoo
September 11, 2013 at 9:39 pmI just checked the ingredient info on subway website and says 2‰ or less contains those chemicals..so is it that bad? I have nevergot sick from eating subway sandwich and I always feel comfortable and not sleepy after i eat them
James
November 18, 2013 at 4:15 pmWhat % of cyanide would you need to decide a food was not healthy to eat? The % is not as important as the chemical. This site pushes “real” food but enriched foods, that is food with added vitamins and minerals are one of the greatest advances in health in this country and indeed around the world where available. I don’t know that I need plastic in any of my food, my bread doesn’t have to be elastic…
Polaris
September 13, 2013 at 2:49 pmSpoiler alert: deli meat in general is full of preservatives, salts, and other additives. So is the bread you buy in the store.
Eugene Williams
October 20, 2013 at 8:32 pmI went to a Subway Restaurant in Columbia South Carolina a few weeks ago and the girl fixed my sandwich better than what you see on TV. I asked her if she would get in trouble for fixing it that way and she said that every store can do it if they want too.
Violet
October 24, 2013 at 5:37 pmWhile I don’t doubt much of what is written here, lack of evidence is what gives people reason to believe you’re pulling this out of your hat.
The only way to get 100% fresh anything is to buy from a small local seller. Don’t go to a supermarket, go to a butchery for fresh meat and a produce stand for fruits and vegetables.
storerobber
November 4, 2013 at 7:47 pmBut what about eat freshly cheap for $2 a 6 incher in the month of December?
Look it here. December is the only month that you can dive into a subway sandwich. After Dec is over, you detox your body for the remainder of the 11 months.
You Americans are too spoiled. Wait till you visit a third world country where there do not have a choice. Next sandwich is on me, literally. I don’t just eat fresh, I eat one for you too. Now back to slickdeal dot net. LOL
crayzee
February 11, 2014 at 11:36 pmStorerobber why don’t you move the hell out of America if you think we’re spoiled. You don’t like it leave.
Hannah
November 8, 2013 at 9:53 amI made the mistake of eating a subway club while I was reading this article and almost threw up my food when I read about the chemicals in the sandwich I was consuming. And I was totally digging the actual spicy taste of my European, twice the price of an American equivalent sub! Hopefully its not the same here or else I’m going to loose it.
Chon Williams
November 18, 2013 at 2:01 pmBitch got dumped by her Subway boyfriend so she writes this trash article. Go back to your 100 level college writing course.
Chon Williams Staulker
December 11, 2013 at 4:47 pmChon – get your tiny dick out of your mouth for one minute…then go jump under a bus.
Daniel Schwenk
January 15, 2014 at 10:49 amWell said Staulker!
Chon Wimpliams: Needledik, the Bugfugger!
Haw!
Ice mister
January 4, 2014 at 11:18 pmYou should see their ice machines a couple months after cleaning……the evaporator coil is covered in black slimy mold, I figured out that it is from the yeast in the air. By law they don’t have to have exhaust fans due to the electric ovens so a cold dark humid environment like a ice machine is a mold motel
John Hurley
January 15, 2014 at 11:35 amSubway’s food is as real as your implants
edlogic
January 22, 2014 at 7:29 pmAbout 7 years ago or more ( can’t remember ) was the last time I went into a Subway .
I used to like their subs, but the last time I tried one, I could not taste any difference between the bread the meat or the lettuce .
The whole thing just tasted like cardboard or something other than real food .
I never went back and won’t ever again .
Gregg
January 26, 2014 at 6:13 pmOk so Subway has processed food, and isn’t as good as making your own.
It is virtually impossible to get away from processed food in this country. Even the majority of the food you buy in the grocery store is processed.
But how does it rate as compared to all the other fast food choices.
I mean is it better than McDonalds, Burger King, Culver’s or even KFC.
Even with the “not so fresh†veggies it has to be better than any of the others, right?
Matt
February 6, 2014 at 1:54 pmVirtually impossible to find fresh food? Have you ever heard of a co-op or farmer’s market? They have them all over the US and in every town I have ever lived in. You get fresh locally raised meat and produce. You just have to spend the 5 seconds it takes to type “farmer’s market near ” in your favorite search engine. In the time it takes you to type “virtually impossible to get away from processed food in this country” you could have already found real food.
Jesse
January 27, 2014 at 11:46 amThose vegetables are almost certainly GMO and don’t do very much for you, either!
Kiran
February 9, 2014 at 10:44 pmThats what I was suspecting if really the veggis are real or GMO and I was suspecting too, the could be GMO food, may be I should ask this next time?
Pestisida Nabati Daun Sirsak
February 3, 2014 at 12:28 amSubway is the single largest chain restaurant in the world. That means you’ve probably eaten there at some point in your lifetime and if you are like me could possibly have 10 of these restaurants within a 1 mile radius of your house.
ALAN
February 6, 2014 at 9:28 am“a chemical that is used in” doesn’t mean it’s an unhealthy chemical. I bet another chemical that is used in making rubber is water. Better take that out of their bread too.
bill
February 12, 2014 at 1:56 pmi found a toe in my sandwhich
Marty
February 18, 2014 at 11:04 amCant believe I ate there so often. Gross.
haho
February 23, 2014 at 9:34 pmIs not just Subway has chemicals in their food, all fast food and even in stores. Go check the bread you have and read the ingredient!!!
Christina
February 24, 2014 at 1:42 pmSubway can’t be compared to Culver’s! Sorry, check out Culver’s menu.
Subway is filled with fillers, antibiotic/hormone injected meats and processed foods, Culver’s meats are farm fresh, antibiotic/hormone free with a great diet. http://www.culvers.com/menu-and-nutrition/sustainability/
Brittany
March 5, 2014 at 5:01 pmFerrous gluconate is used in all black olives…otherwise they would not be black! Also nearly all store-bought pickles and banana peppers have food dye so that is nothing nefarious on Subway’s part. Regardless, I don’t eat Subway OR pickles w/ food dye, but I don’t think it’s fair to fault Subway for these items if you don’t mention that ALL MAINSTREAM STORE-BOUGHT BRANDS of these items CONTAIN this garbage.
Aimee
March 5, 2014 at 6:25 pmThis is “one” of the healthy places were supposed to go to it just shocks me that America allows this to happen makes me sad , and to think we as a society must of gone here. Thanks for posting this, and you blog is amazing :)
Nicola Lott
March 5, 2014 at 9:41 pmIf the avocado doesn’t contain any extra ingredients…how come it sits in the display cabinet without going brown?
Nikki
March 6, 2014 at 11:29 amI mix lemon juice with alvacado and freeze….hopefully this is how they keep it fresh to!
Toni Garcia
March 24, 2014 at 4:17 amI just lost my faith in humanity and to think that a large demographic of their customers are kids and they’re serving unhealthy food? I hope there’s a law against such actions but what can we do if these multi-million fast food chains are backed by America itself?!
Lukas
April 6, 2014 at 4:24 pmI think this is one of the most important information
for me. And i am glad reading your article. But wanna remark on some general things, The
site style is ideal, the articles is really nice : D.
Good job, cheers
Jock Doubleday
April 13, 2014 at 10:26 pmQuickest way to know it’s not food: taste it.
Food Idiot
May 1, 2014 at 4:24 pmTurns out, they even offer Sodium Chloride to sprinkle on their subs, which uses some of the same ingredients used to make HYDROCHLORIC ACID!
chris
May 2, 2014 at 7:16 pmI would like to say many things people eat that they don’t
ever eat often like Aligator,Snake,Rabbit and Squarel, people say “it tastes like Chicken”.The biggest joke is the only thing that is on the healthy list at subway should be the Chicken and Guess What.It doesn’t taste like Chicken. What is it????
Lisa
May 11, 2014 at 12:50 amSubway ran an ad during SNL tonight announcing the removal of the yoga mat ingredient and high fructose corn syrup. A few years ago I worked for them. We were next to a high rise medical clinic. One doctor in particular asked me to look at the boxes that the food was shipped in to look for ingredients such as propylene glycol. All I can say about this new ad campaign is that Subway is trying to cover a multitude of sins so that it can continue to perpetuate a lie that their food is fresh.
Abg
May 24, 2014 at 12:54 pmYou’re wrong. The avocado has chemicals. I work at subway, i tasted their avocado, it tastes bitter and preserved. Real avocado doesnt taste like that, it is prepackaged and kept frozen but real avocado turns brown, because it naturally should. Subway avocado doesn’t it can be kept in the fridge for days without turning brown or going bad. All their ‘veggies’ are treated with pesticides. So no, none of their menu is actually healthy everything is prepackaged and preserved with chemicals.
Hi
July 2, 2014 at 10:54 pmI don’t know what Subway you worked at, but where I worked, the avocado turned brown within hours of not being properly covered in the fridge(lasts about 1 rush since it’s hard to keep covered when you’re busy). It may be prepackaged and frozen but it is real avocado.
As for your pesticides comment, there are a lot of veggies out there containing pesticides, we rinsed most of the prepared vegetables before serving them.
Elizabeth B
June 3, 2014 at 8:50 amJust a point: real avocado would be black in a while after cutting it.. it’s call oxidation… so if it real avocado with no even lemon on it… how come its always soft green?… just saying… think about it!
glenn white
August 15, 2014 at 10:09 pmfood babe it was great you got Azodicarbonamide out of subway bread but you need to launch campaign to get it out of national bread Merita sunbeam which affects more people.
angie
August 20, 2014 at 2:57 amExcept the tomatos, cucumbers, banana peppers, jalapenos, and olives are treated with artificial coloring an/or chlorine to look more appealing. I used to work at subway…
Bill White
August 26, 2014 at 2:07 pmFood Babe,
How does Star Bucks get away with not listing caffeine as an ingredient in their Refreshers drinks? This is a drink that they promote as “natural, real fruit”. My step-daughter, who is a very bright 13 year old but has ADHD, brought these drinks home from a grocery shopping day with mom. Caffeine is the last thing she needs, but I could not say don”t drink this because there was no caffeine listed in the ingredients. She drink it before school and was beginning to get a little hyper before she left the house. After I returned from taking them to school I examined the can a little closer and still saw no caffeine listed but then noticed the green coffee bean extract. Can Food Babe put pressure on Star Bucks to correct this?
Thanks,
Bill