Subway’s $5 FATlong- Recession booster or Recession buster?
Subway isn’t what you normally think of the worst fast-food restaurant to frequent. Of course, this would be in comparison to McDonalds or Burger King. Let’s take a look into Subway’s fairly new promo, the $5 “footlong” and discover how you might be better off stopping at your local McDonalds!
Subway’s great marketing and million dollar execs make it difficult to get out of your lunch “healthy spot”. Irresistible promotions and “sugar coated promises” ( no pun intended) sure sound YUMMY! Take a closer look.
Subway sold $3.8 Billion in footlongs in one year. That’s about 7.6 Million footlongs. In a Turkey footlong there is 570 calories, 60 g of fat and 94 grams of carbs. A tuna footlong has 1060 calories 60 g of fat and 92 grams of carbs. This information was taken from Subway’s website, you can view it for yourself.
OK, so take for instance 5 bread “healthy” bread choices. We are going to look at the first ingredient of 5 breads. (Hint: When looking at nutrition facts, the first ingredient is what the product consists mostly of).
9-GRAIN WHEAT Enriched wheat flour
CIABATTA BREAD Enriched wheat flour
FLATBREAD Enriched flour
ITALIAN (WHITE) BREAD Enriched flour
WRAP Bleached enriched wheat flour
Hey it looks like sugar! Coincidence…I think not!
What’s the big deal with enriched flour? Aside from the negative hormonal and blood sugar consequences, eating enriched flour can completely DESTROY any chances of burning fat, gaining muscle, or fitting in your “skinny” jeans!
Here is a formal definition for enriched flour:
What does “enriched” mean? Enriched flour is flour in which most of the natural vitamins and minerals have been extracted. This is done in order to give bread a finer texture, increase shelf life and prevent bugs from eating it (bugs will die if they attempt to live off it).
Why is enriched flour bad?
When the bran and the germ (the parts of the wheat that contain vitamins and minerals) are removed, your body absorbs wheat differently. Instead of being a slow, steady process through which you get steady bursts of energy, your body breaks down enriched flour too quickly, flooding the blood stream with too much sugar at once. Your body then has to work hard to absorb the excess and stores it as fat. This causes quick highs and lows in your blood-sugar level which can lead to type-two diabetes and obesity. All this and you’re not even getting close to the amount of nutrients that whole grains contain.
Let’s continue walking down the subway obesity, never gonna get rid of my love handles lane. Shall we?
The Condiments: (Since Austin Subway’s like to promote the number 5, I’ve decided to keep it simple)
CHIPOTLE SOUTHWEST Soybean oil
FAT FREE HONEY MUSTARD High fructose corn syrup
FAT FREE SWEET ONION Sugar
MAYONNAISE, REGULAR Soybean oil
RED WINE VINAIGRETTE Corn syrup
Why these so-called healthier vegetable oils are a disastrous choice for most people: They can contain as much as 100 times the level of harmful omega-6 fats, far in excess of the average American’s intake of more beneficial omega-3 fats.
Excessive consumption of omega-6 rich vegetable oils can lead to: ( Mercola.com)
- Asthma
- Cancer
- Heart Disease
- Blindness
Just as virtually no one is deficient in omega-6 fats, it is very rare for the typical person to be consuming enough omega-3 fats. Most people are deficient in this critical fat.
As far as High Fructose Corn Syrup, well you know the ill-effects caused by this drug. It is also the main ingredient in Coca-Cola, which can lead to diabetes, weight gain, hormonal imbalances, and never achieving your fat loss, fitness results.
Here are five alternatives to eating Subway for lunch:
1.) Ezequiel bread instead of enriched flour
2.) Whole wheat flour bread ( look for the first ingredient)
3.) Olive or coconut oil for omega 3’s instead of the fake “fat frees”
4.) Tuna with olive oil mayo ( Hellmann’s) is a super healthy alternative
5.) A subway salad with your own olive oil and balsamic vinagerette!
So sure, the $5 promo might be great marketing and appear to help boost the recession, but put the big picture into perspective. How many diabetes cases will flour and sugar cause? How many heart disease deaths will enriched flours cause?
The Austin food industry is sometimes UGLY and ruthless. Forget about a smart shopper, consumer, eater, whatever….BE SMART! Remember get out of your comfort zone and say NO to the coworkers going to Subway, because “we are eating healthy today”! How committed are you to achieving your fitness goals? Staying healthy and out of the hospital?
I’m not saying to be a nutrition saint. Just think and ponder the idea of eating healthy in Austin. In due time you WILL take action on your thoughts and ideas. Be patient with coming out of your comfort zone, after all it’s not going anywhere.
Eat Smart. Move well. Think FIT.
Nick Garcia
nick@thinkfitaustin.com
