Chicken Teriyaki
Former subway employees have warned people online to stay away from a lot of their chicken products. This is because, generally the meats have a two-day shelf life, but chicken can be ‘stretched’ to four. But that is often not the case, and employees have seen it sit out for five to six days.
Chicken and bacon ranch melt
It may sound tasty, but this melt wrap is one of the worst things to order for your health. Not only does it clock 850 calories per sandwich, but it also contains 155 mg of cholesterol. To top that off, it has over half your daily allowance of sodium, in a single sandwich.
Classic Tuna
The problem with the tuna at Subway is that they ruin it with gallons of mayo. Not only is the texture similar to that of cat food, but the mayo adds a ton of fat and calories that weren’t needed. The classic tuna sub without even adding toppings or cheese has 25 grams of fat, 4.5 of which are saturated.
Double meat sandwiches
Doubling the meat of a more lean protein may not be that bad, but if you’re doubling up on meatballs or bacon, that’s when you have a problem. Subway meats are super high in sodium and fat, likely to keep them shelf stable. By adding double, you’re pushing high into your allowance of salt for the day.
Nine-grain honey oat bread
According to a court in Ireland, Subway’s bread isn’t actually considered bread in that country. This is due to the franchise’s bread having five times as much sugar than what is considered a bread product in Ireland. To be exempt from certain ‘food staples’ taxes, bread’s sugar should only be 2 % of the weight of flour.
Lettuce
Reddit users have said a lot about Subway’s veggies, but their lettuce comes out at the bottom. Compared to tasting like ‘shredded paper’, former Subway employees have claimed lettuce is the ingredient that often gets left out for the longest. Maybe avoid having some in your sub next time.
Meatball Marinara
It’s one of the most popular choices, but do customers really know what they’re eating? This sub has over 1100 mg of sodium, which is super high for one item of food. It also contains one gram of trans fat, which is the kind of fat that should be avoided completely as it can directly raise the risk of heart disease.
Italian B.M.T wrap
It looks tasty when advertised, but this wrap is a loaded sodium bomb. Because of its double portion of salami, pepperoni and ham, this wrap has over half your daily allowance of sodium at 1180 mg. For all that meat you’re only getting 19 grams of protein, so even gym goers should avoid it.
The Beast sub
Processed meat is considered a class one carcinogen, and guess what this sandwich is stacked with? Pepperoni, salami, ham and roast beef all add up to high numbers of fat and salt, so this sandwich is basically your entire day’s worth of sodium at 2080 mg.
Chipotle chicken
Subway’s flavored chicken subs aren’t as tasty as they sound. To keep their chicken lasting longer when delivered to stores, it’s often pumped with additives like salt and soya. The chicken you’re eating isn’t fresh chicken breast, but a mixture of lots of different things that taste like Chipotle sauce.
Veggie delight
When you choose this option, you’re essentially spending your money on a sub with vegetables that aren’t fresh, and nothing else. Vegetarians seem to draw the short straw when it comes to Subway, as even their regional veggie options like falafel often aren’t kept in stock for long so they have more space for the meat.
Sweet onion sauce
This sweet and savory sauce has a surprising amount of sugar per serving. Have you ever seen the employees making your sandwich ever measure a serving? If you want to make your Subway choice a bit healthier, avoid this sauce as each ‘serving’ boasts seven grams of sugar.
The cold cut combo
Ham, salami and bologna, why do those meats all need to be in the same sandwich? A six inch serving of this menu item has over 1000 mg of sodium in, which is almost half your daily allowance. That’s more than an In-N-Out burger with its secret sauce.
Steak, egg and cheese breakfast sandwich
It may seem like the perfect way to start your day, but this sandwich isn’t that big. 450 calories doesn’t seem that bad, but add the 18 grams of fat and tons of sodium, and you’re better off just having a more filling and nutritious breakfast at home.
Mayonnaise
Those giant bottles at the end of the counter aren’t as clean as you think. Former employees have claimed that a lot of bottles, especially those with mayo or ranch, don’t get cleaned very often when they get refilled. This can lead to your sauce accumilating a lot more bacteria than you think.
The nachos
The basic Subway nachos pretty much reflect their affordable price. Customers have complained that simply tossing a bag of Doritos in cheese and salsa doesn’t make for a great meal. Often the salsa is cold and the cheese gets super greasy once heated up. It certainly doesn’t sound too appetising.
The feast
This is technically a ‘secret menu’ item, but any combination can be made at Subway. To order this you simply ask for all deli meat on a sub, or whatever they have in stock at the time, and that’s a lot of meat. Whilst the protein may keep you full, it’s just not worth the risk to your health.
Chicken strips
A past study into Subway ingredients released by the CBC found that Subway’s chicken was only 50% actual chicken and 50% soy. Subway then conducted their own research and found the chicken percentage was higher than released, but even so, why isn’t their chicken 100% chicken? Before ordering next time, consider that you might not be getting something with guaranteed authenticity.
Mega melt omelet
Just avoid buying this. Get this breakfast menu item on a flatbread and you’ll be set back around 600 calories and 1890 mg of sodium. This is definitely not considered a healthy breakfast, and if the sodium didn’t put you off, maybe the 31 grams of fat will.
Tomatoes
Former employees have stated tomatoes are the thing they’d always avoid when making their own food. According to online forums, the tomatoes would arrive in delivery either unripe or completely mushy and bad. So don’t expect a fresh juicy tomato the next time you’re looking to grab a Subway salad.
The steak club salad
As a salad, this certainly doesn’t sound very healthy. This menu item has some of the highest sodium levels against even some of the meaty and cheesy subs. At around 1970 mg of sodium, you’ll basically be eating your whole day’s worth of salt just from a steak salad.
Eggs
According to a Forbes report, it was revealed that Subway weren’t very transparent about what’s actually in their eggs. Their ‘egg patties’ (ew) contain only some real egg, and then just a lot of filler and additives. Doesn’t sound like a very good start to the morning.
The Boss sub
Who needs meatballs as well as pepperoni and mozzarella? You might as well order a meat lover’s pizza for the amount of sodium this sandwich has, 1690 mg to be exact. At 16 grams of saturated fat, that’s more than half your daily recommended in a single six inch sub. Bear in mind that if you opt for a footlong option, this amount doubles to 32 grams.
Buffalo chicken sub
Buffalo sauce and ranch are two of the highest calorie dressings, and yet they’re here together on this sandwich. Apart from the soggy veggies you may get added to your order, there’s nothing much else of nutritional value to see here, just fats and salt.
American cheese
If you want to reduce your sodium from probably an already salty sandwich, skip the American cheese mix. Per serving it has an added 200 mg of sodium, which when you mix with meats and sauce can become pretty high in sodium. It’s also not like the employees weigh out their servings before adding either.
Big hot pastrami sub
This is a limited option at certain locations, but don’t rush to find one. At around 1750 mg of sodium, all that processed meat is about 75% of your daily recommended sodium intake. Also crammed in is nine grams of saturated fats, half of what you should eat in a day.
Foot longs
The calories on the menu board aren’t very accurate as they represent the ‘standard six inch’, but what is the standard anyway? Former employees online claim most customers order a foot long, which they say probably triples the calories shown on the board, and the customer doesn’t seem to realize that.
Tomato basil wrap
You may think adding veggies into the wrap makes them healthier, but that’s not the case. This wrap on its own has 290 calories (nevermind the fillings) and three and a half grams of saturated fats as well as 780 mg of sodium. So those green colorings don’t really mean much for health.
Green peppers
Green peppers are apparently one of those veggies employees just don’t wash because they come in bags. According to a former employee on reddit, their managers tell them not to wash them as they may become even more mushy, since they already got crushed during transit. Therefore, not only will the peppers be unwashed, but they’re likely also going to be crushed.v
The Southwest Chipotle chicken club
This club likely has quite full and enjoyable flavors, if you want an easily satisfying sandwich. However, it has a less satisfying effect on your health. Containing 580 calories and 1230 mg of sodium, we recommend avoiding it where possible. As with most of the items on this list, the amount you get just isn’t worth the risk to your health.
Cookies
If you’re looking for freshly baked cookies, go elsewhere. The cookies are baked in store after frozen dough balls come through in delivery, but after they’re baked they often get left way too long on display until they’re basically stale. The dough is sometimes frozen for way too long too.
Any of the breads
The smell of bread baking from Subway is a well known smell, but it’s not as fresh as you think. Whilst the bread may be baked on site, that doesn’t mean it’s made on sight. Stores will receive shipments of frozen sticks that thaw into dough, and then get baked. Not so fresh.
Turkey and bacon guacamole sub
Guacamole is healthy though right? This hefty sandwich comes out at 800 calories, just for a six inch. Not only that but the sodium is around 2070 mg, which is basically your entire day’s allowance in a single sandwich. Avoid sizing up to a foot long where you can.
Olives
Olives are another topping that comes in a bag, and the employees have claimed they aren’t sanitary. One employee online stated that to drain the olives, they do so over the dishwashing sink, and sterilizer from the kitchen can end up splashing onto the olives before they’re put on display.
Subway sweet tea
Per serving this popular sweet tea has around 170 calories, which may seem okay for a sweet beverage. But don’t be fooled, it also has 44 grams of sugar, which is double the amount of added sugar you should be eating in a day and certainly not a healthy choice.
Deli meats
Subway employees have claimed that in order to save money, they have been told to change the expiry labels on certain ingredients, including meat products. This means that the ‘freshly cut’ meats you may be eating, might have been sitting out 3-5 days longer than they should have been. Obviously, this is a huge health hazard, so avoid getting them as much as possible.
The spicy Italian salad
Yes, even the salads aren’t considered that healthy. Loaded with meat this ‘salad’ has 23 grams of fat and 1000 mg of sodium, just for a bowl of veggies, meat and dressing. All that sodium is bad for heart health, and the veggies at Subway don’t make the freshest salads anyway.
Ranch sauce
Ranch is an American favorite, but that doesn’t change its nutrition. The subway ranch dressing will add a good 100-200 calories to your sandwich or salad, and that’s if the employee isn’t heavy handed. You may have a good base of salad and still end up ruining your diet just by adding the dressing.
Chicken caesar melt sandwich
Caesar salad sounds refreshing, but that’s not what this sandwich is. Not only is it topped with salty cheese and creamy sauce, but those veggies included aren’t going to be fresh either. For just a 6 inch you will have over 940 mg of sodium and some flavorless chicken and lettuce.
Hash browns
UK stores offer mini hash browns, but they’re not good. Customers complain they are always either soggy, cold or hard in the middle, which isn’t what you want from a crunchy hash brown. You can get them in packs of six or nine, but we recommend getting zero.