7 Off-the-wall sandwiches

No matter if you say sub, hero, or hoagie, a sandwich is a lunchtime staple that's here to stay. But not all sammies are created equal: If you layer on fatty meats, heavy cheeses, and rich spreads, you could be consuming a day's worth of calories and fat before your midafternoon snack. Here are seven sandwiches that will seriously derail your diet and seven healthy and delicious Prevention alterntives.

1. Ridiculous: Turkey Club Sandwich
This turkey club sandwich tallies up to 730 calories and 33 g of fat, thanks to the heaping portions of turkey, Cheddar, bacon, and mayo served between two thick slices of country white bread.
Ridiculously healthy: Give your club a healthy dose of monounsaturated fats with a spoonful of mashed avocado, plus some red onion for added zing. To cut down on your cancer risk, swap the regular bacon for a nitrate-free variety.


2. Ridiculous: Southwest Tuna Wrap
Think you're being healthy by ordering a tuna wrap? Think again. This mayo-filled tuna salad sandwich racks up 800 calories and almost 1,200 mg of sodium in just one serving. It's also packed with more fat than two bacon cheeseburgers.
Ridiculously healthy: This tuna wrap is rich in heart healthy omega-3s and bursting with flavor. The scallions, broccoli florets, and Granny Smith apples make this 300-calorie wrap anything but boring.


3. Ridiculous: Reuben Sandwich
A classic Reuben calls for layers of corned beef, Swiss cheese, and sauerkraut, all drenched in Russian or Thousand Island dressing, so it's not surprising that some varieties pack close to 1,300 calories and 1,900 mg of sodium.
Ridiculously healthy: This take on the traditional open-faced sandwich uses lean low-sodium turkey to dial down the fat and sodium content. It's also got feta crumbles, so there's no need to dredge on the creamy dressing, making this dish one-fourth the calories and one-third the fat of the original.


4. Ridiculous: Italian Sandwich
An Italian sandwich often stacks together a medley of meats including ham, pepperoni, salami, and roast beef, paired with sharp cheeses and specialty sauces. When you dig into this ciabatta sandwich, you could be consuming half your day's calories and more than 2,620 mg of sodium.
Ridiculously healthy: This Italian-style BLT gives you a taste of Tuscany without the high fat and calorie counts. Made with basil pesto, arugula, and turkey bacon, this perfectly portioned sandwich has fewer than 350 calories.


5. Ridiculous: California Club
This West Coast style sandwich has loads of bacon, ham, Monterey Jack cheese, avocado, and mayo. Finish one of these and you've downed 920 calories and more fat than what's in five Milk Way bars.
Ridiculously healthy: This avocado and chicken sandwich packs in unexpected flavors with slices of vitamin C-rich mango, tangy lime juice, and spicy green pepper sauce. Complete with a whole grain bun, this sandwich amounts to less than 300 calories and 10 g of fat.


6. Ridiculous: BBQ Chicken Wrap
A barbeque chicken wrap features deep-fried onion straws doused in hot sauce, a few veggies, and thick ranch dressing, all wrapped up in a flour tortilla. One serving of this spicy sandwich contains nearly 1,300 calories and 75 g of fat.
Ridiculously healthy: Try this barbecue chicken and Gouda pita instead: You'll save 67 g of fat and more than 1,000 calories.


7. Ridiculous: Chicken Salad Sandwich
This grilled chicken and pecan salad sandwich sounds harmless, but it deceptively stores more than 800 calories and 44 g of fat. It's also a sandwich salt mine: 1,220 mg of sodium in one meal.
Ridiculously healthy: This meal swaps the mayo for a "figure friendly" fat-free sour cream and yogurt, and the pine nuts and onions offer added crunch. The best part about this chicken salad? It's ready in about 5 minutes.


QUESTION: How does your sandwich stack up? How do you make your sandwich skinny?





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