A vegetable toast sandwich makes for a quick snack on the go for college and working-class individuals, as not only is it filling, but it's prepared in minutes, and isn't all that heavy on the pocket too. Back in our college days too, we've all stopped to grab a quick veg sandwich to get us through those long lectures. Packed with vegetables, this sandwich must be healthy, no?
We'll break it down for you in today's Know Your Calories Blog.
Ingredients: Unlike other dishes, this quick snack is pretty low on ingredients. Butter, some spicy and tangy chutney, onions, a thick layer of potato, tomato slices, cucumber packed between two slices of white bread, and doused with butter once again, only to be topped with some deep-fried sev to add to the flavour.
Carbohydrates: Each sandwich contains 51 grams or 204 Kcal of carbohydrates. A majority of these carbohydrates come from white bread and potatoes while containing just 3 grams of fiber. More than half the calories come from carbohydrates alone. Why is white bread bad for you I hear? Click here to read our blog on everything that you'll need to know about bread.
Fats: As we've mentioned before, we are not against fats, and have done a whole blog on the types of fats and which ones are actually good for you. You can read that here. A veg sandwich contains 12 grams or 108 Kcal from fats, most of which is butter and some of it comes from the added sev on the top. However, roadside eateries are known to add margarine or hydrogenated vegetable oils to cut costs, and trust us that they are extremely bad for you.
Protein: As always with street food, the most important macronutrient here protein is found in the lowest quantity at a pitiful 3.3 grams or 13.2 Kcal. Moreover, this protein is derived from incomplete sources that lack all the 9 essential amino acids, rendering them useless to your body.
The verdict: If you're looking for a quick fix, then you can opt for a homemade vegetable sandwich and either go easy on the butter or swap it for peanut butter, whilst also swapping the potatoes for paneer or tofu to make it a nutritious snack.
Questions?