Why Do I Keep Craving Subway?
Subway is a privately owned American fast-food chain that primarily sells submarine sandwiches.
Though it serves more than just sandwiches, the term “subway” generally refers to a menu of submarine sandwiches with the primary ingredients of cold cuts, vegetables, and cheese.
When craving subway foods, you’re most likely craving high-calorie foods. The sandwiches and salads at subway have many added oils, mayonnaise, and cheese, all rich in calories. Also as we age, hormones can trigger cravings for high calories foods because people no longer digest them as well as they did in their youth.
Other reasons:
1. Missing Out on Critical Nutrients
Craving subway is also due to a need for key vitamins and minerals essential for good health. These nutrients are most commonly obtained from fresh fruits and vegetables.
2. Stress
Craving for the subway is also due to stress, which can bring on cravings for high-calorie foods.
Stress causes an increase in cortisol, a hormone that increases blood sugar and suppresses the body’s immune system.
When you eat foods with high levels of added salt and Fat rich in calories, cortisol increases. This triggers cravings and hunger to satisfy your insatiable appetite.
4. Social Pressure
Social pressure from family or friends may also affect your craving for the subway.
In this case, people can easily pressure you into eating more than one sandwich or a whole salad and may say, “Oh, if you eat that much, you must be hungry!”
5. Habit
Habits can also significantly affect your craving for the subway. There are certain times of the day you eat subway, such as in the morning at work or lunch at your cubicle when you have a break.
The food is easy and quick and is often the only thing available, so you go with it to satisfy your hunger.
Can I Eat Subway Every Day?
No! Although subway has a variety of healthy meals, you should eat only sometimes. Eating a homogeneous diet can lead to vitamin deficiencies and other health problems.
Subway is also known for having a lot of sodium which can lead to high blood pressure. For example, the turkey and ham sandwich have 1,240 mg of sodium.
Doctors recommend a low-sodium diet for people with heart disease, hypertension, and other similar conditions. So, I would not advise eating at Subway every day.
Although it might seem like a quick way to get in your daily vitamins and nutrients, the meal plan needs more variety in food types and relies heavily on meat products with high preservatives and sodium.
In addition, the suggested meal plans are more expensive than when you buy groceries yourself.
Given that a person usually buys one or two items at Subway, consuming too much meat can cause a deficiency in other areas by not getting enough essential nutrients.
For example, people with a vegetarian diet don’t eat meat products; therefore, they don’t consume things like vitamin B12 and iron in red meats.
A meatless diet can be an excellent way to get those nutrients cheaper and with fewer calories.
Subway is a convenient food option, but eating it every day could lead to health problems similar to those that occur from overeating red meat.
Why Do I Crave Subway Sandwiches
| Factor | Explanation |
| Taste Preference | Enjoyable food could be associating your brain with the taste and texture of the sandwich, which is giving you cravings. |
| Nutritional Value | The unsaturated Fat in Subway sandwiches can deplete your levels of vitamin E This reduces the effectiveness of your body’s natural defenses against inflammation. The inflammation might be what is causing you to crave your sandwich. |
| Familiar Sights And Smells | The smell of the bread baking and the sight of the sandwiches are probably causing you to crave them. |
| Hormones | If you’re stressed out, you’ll likely be hungry and crave comfort food like the sandwiches from Subway. |
| Social Factors | Social factors like peer pressure or advertising from the company. |
What Are the Four Most Powerful Triggers Of Cravings?
| Factor | Explanation |
| Habits And Routines | Your routine and habits can trigger food cravings. If your typical breakfast is cereal and milk, consider switching it up for dinner and trying something new. If you always have a snack in the afternoon, try leaving it at home for a few hours to see if that helps eliminate hunger. |
| Expectation | Expectation of eating that food. |
| Emotions | Emotions, Quality time with friends, watching romantic comedies, or being upset can trigger food cravings. |
| Food Cues | Food cues. Seeing an ad for something you love, passing by a concession stand at a movie theatre, or smelling food can all trigger cravings. If you see an ad, take a deep breath and remind yourself that it’s just advertising. Think about if you’re starving or need something to do. |
What Hormones Cause Cravings?
| Hormone | Explanation |
| Estrogen | This hormone is a primary culprit behind food cravings during puberty, pregnancy, and menopause. |
| Ghrelin | The hunger hormone increases your appetite to ensure your body gets the nourishment it needs by making you crave high-calorie foods like sugar and Fat. |
| Progesterone | The female hormone is low in women that may have food cravings such as chocolate, salty foods, or greasy foods. |
| Testosterone | The primary male hormone that causes a man to crave sex and food. |
| Insulin | The key hormone in ensuring your body can deal with food by storing the excess calories as glucose in your blood. |
| Dopamine | The chemical that controls the brain’s pleasure center and addiction is released when you eat sugar and Fat. |
| Cortisol | A stress hormone that can cause a craving by making your body think it’s under attack because of a high-fat diet, too much alcohol, or spicy foods. |
What Is The Difference Between Urges And Cravings?
| Factor | Urge | Craving |
| Definition | An intense, often sudden, desire or urge to do something. | A strong feeling of wanting something that one cannot have. |
| Examples | A strong wish for a cake. | A longing for a cake that lasts for a long time. |
| Trigger | Triggered by external or internal cues. | Triggered by external cues, such as sights or smells. |
| Duration | Short | Long |
Which Is Healthier, Subway or Mcdonald’s?
| Type | Subway | Mcdonalds |
| 6-inch Turkey Breast Sub | Calories-260 Total Fat 3g Saturated Fat 1g Cholesterol 25mg Sodium 790mg Total Carbohydrates 39g Dietary Fiber 4g Protein 19g. | Calories-280 Total Fat -3.5g Saturated Fat -1g Cholesterol 20mg Sodium 760mg Total Carbohydrates 46g Dietary Fiber 5g Protein 18g |
| 6-inch Veggie Delight Sub | Total Fat 3g Saturated Fat 1g Cholesterol 25mg Sodium 790mg Total Carbohydrates 39g Dietary Fiber 4g Protein 20g. | Calories-270 Total Fat -3g Saturated Fat – 0.9g Cholesterol -28mg Sodium -281mg Total Carbohydrates -39g Dietary Fiber -3.9g Protein -9.6g. |
| Grilled Chicken Wrap | Calories-460 Total Fat -11g Saturated Fat – 5g Cholesterol -100mgmg Sodium -1210mgmg Total Carbohydrates -53gg Dietary Fiber -4gg Protein -42g. | Calories-181 Total Fat -2.1g Saturated Fat – 0.8g Cholesterol -28mg Sodium -281mg Total Carbohydrates -26g Dietary Fiber -1.5g Protein -13g. |
| Fries | Calories-312kcal Total Fat -14.73 g Saturated Fat – 2.336 g Cholesterol -0mg Sodium -210mg Total Carbohydrates -41.44g Dietary Fiber -3.8g Protein -3.43g | Calories-323 Total Fat -15 g Saturated Fat -2.3 g Cholesterol -28mg Sodium -189 mg Total Carbohydrates -43 g Dietary Fiber -3.9 g Protein -3.4 g |
| Sweet Onion Chicken Teriyaki Salad | Calories-155kcal Total Fat -2.37g Saturated Fat – 0.505 g Cholesterol -22mg Sodium -305mg Total Carbohydrates -22.54g Dietary Fiber -1.2g Protein -10.91 g. | Calories-257kcal Total Fat -2.1g Saturated Fat – 3.803 g Cholesterol -50 mg Sodium -720 mg. Total Carbohydrates -20.08g Dietary Fiber -1.6g Protein -11.82g |
What Is the Least Healthy Food at Subway?
| Type | Made of | Nutrition Facts |
| Fritos Chicken Enchilada Melt with Southwest Sauce | Pulled chicken in enchilada sauce and Fritos corn chips, bread, cheese, and veggies. | Calories- 520 Carbs- 65g Protein – 24g Fats – 19g |
| Big Philly Cheesesteak | Super thinly sliced steak, onion, pepper, and cheese. | Calories 829 Carbs 91g Protein 56g Fats 26g |
| Meatball Marinara with Cheese | Tender beef and pork meatballs smothered in a rich marinara sauce. | Calories720 Carbs 89g Protein 37g Fats 30g |
| Spicy Italian with Cheese | Spicy pepperoni, salami, and cheese | Calories 580 Carbs 42g Protein 21g Fats 320g |
Is Subway Healthier Than Pizza Hut?
| Nutrients | Subway | Pizza Hut |
| Calories | 400 | 183 |
| Carbs | 46g | 24.6g |
| Proteins | 22g | 4.3g |
| Fats | 16g | 7.4g |
| Sugars | 5g | 2g |
| Dietary Fiber | 5g | 1g |
| Saturated fat | 1.5g | 6g |
| Sodium | 560mg | 210mg |
| Cholesterol | 50mg | 25mg |
Is Subway Meat Processed?
Yes! Subway meat is processed; To save time and money, most deli meat is processed. This includes ham, bacon, and even your lunchtime turkey sandwiches. The process typically involves three components:
- Curing the meat with a salt rub for dehydration.
- Applying a smoke or chemical treatment to give the meat an authentic flavoring.
- Refrigerating it to slow spoilage.
You can do this to help make your meat last longer and add flavor.
Subway restaurants don’t buy whole, raw pork shoulders and roast them for months to make their meat taste fresh. They don’t have time for that.
So they cut corners, like all other fast food places, and use a shorter recipe. It’s all about efficiency.
Based on the ingredients, a good guess is that Subway uses a sugar cure (sugar acts as an antimicrobial agent), probably in conjunction with sodium nitrate (a preservative) and some artificial smoke flavoring added later.
Additionally, Subway may use citric acid or ascorbic acid (aka vitamin C) as a natural antimicrobial agent and perhaps paprika for color.
Does Subway Use Real Chicken?
Yes! Subway uses real chicken. The Subway website claims they are “America’s Favorite Sandwich Shop.” Approximately 99% of the chicken in their sandwiches comes from US farms that use “American Farmer Raised®” birds.
It also states, “100% of their chicken is raised without antibiotics or added hormones.” Subway stated that the chickens are “fed a balanced diet” and “reared in barns with no cages or crates.”
These conditions ensure the chickens are healthy, providing customers with fresh chicken on freshly baked bread.
The quality of chicken used for Subway’s subs varies depending on the food chain that supplies the meat.
Their meats are provided by a nationwide company that delivers chicken, beef, and pork to Subway franchises.
The chicken is frozen after arrival at the restaurant. That is, all the meat used in all Subway restaurants is always kept at a chilled temperature. The meat is then cubed and placed in a warming tray.
The warming tray ensures that the meat retains its freshness and keeps it at the right temperature for cooking.
How Much Chicken Is Actually in Subway?
It depends on the sandwich and the location of the restaurant. However, most Subway sandwiches have around eight ounces of poultry, or about eight pieces.
While Subway has not given an exact amount of chicken per sandwich, the restaurant states on its nutritional information that a foot-long has 1160 calories, 58 grams of fat, and 4200mg of sodium.
Here is a table exploring more
| Type | Amount of Chicken |
| Sweet Onion Chicken Teriyaki Salad | 1 lb frozen grilled chicken breast strips. |
| Rotisserie-Style Chicken Sandwich | 5 to 6 pounds of chicken pieces, such as thighs and breasts. |
| Chicken and Bacon Ranch Melt Sandwich | ¾ lb chicken. |
| Chicken Teriyaki Sandwich | 2.5 ounces of chicken. |
Conclusion
Subway may not be healthy, but it’s healthier than most other fast-food restaurants. Subway improves how customers eat by providing various and less healthy options.
Overall, the healthiness of Subway depends on which ingredients are used. Therefore, the best choice is to eat sandwiches with fresh vegetables and low-salt meat.
