Key TakeawaysSandwiches are a staple meal for many, but they’re not always made with the most nutritious ingredients.The typical American diet lacks whole grains, produce, and other nutrient-dense foods.To work on bridging nutritional gaps, the USDA has created a tool to help you build a healthier sandwich.

Key Takeaways

Sandwiches are a staple meal for many, but they’re not always made with the most nutritious ingredients.The typical American diet lacks whole grains, produce, and other nutrient-dense foods.To work on bridging nutritional gaps, the USDA has created a tool to help you build a healthier sandwich.

“Per the 2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans report, we know that sandwiches are a vehicle for under-consumed vegetables, but also that—as currently eaten—many kinds of sandwiches are a source of saturated fat and sodium,”Erin Ball, executive director of the Grain Foods Foundation, told Verywell.

While they may be tasty, the ingredients you include in your sandwich could be packed withsodiumandsaturated fat, making your creation fall short in the nutrition department.

If you want to make a sandwich that will taste as delicious as it looks and will fuel your body, a new federal initiative is here to help. Here’s how you can use a new resource from theMyPlate National Strategic Partnersto “Build a Better Sandwich.”

What Is MyPlate?

How to Build a Better Sandwich

People love their sandwiches, Ball suggests using the Build a Better Sandwich Tool “as a springboard to better meet nutrient and food group recommendations.”

Here’s a look atthe templateyou can follow:

“A healthier sandwich is about mindful ingredient selection, portion control, and creating a well-balanced combination of flavors and nutrients,” said Ball.

When built mindfully, sandwiches can be a fantastic part of a balanced and healthy diet.

Creative Alternatives to Peanut Butter for a Sandwich

Does Your Sandwich Really Matter to Your Health?

If you eat sandwiches multiple times per week, they can certainly have a major impact on your health.

One study showed that sandwich consumption was associated with significantly increased calorie, total fat, sodium, sugar, and saturated fat intake, as well as reduced intake of dietary fiber. Sandwich eaters also had significantly lower overall diet quality. However, the study did not distinguish between more and less nutritious sandwich choices.

It’s not all bad news. A 2019 study says that focusing on including more nutritious ingredients in a sandwich can be “an important contributor to overall nutrient intakes and nutrients to limit in the diet.”

As long as you are choosing nutritious bread and fillings, better-for-your sandwiches can be a nutritious part of a diet that’s also rich in produce, whole grains, lean protein, and other foods that are emphasized in the “Dietary Guidelines for Americans.”

What This Means For YouIf you love sandwiches, use the USDA’s Sandwich Building Tool to make sure your creations are nutritious and delicious.

What This Means For You

If you love sandwiches, use the USDA’s Sandwich Building Tool to make sure your creations are nutritious and delicious.

How to Make a Nutritious Sandwich for Your Low-Cholesterol Diet

5 Sources

Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

World Health Organization.Nutrition.

U.S. Department of Agriculture.Make half your grains whole grains.

Papanikolaou Y, Fulgoni VL 3rd.Type of sandwich consumption within a US dietary pattern can be associated with better nutrient intakes and overall diet quality: a modeling study using data from NHANES 2013-2014.Curr Dev Nutr. 2019;3(10):nzz097. doi:10.1093/cdn/nzz097

Meet Our Medical Expert Board

Share Feedback

Was this page helpful?Thanks for your feedback!What is your feedback?OtherHelpfulReport an ErrorSubmit

Was this page helpful?

Thanks for your feedback!

What is your feedback?OtherHelpfulReport an ErrorSubmit

What is your feedback?