The Healthiest Subs and Food at Quiznos

Quiznos Subs is a sandwich shop that offers a variety of fresh sandwiches and salads made to order. While there are a number of high-calorie sandwiches on the menu, you can eat a low calorie meal at Quiznos with a little planning.  In fact, you can easily eat an entire meal for under 500 calories. Here are a few tips and ideas for eating healthy food at Quiznos.

It's always best to check out the menu online before you visit any restaurant. If you can choose your food before you get hungry, you'll be more likely to find - and stick to - a low-calorie plan. The Quiznos online menu includes an entire section of sandwiches, salads and even dessert treats for under 500 calories.

Unfortunately, however, you don't get nutritional information directly on the website. So if you want to assemble a complete diet-friendly meal at Quiznos with lean protein, good carbs and only healthy fat then you'll need to download and examine an entire Quiznos Nutrition Info pdf. No time for all that planning? No problem, just choose a few of the healthy, low-calorie menu items listed below to keep your diet on track.

To keep the calorie count low in any restaurant, always look for foods that are grilled (not fried) and ask for sauces and dressings to be put on the side. At Quiznos, this means that you order a "base" sub sandwich without the cheese and dressing.

This menu modification can save several hundred calories and countless grams of fat. You'll also consume fewer calories with your meal if you choose water instead of soda to drink. So which are the best diet-friendly menu items at Quiznos? Try any of these combinations for a hearty and diet-healthy meal.

• 4" Sonoma Turkey Sub (base = 230 calories)
• Half Peppercorn Caesar Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette (170 calories)
• Total: 400 calories

• Spicy Monterey Flatbread (330 calories)
• Small Broccoli Cheese Soup with 2 crackers (110 calories)
• Total: 440 calories

• Black Angus Steak Sub (base = 330 calories)
• Small Tomato Bisque (130 calories)
• Total: 460 calories

• Regular Chicken Tortilla Soup (200 calories)
• Side Garden Salad with Dressing (240 calories)
• Total: 460 calories

Dieters often choose vegetarian subs or chicken salads or sandwiches to keep the calorie count down at a fast food restaurant. But at Quiznos, that can lead to diet disaster. Some of the chicken or veggie-based menu items are very high in fat and calories.

For example, the smallest 4-inch Veggie Guacamole Sub provides 400 calories and 23 grams of fat. The 4-inch Mesquite Chicken Sub contains 420 calories and 21 grams of fat. And if you eat a full Apple Harvest Chicken Salad with Honey Mustard Dressing you'll consume 680 calories.

So always remember to order smart when you're at Quiznos or any fast food restaurant. Keep your meal as simple as possible, drink water and skip the desserts to keep your meal lower in calories and keep your diet on track.

_{Article originally published April 13, 2008. Updated by Malia Frey}