Sandwiches – to eat or not to eat?

A sandwich is arguably one of the most common types of meals in almost every home. We choose this option because it is easy to prepare, fast and, most importantly, you can use your favorite ingredients, and the number of possible combinations is virtually unlimited. Unfortunately, we often unintentionally slip into a dull routine, forget to add some vegetables, which makes the meal boring and low in nutritional value. It’s high time we changed that! I’ll show you my ideas on how to prepare a sandwich that not only tastes great, but also benefits your health! 🙂

 

 

Bread – to eat or not eat?

The first thing you need to do when preparing sandwiches is choose the right bread. Look for bakeries in your area and ask for labels with the ingredients. Choose products that have short ingredient list, good quality gluten-free flour or high types of gluten flour (e.g. 1850, 2000), sourdough and possibly an addition of bran or seeds. If you do not exclude gluten from your diet, then pay attention to choose more valuable rye flour bread, without the addition of wheat. These ingredients will make your breakfast rich in complex carbohydrates and you will feel full longer.

Baking bread yourself is of course the best solution if you want to be 100% sure of the ingredients. Gluten-free bread rules in my kitchen, which you can find HERE. Sometimes, when I have the time, I bake my own bread. Remember that you do not have to bake bread on a regular basis. You can always freeze some of it, which definitely makes things easier and prevents food waste. You can freeze a whole loaf, a half of it, or even slices and defrost when needed. A piece of practical advice from me: when you defrost bread, do it in a bag or in a container in which it was frozen, if you leave it uncovered, it will simply dry out. You can also visit the Foods by Ann store and stock up on gluten-free bread with good ingredients 🙂

 

 

What about toppings?

We’ve chosen our bread but that would hardly make a good sandwich. I recommend spreading some plant oils, like coconut oil, olive oil, or avocado. They are a great energy base. 

Then you can add some greens: lettuce, rocket, corn salad, spinach. It’s all up to you! Some proteins? Why not! It can be a slice of high-quality low-fat ham, an egg, or cottage cheese (if you don’t cut out cow’s milk). If you can’t find any satisfactory cold cuts, prepare them yourself. You only have to roast your favourite meat with some herbs, like chicken breast, and simply slice it. Remember that eggs are not only meant to be eaten scrambled. Try other options, such as sliced hard-boiled eggs or you can even have a sandwich with a fried egg.  

Then again prepare another portion of veggies as a side dish to crunch on. You can use what’s at hand and what you feel like eating: a carrot, tomato, cucumber, red pepper, or maybe some brined pickles? You should definitely remember about them! You can find more info about brined pickles HERE. As you can see, classics are not always boring or unhealthy! Them more colorful and varied your food, the better! 🙂

  

Bibliography:

1. Rej A., Aziz I., Surendran Sanders D. Breaking bread! Proceedings of the Nutrition Society. 2019; 78(1): 118-125.
2. Różańska M.  Mildner-Szkudlarz S. Pieczywo bezglutenowe wyzwania technologiczne. Przemysł spożywczy. 2018; 72(4): 32-35.