The 12 Healthiest Subs To Order At Jimmy John's
The sandwich is the champion of lunch. But calories can quickly add up with those pillowy rolls and hefty fillings of cold cuts smothered in mayonnaise or an aioli of our choosing. Thankfully, you don't have to choose between the two. Jimmy John's can offer you a deliciously satisfying lunch without having to worry about your waistline or dietary restrictions.
One way to slim down a Jimmy John's sub is to ask for it Unwich style, which is a sandwich made without bread and instead wrapped in lettuce. This can remove anywhere from 120 to 710 calories from your meal, depending on the size of your hero. All Unwiches contain 10 grams or less of carbs. Another option is to opt for a Little John, sandwiches that on smaller rolls than the standard 8" French bread and run between 240 and 340 calories.
Instead of adding mayo to your sandwich, opt for something lighter. Grey Poupon has 0 grams of fat with 5 calories total, and the avocado spread has 2 grams of fat and 20 calories (compared to the 16/160 calories of mayonnaise). Choosing a healthier side helps as well; forgo that 410-calorie chocolate chip cookie for Thinny Chips (only 260) or a jumbo kosher dill pickle (just 20). When it comes to the 8" French bread menu sandwiches, here's how you can make them healthier.
12. Totally Tuna Unwich
Taking bread off a sandwich, sometimes, can be a bit sad; this isn't the case with Jimmy John's tasty Totally Tuna. Getting this sub Unwich-style makes it a crisp, refreshing treat, as well as substantially healthier. Just keep in mind, however, that forsaking the bread doesn't make it gluten-free; the hoagie chain's allergen list states that its tuna salad contains eggs, soy, wheat, and gluten.
Exactly what's inside Jimmy John's tuna salad isn't completely clear. The company only stated that it is "made from scratch by hand" every day, along with the chain's oil and vinegar and Kickin' Ranch. It contains "real tuna fish, real Hellman's" mayonnaise," and "real fresh veggies" including celery. You can add extra lettuce, tomato, and cucumber on top for a more filling sandwich and red pepper flakes for a little kick.
A Totally Tuna Unwich contains 21 grams of fat, 270 calories, and 710 grams of sodium. It's an option lower in cholesterol and sodium than other menu items, and will leave you satisfied without feeling like you're missing too much without the bread. Tuna is also a fantastic source of low-fat protein and omega-3 fatty acids — known to aid in cardiovascular function and nutrient absorption — and rich in vitamin B-complex, iron, and vitamins A and D.
11. Ultimate Porker EZ everything on sliced wheat
With a name like "Ultimate Porker," this doesn't exactly sound like a healthy sandwich. But you can lighten it up with just a few tweaks.
The swine-filled sandwich, listed as #17 on the menu, comes with applewood bacon and ham, both smoked to bring out their hearty flavor. It also comes with tomato and lettuce.
A smart suggestion is to go EZ on everything in this sandwich, except the veggies. You'll also want to opt for sliced wheat instead of the 8” French bread. You can bulk your sandwich back up with some extra lettuce and tomato or add cucumber for a nice crunch. Without those modifications, you're looking at a lunch with a whopping 30 grams of fat, 630 calories and 1,620 milligrams of sodium. With the aforementioned modifications, that comes down to 13.5 grams of fat, 425 calories, and 945 milligrams of sodium.
Going with sliced wheat instead of French bread cuts down on 19 grams of carbohydrates. This and other changes cut the sandwich's sodium intake nearly in half. The reduction in carbs and salt make the modified Ultimate Porker a friendlier option for those who are diabetic and encouraged to reduce their sodium intake to regulate blood pressure.
10. The Veggie, EZ cheese, no mayo
The Veggie is the #6 sandwich on Jimmy John's menu and is vegetarian-friendly; a few modifications can also make it vegan-friendly.
The sandwich typically comes with thick tomato slices, cucumber, and lettuce, topped with provolone cheese, avocado spread, and mayo. You can also add onion, pickles, or peppers. While this won't add significant calories, it will adjust the sodium count.
To lighten this sandwich up, try it without the mayo (the creaminess of the avocado spread is plenty) and go easy on the cheese. This will leave you with a lunch that is 18.5 grams of fat, 500 calories, and 890 milligrams of sodium. You can make this a vegan-friendly option by removing the cheese all together. While Jimmy John's doesn't advertise their bread as being vegan-friendly (its manufacturer also processes eggs in the same facility), the bread isn't listed as having an egg allergen, so Veg Knowledge considers it to be vegan.
"Having one meatless meal per day, or one meatless day in a weekly, can help you to diversify your diet, add fiber, and include other sources of protein," registered dietician Camille Skoda told Cleveland Clinic. Switching out just one meal a day for a vegetarian option, over an entire year, could lower your chances of developing heart or pulmonary issues, certain cancers, and type II diabetes. If everyone in the entire country did this, it could save 1.2 billion farm animals, as well as reduce carbon emissions.
9. Bootlegger Club, EZ roast beef, no mayo, on sliced wheat
The Bootlegger Club packs a protein-filled punch with its double meat serving. The sub is built with slices of turkey and roast beef. It gets a slathering of mayonnaise and a garnish of lettuce and tomato. This is another sandwich you should get on sliced wheat, which adds a few grams of fat but is lower in calories and sodium.
The Bootlegger Club with EZ roast beef on sliced wheat amounts to 23.5 grams of fat, 575 calories, and 1,380 milligrams of sodium. While these adjustments don't do all that much for the fat count (reducing it by only 1.5 grams), you save 45 calories and about 240 milligrams of sodium.
If you want to make this sandwich an even leaner option, tell them to hold the mayo. That will cut the fat by 11 grams, chop off about 110 calories, and 105 milligrams of sodium for a total sandwich count of 12.5 grams of fat, 465 calories, and 1,275 milligrams of sodium. That's a big drop in the fat content, and lower fat diets have been linked to reduced instances of diabetes and heart disease.
8. Plain Slim 5: Salami, Capocollo & provolone, EZ everything
This salty Italian-inspired sandwich is simple, and packs a whole lot of flavor with pieces of provolone, salami, and capocollo. The Slim 5 menu item (like all "Slim" sandwich options) doesn't come with extra veggies, and you might want to get some mustard and mayo packets if you ask for it.
Slim down via this option by going EZ on both the meats and cheese. Without modifications, the menu item contains 21 grams of fat, 630 calories and 1980 milligrams of sodium. But that gets whittled down to 11.5 grams of fat, 490 calories, and 1,340 milligrams of sodium when you unload some of its bulk.
Both salami and capocollo are high in fat and sodium, while provolone is a cheese with moderate salt content. Halving these servings reduces sodium intake, which is associated with lower risks of strokes, heart attacks, and cardiovascular issues.
7. Plain Slim 1: Ham and provolone EZ Cheese
The Plain Slim 1 sandwich at Jimmy John's comes with provolone and smoked ham on an 8” piece of their French bread, which is baked fresh daily. Try to hold back on adding mayo or mustard, and go EZ on the cheese, if you're looking to slim down your waistline or cut cholesterol.
A standard Plain Slim 1 has 13 grams of fat, 540 calories, and 1610 milligrams of sodium. When you cut down on the cheese, it brings it down to 8.5 grams of fat, 480 calories, and 1,490 milligrams of sodium.
If you're looking to lower those numbers even further, consider an Unwich for a gluten-free option. The ensuing reduction in fat content is along the lines of guidelines established to lower levels of cholesterol and reduce the risk of obesity. Diets with reduced fat content have also been linked to weight loss, due to eating fewer total calories.
6. Big John, no mayo, add Grey Poupon
The simple roast beef sandwich at Jimmy John's is known as the #2 Big John. With deli meat, mayo, tomato and lettuce, it does have some health benefits (even if the roast beef isn't particularly lean), since it is lower in calories than other types of beef. It's also high in protein, lower in saturated fat and carbohydrates, and packed with iron.
Try maintaining the full serving of roast beef, while ditching the mayo for some Grey Poupon. A regular Big John has 16 grams of fat, 160 calories, and 150 milligrams of sodium. Rolling down your Rolls Royce window and asking for Grey Poupon will benefit your waistline at 5 grams of fat, 350 calories, and 1080 milligrams of sodium, while still offering a fulfilling lunch that should keep you full until dinner.
"The only sub I enjoy cold is a medium-rare roast beef sandwich, and this one certainly delivered," wrote restaurant reviewer Erica Burks when reviewing Jimmy John's in 2010 for Jacksonville.com. "The addition of Dijon mustard was a great finish, and the bread has great texture. It is crisp and dense enough to stay in one piece but not heavy. I ate most of this sandwich and didn't feel like I needed a nap afterward. That's a good thing."
5. Country Club, no mayo, EZ cheese
The Country Club is the #11 sandwich on the Jimmy John's menu. It comes with two types of hand-sliced deli meats, along with provolone. In addition to the smoked ham, turkey, and cheese, it also gets a slathering of mayo, tomato, and lettuce. To slim this sandwich down, lay off the mayo and get rid of some of the cheese.
A Country Club with no mayo and EZ cheese has 10.5 grams of fat, 540 calories, and 2,030 grams of sodium. This sandwich is pretty high in sodium, since the daily recommended intake is 23,000 milligrams or less — about 1 teaspoon of table salt.
Still, the lower fat and calorie count make the Country Club a filling option for those looking to maintain their weight — as long as they aren't concerned about high blood pressure. If you want to make this option even lighter, you can get it on sliced wheat, which chops off about 70 calories and 220 milligrams of sodium; keep in mind, this adds 2 grams of fat. Another viable option is to simply make it an Unwich.
4. Turkey Tom, EZ on the mayo
The #4 Turkey Tom is one of the healthier options on the Jimmy John's menu. There isn't much else on the sandwich to muddy the waters; turkey is a lean meat that is nutrient-rich, and the #4 puts it front and center.
"Turkey is a great source of protein, rich in many vitamins and minerals, and is low-fat," nutritional epidemiology professor Catherine Champagne tells The American Heart Association. "If you don't eat the skin."
No skin to be found here. But what will you will find is vitamins including B-complex, B12, niacin, and B6. It also contains magnesium, iron, zinc, and potassium.
The Turkey Tom brings you a serving of hand-sliced turkey with tomato, lettuce, and mayonnaise. If you want to make the sandwich even lower in fat and calories, ask for them to go light on that mayo. This gives you a sandwich with 14 grams of fat, 320 calories, and 1115 milligrams of sodium. You can also toss on a packet of mustard, perhaps, for a little bit of extra flavor.
3. Club Lulu, EZ bacon, no mayo
The Club Lulu is another smart meal option at Jimmy John's that's also lip-smackingly tasty. That's because it has thick strips of crispy bacon. The sandwich also comes with sliced turkey, lettuce, tomato, and mayonnaise. Without modifications, you're looking at 26 grams of fat, 690 calories, and 1,760 milligrams of sodium.
But that could be reduced a fair amount by making a few changes. We suggest asking for EZ bacon and forgoing the mayo. This will bring the fat content down to 7.5 grams and the calories coming in at 500. The sodium content is 1,490 milligrams. That's totally worth it for a bacon and turkey sandwich. If you are missing the mayo and want to add a little bit of creaminess, you can try the avocado spread. Asking for it EZ will only add 1 more gram of fat, 10 calories, and 35 milligrams of salt.
2. Plain Slim 2: Roast Beef
This is a barebones sandwich, but the Plain Slim 2 still makes for a satisfying lunch if you're craving a favorite. The only thing you're getting on top of that 8" piece of French bread is roast beef, but since the deli meat at Jimmy John's is all-natural and procured in the USA, their roast beef is minimally processed, aside from some caramel coloring.
This deli meat is packed with protein and the sandwich carries about 30 grams of it. Roast beef also contains amino acids your body cannot produce on its own, so that's a bonus. If you make this choice, you're selecting a sandwich that is both low in carbohydrates and saturated fat, containing 66 grams and 1 gram, respectively.
The sandwich has 5 grams of fat, 440 calories, and 1,200 milligrams of sodium. If you're not a fan of a dry sandwich, you could ask for a mustard packet or add on some avocado spread — it will only pack on a negligible amount of calories.
1. Plain Slim 4: Turkey Breast
The healthiest sandwich on the Jimmy John's menu, in terms of its fat and caloric content, doesn't need modifications to make it a reasonable lunch option. It's a wholesome mid-day meal option on its own.
It's the Plain Slim 4, which only comes with pieces of hand-sliced turkey on a roll. It's barebones, sure, so you might want to throw some mustard on there (it'll only result in a minimal amount of extra calories). "Overall, I'd highly recommend this sandwich," a review from PriceListo states. "Although it is not going to WOW you out of this world, the flavor is subtle, yet classic."
The sub will do the trick nicely of filling your belly without overfilling it. That's because this bird makes for great, protein-heavy deli meat. The Plain Slim 4 contains 27 grams of protein alone. The nutrients in turkey are linked to assisting with energy production, red blood cell formation, cell growth, healing, and positive brain function. It's also said that replacing just one serving of red meat a day with turkey can reduce your risk of heart disease by 19 percent.
When it comes to turkey in deli meat form, you just want to make sure you check the sodium count before giving it the heart-healthy stamp of approval. The Plain Slim contains 3 grams of fat, 420 calories, and 1,250 milligrams of sodium.