The Subway "Deception"

[Gregg]

Really less about Subway and just a reflection of the commercial food chain in the US. Nothing we didn't all know or suspect. Still sad. Tell me again why cancer rates are through the roof?

http://www.hangthebankers.com/the-subway-deception/

[iris lilies]

Still, when on the road and limited to road food, Subway is easily available and still the best choice among fatty burgers and fries fare.

The author goes on and on to demonize the additives in the Subway breads. Are they any different form the products in stores, the commercialized ones?

It you get a Subway sandwich with cutfrom-the-boane meat (which likely has some preservatives on it) plus all of the vegetables in the case, add in a little sweet vinegar as a suace, that's still low cal (except for the bread) and very decent nutrition. But you have to ask them to load up on the veggies.

[SteveinMN]

Oh, I think there are lots of reasons that go well beyond Subway (drank any water in West Virginia lately?). Not to defend Subway -- they're my least favorite national sandwich chain. But I don't expect much better from anyone else (well, maybe Chipotle, but they have their dietary issues there, too).

DW really used to like Subway's Teriyaki Chicken sandwich -- until I pointed out that the half she eats still packs a third of a day's saturated fat, and a surprising amount of sugar. "Fit" meal indeed.

[Miss Cellane]

This is what I call sensational journalism. Subway has never claimed to be organic, has never claimed that all their sandwiches were low-cal or healthy. Yes, there are additives in the food. Did people seriously think there weren't? The article doesn't say, but I'll bet those same additives are in a lot of the bread and cold cuts you buy at the supermarket.

Still, I suspect that a small turkey sub without a ton of dressing/oil and with some vegetables is a better choice than a Big Mac.

[JaneV2.0]

I'd argue with the idea that Subway is a healthy alternative. Maybe if you have them make a salad out of the sandwich ingredients. There's nothing healthy about two slabs of white bread as big as your head. When I'm on the road, I sometimes stop at Jack in the Box and have two burgers from the dollar menu, hold the buns. The meat tastes like meat. I consider that a perfectly healthy meal.

[KayLR]

+1 with Miss Cellane...with large quotation marks around "journalism." I could not find anywhere on this site exactly WHO hangthebanker is or are. Self-journalists I assume (i.e., sans degree) with the disclaimer:
The views expressed on this site are not necessarily the views of HangTheBankers.com but those of it’s authors and/or sources. Any loses (sic) caused either financially, physically or emotionally are not the responsibility of this website, it’s owners and/or authors.

These kinds of disclaimers are always a red flag to me.

[pinkytoe]

And here's an interesting chart about food quality:
http://www.oxfam.org.uk/what-we-do/good-enough-to-eat

[Florence]

Love my Turkey on wheat, mustard no mayo, spinach instead of lettuce, all the veggies except no jalapenos. At least one a week.

[reader99]

The article says "Studies have shown that it only takes about 1.8 ounces of processed meat to increase the proliferation of cancer by 50 percent, heart disease by 42 percent, and diabetes by 19 percent. These Subway sandwiches contain twice that amount. Yummmmmy!"

1.8 ounces per what? Ever in your life? Why aren't I dead?

Poorly researched and sensationalizing. Buy the same meats and bread at the store they all have crap in it to make it keep.

[Gregg]

Oh, no doubt the article is somewhat suspect in both content and angle. The author probably got pissed because he didn't get a free cookie with his happy meal. The purpose of the OP wasn't to slam Subway, it was to raise awareness and open discussion regarding the proliferation of non-food in our food.

[ApatheticNoMore]

Or to raise guilt for people who try to do the right thing but aren't perfect and have to live in this messed up world. I had a sandwich last night (not subway gah even if it's not healthy I've still got tastebuds! So jersey mikes). Then I went home and worked another 5 1/2 hours till past midnight from home after the 5 1/2 hours I'd already put in at work. But I shouldn't have allowed myself that treat and will probably die of cancer for consuming cold cuts maybe twice a year (really wanted tuna but ended up with turkey - ate it anyway).

I know all prepared food is probably not healthy, but what's the point of raising awareness, when you can't do anything about it, when you get tired of cooking. Is guilt good for your health now or something?

[reader99]

Or to raise guilt for people who try to do the right thing but aren't perfect and have to live in this messed up world. I had a sandwich last night (not subway gah even if it's not healthy I've still got tastebuds! So jersey mikes). Then I went home and worked another 5 hours till past midnight from home after the 5 1/2 hours I'd already put in at work. But I shouldn't have allowed myself that treat and will probably die of cancer for consuming cold cuts maybe twice a year (really wanted tuna but ended up with turkey - ate it anyway).

I know all prepared food is probably not healthy, but what's the point of raising awareness, when you can't do anything about it, when you get tired of cooking. Is guilt good for your health now or something?

I have a friend who is blowing up Facebook about GMOs. I asked about any pending legislation we could maybe write to our representatives about. She linked to a site but the bill it referenced died in committee last year. So, is it that she hopes to improve my life by making sure I can feel All Upset All the Time, or what? I don't mind knowing about suspect foods and ingredients, but I'd rather take some kind of action than just Feel All Upset.

[JaneV2.0]

Our GMO labeling initiative lost 51 to 49, largely due to millions of Monsanto money being infused into the campaign.

I agree about instilling guilt--we hardly need more stress in our lives. Each of us has ideas of what constitutes a reasonably healthy diet; probably if we were just left alone to eat in peace, we'd all be better off. Sometimes, TMI is TMI.

[ApatheticNoMore]

GMO labeling died here as well, it was close as well, 53.1 percent opposed to the measure and 46.9 percent in favor. And there was massive Monsanto money infusion as well. But I really don't think it was only Monsanto, also the ENTIRE establishment came out against it. All the newspapers did. If you wonder who that newspaper establishment speaks for? It's not for you! They speak for the money like everyone else no matter what ideological bias they are alleged to have. The Dem party weakly came out in favor of it very late in the game but no political party championed it or wanted much to do with it. So even with Monsanto cash if newspapers had not all gone to bat for Monsanto, if it had had any political champions etc., things would probably have been different.

I wonder if some of the elections weren't outright rigged as well. Although that's actually not easily pulled off here as there's a paper ballot so where there is there's a real trail.

I mostly avoid GMOs by buying organic, but if I pick up a sandwich or go out to eat or something, I'm not frantically worrying if all ingredients are organic or GMO free. Because that's stress. That's the crazy.

[Gregg]

It has nothing at all to do with guilt...I'm still genuinely surprised by what is actually in food. I don't know how many people here are shade tree chemists. Personally, I have just enough understanding of the compound naming process to grasp what a number of those mostly unpronounceable-to-laymen ingredient names are and what the molecules are made up of. It makes me wish I would have paid a lot more attention in inorganic chemistry because then I might be able to better figure out what the purpose of some of them is, but as it stands its mostly a mystery. Its not enough for me to just see the name of a chemical compound in my spaghetti sauce and assume its probably bad, but must not be that bad or it wouldn't be there. The only people who might deserve a slice of guilt are the ones responsible for creating the lab experiments, not the innocent consumers who have very few choices. Big food ticks me off. It may or may not help bring about change if I shout once in a while, but its guaranteed nothing will change if I (we) don't.

[JaneV2.0]

I think we've reached a tipping point. Most people I know are label readers, and are eating more whole foods and organics, seeking out local butchers, buying organic raw milk--not to mention discovering exotic new ingredients!