How unhealthy is a sandwich?

First, for the sake of clarity, a definition of a sandwich: two white sandwiches, a slice of cheese, a slice of ham, a little bit of ketchup, and the whole thing grilled in a sandwich maker. A delicious dish, but angry tongues claim that toasted sandwiches are unhealthy. According to them, the composition of the fat changes in a negative way, the black edges of the burnt bread are harmful, the sauce is high in calories, et cetera, et cetera.

Harmful substances

What is true of this? According to Roy van der Ploeg of the Nutrition Center, a sandwich is no healthier or unhealthier than a regular sandwich with ham and cheese. “There is nothing wrong with heating in itself. The only thing is that the black edges that can form can be harmful. These can contain so-called PAHs, which are harmful substances that are released when burning at high temperatures. not to eat black edges, it is even better to prevent those edges from forming.”

Less good toasties

Furthermore, the toast is harmless. Although you do have better sandwiches and less good sandwiches. Van der Ploeg: “A classic sandwich, consisting of two white slices of bread, spread with margarine and topped with two slices of fatty cheese and one slice of ham, contains 410 calories and 11 grams of saturated fat.”

“An alternative is a sandwich consisting of two wholemeal sandwiches, spread with low-fat margarine and topped with one slice of 30+ cheese and one slice of ham. This variant contains only 250 calories and only 3 grams of saturated fat. So you can certainly make toasted sandwiches less calorie-rich.”

Red and white sauces

Finally, what about the sauces? Van der Ploeg: “Ketchup is the most commonly used sauce for a sandwich, and that is not wrong at all. Ketchup is made from tomatoes, and provides no fat and fewer calories than, for example, mayonnaise. In general, red sauces are also better than white, so you can have lunch with a, preferably less calorie-rich, grilled cheese sandwich.”