How to build a better Sandwich

Want to know how to build a better sandwich?

Here are some healthy hand-held meals for the well-breaded lifestyle.
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FROM ITS VERY BEGINNING, the sandwich has been ultimate in regular-guy food. John Montagu's, the forth Earl of Sandwich, invented this prototypical nosh not out of culinary genius but because he was a lunatic card player. Deep into a 24-h game and reluctant to leave the table for sustenance, he instructed a servant to bring him a slab of beef between pieces of toast, and the sandwich was born. More than three centuries later, this hand-held meal remains the salvation of men reluctant to leave the card table, the sports arena or the chair in front of the TV.

Unfortunately, many of today's sandwiches are not much more healthful than old Montagu's. Usually we eat whatever will fit between two slices of bread, from fat- and sodium-laden cured lunch meals to artery-clogging mayonnaise.

I'd never suggest that you abandon sandwiches altogether. It wouldn't do much good if we did. Americans love Sandwiches. In fact, a survey found that sandwiches account for half of all lunches eaten in restaurants, 30 percent of all dinners and 19 percent of all breakfasts. Instead of admonishing you to quit sandwiches, I'd like to offer some advice on how to build them better.

FROM THE BOTTOM UP

A good place to begin is with the foundation of the sandwich: the bread. Even the spongiest, whitest of breads supplies healthful complex carbohydrates, but its best to go with whole-grain varieties, which offer the additional benefit of two times the fiber of plain white bread. For our money, whole-grain bread also tastes better.

You can get whole-grain breads in fat, crusty loaves from bakeries, and you can also get them in neat, sliced and packaged versions at your grocer's. Both are fine, but if you prefer the latter type, check out the ingredient list and buy only those breads that have a whole grain at the top of the label. On the other hand, don't let your imagination stop at bread that comes in loaves. You can also buy whole-grain bagels, rolls, English muffins and pita bread.

Now that we've got the foundation of our sandwich, it's time to select the filling.

Fish and Sea-food are the healthiest choices, since most of them tend to lower in fat than meat. A simple broiled fish fillet makes a great sandwich filler. Three ounces of cod contains only 89 calories and less than a gram of fat. Drizzle a little lemon juice on the fillet, pack it between two slices of whole-grain bread, add lettuce and tomato, then paint on a layer of spicy mustard for a delicious, light meal.

CAN THE FAT

If you prefer the convenience of canned seafood, be sure you get water-packed tuna, salmon or sardines rather than the oil-packed versions. The savings in fat are considerable:
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• Put your Spuds on a Diet
• Its not the spuds, it's the extras we shovel n that are fattening.
• Potatoes are low in fat and high in potassium, vitamin-C and fiber.
• Here are some healthy ways to dress them up-
• Instead of sour cream, top with plain low-fat yogurt, salsa or a mixture of lemon juice and ground black pepper.
• Mash potatoes with buttermilk, which, despite its name, is far lower in fat than whole milk.
• If you crave fries, choose thick steak fries. They absorb less oil.

• Leave the skin on scalloped potatoes (to keep the fiber high), and use skim milk and just a dab of margarine. 

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Three ounces of oil-packed chunk tuna usually contains 18 grams of fat, about 16 1/2 grams more than the water-packed kind.