苏bway's Sweet Onion Sauce Nutrition

苏bway offers a range of sub sandwiches, both hot and cold, many of which are low in fat and calories. While you should certainly pay attention to the meats, cheeses and vegetables you order on your sandwich, the sauce plays a role in the overall nutritional value of your sub sandwich as well. The sweet onion sauce at Subway is a fairly good choice in terms of fat and sodium content, but it does contain sugar and doesn't offer much in the way of vitamins and minerals.

A 21-gram serving, which is equivalent to about 1 1/2 tablespoons, of sweet onion sauce has 40 calories. Unlike some of the other Subway sandwich spreads, like mayonnaise, that are high in fat and saturated fat, the sweet onion sauce is also fat-free. That's good news for fast-food lovers looking for ways to cut their intakes of fat. Limiting how much saturated fat you consume can help you lower your risk of heart disease and might help you reduce your cholesterol levels, too.

The sweet onion sauce at Subway provides less sodium than some of the other toppings, such as mustard. A 21-gram serving of the sweet onion sauce contains 85 milligrams of sodium, which is about 6 percent of the American Heart Association's recommendation of just 1,500 milligrams of sodium each day. Restricting your sodium intake can reduce your risk of heart attack and stroke.

The primary drawback of the sweet onion sauce at Subway is its sugar content. A serving of the sauce contains 8 grams of sugar, which doesn't sound like a lot but is equal to about 2 teaspoons. The American Heart Association recommends limiting the amount of added sugars you consume to no more than half of your daily discretionary calories. This recommendation translates into about 6 teaspoons of sugar per day for most women and 9 teaspoons for men. This means that the 8 grams of sugar in just one serving of the sweet onion sauce is quite a bit of your daily limit. Sugars contribute zero nutrients to your diet, but the calories they add can lead to extra pounds or even obesity, reducing your heart health.

Ask the person making your Subway sandwich or salad to add just a small amount of the sauce. Or, ask to have the sauce put on the side so you can control how much you use. You might also consider ditching the sweet onion sauce in favor of vinegar and oil, which add flavor and heart-healthy unsaturated fats without adding sugar. Also, keep in mind that the sweet onion sauce doesn't add vitamins and minerals, such as vitamin C and calcium, to your sandwich. Overcome this drawback by ordering your sandwich with plenty of fresh vegetables, such as tomatoes, bell peppers and cucumbers.