Sandwiches are the way to go when it comes to a quick lunch. You can easily make a sandwich super-fast, and you won’t have to stretch too many muscles for it. Nowadays, paninis have risen in popularity quite a lot.
Who doesn’t love a tasty panini? When served hot straight out of the panini press, these delicious sandwiches will make you go crazy. We all love the paninis with extra cheese and soft chicken breast. Some people even prefer other fattier meats with their paninis. But can a panini be healthy? With the number of calorie-conscious people on the rise, we are starting to see a growing interest in healthier food. So, how exactly do we make this delicious sandwich a healthy one too? Keep on reading to find out.
How to Make a Panini Healthy
Lean Protein
Okay, so this one was pretty much obvious, right? Lean meat like chicken dramatically reduces the fat content of your sandwich. Meat like ham, pork, and beef can surely increase the fat count of the panini. Other sources include tuna, turkey, or salmon. Using these in a panini would surely keep it healthy.
Choose the Right Bread
What type of bread should you put into the panini press? Research says that using the “whole wheat” loaves of bread makes your panini more nutritious. If the kind of bread you use is high in fibers, your panini will be healthy.
Go Easy On the Spreads
We love to go all out on our paninis with extra sauce, mayo, mustard, and cheese. This might make the meal a lot more appealing, it surely adds a ton of extra calories. If you check out the supermarket shelves, you can find low-fat yogurt or low-fat mayo. These spreads help reduce the calories count by quite a lot.
If you can’t go by without cheese, go for Feta or Swiss cheese. These cheeses provide quite an exquisite taste while keeping the calorie count down.
More Veggies!
Ask yourself this. Can you really make it healthy without the added greens? Probably not. Adding vegetables to a meal surely makes it healthy. The same is the case with a panini.Using a couple of slices of tomatoes or cucumbers will not only make your panini healthier but will also boost the taste. If you like, you can also use a couple of slices of avocado on your panini.
Bigger isn’t Always Better
Eating a smaller portion is probably the simplest way to cut down calories. You might not like the sound of this, but it’s true. Eat half a piece of your delicious panini and keep the other half for the next day. In most cases, half of the sandwich will fill you up anyways.
What Is Good Panini Bread?
When it comes to healthy eating, most people will tell you to avoid bread at all costs. There’s a misconception that all carbs are unhealthy for the body. You need a well-balanced diet for good health which means you should eat carbs moderately.
As mentioned before, whole wheat bread will add nutrition to your sandwich. Whole wheat bread contains fiber which is important for digestion. Rye bread and whole-grain baguette are two excellent choices in such cases. Especially rye bread, which is full of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and fiber. You can also try ciabatta and focaccia. They can be made at home and are known for their rich minerals and fiber. These pieces of bread can be designed with various vegetables while baking them. Using capsicum, tomatoes, coriander, olives, and herbs in your bread will elevate both flavor and nutrition.
Is Panini Bread Healthy?
Panini loaves of bread are popularly used for making delicious sandwiches and are often seen on lunch menus. The slightly sweet taste and pleasant aroma of Panini bread certainly make a mouth-watering sandwich.
Many people are confused about the health benefits and disadvantages of Panini bread. No food is completely healthy, and neither is this one; we have discussed this topic more in the following sections. Please read on to know whether delicious food made of Panini bread is healthy for you or not.
What Is the Most Popular Sandwich Filling?
People always think the more you add you to your sandwich, the better it will taste. You have to take food combinations and nutrition into consideration when making your panini. Because of panini’s growing popularity, people have experimented with different flavor profiles and come up with the best fillings.
Thankfully, most of these fillings are made of nutritious items, which is why panini became known as a healthy food. One of the most popular filling combinations is chicken and avocado. Lean meat like chicken paired with a mineral-rich vegetable like avocado creates a delicious and nutritious panini that you can enjoy anytime.
Another famous combination is turkey, hummus, and roasted red pepper. Adding hummus with turkey makes for a healthy sandwich, and the pepper gives a spicy kick. If you want something sweet, try goats’ cheese and blueberry. Goat’s cheese is known for healthy fats and rich protein.
What Do You Eat with A Panini?
Many side dishes go well with paninis. Chips and sandwiches are a classic combo that never fails. However, if you’re looking for a healthier alternative, you can eat carrot or beetroot chips instead of potato ones. If you want healthy potato chips, try using sweet potatoes. Soup is another great pairing. Tomato or chicken soup tastes fantastic with crispy paninis. It makes for a homely meal rather than just a snack. You can try salads as well. It can’t get healthier than a salad! Mediterranean, spinach, or fruit salads are great to eat with a panini.
Nutrition Count in Panini Bread
Panini Bread, like any other bread, contains carbohydrates and calories. Carbohydrate and calorie intake varies from person to person. If one person eats two sandwiches, he/she will consume more calories than a person who eats only one.
Calories: Usually, 150gms of Panini bread is present per serving of sandwich; this amount contains 329 calories. An average person should intake at least 2000-3000 calories every day. So, eating a Panini bread sandwich for lunch or breakfast will benefit your health.
Fat and Iron: Panini bread contains enough iron and fat to get you through the day. One serving of Panini bread contains 1g of saturated fat and 10% of daily recommended iron intake. You can quickly get enough iron and maintain your diet by eating a Panini bread sandwich.
Carbohydrate: The amount of carbohydrates in Panini bread is enough for an adult; It comes with 49 g of carbohydrates, but the bread doesn’t have many whole grains. The lack of whole grains may increase sugar in the blood, which is harmful to diabetic patients.
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Final Thoughts
It’s entirely up to you to decide how you will make your panini healthy. You can follow the above tips to cut your calorie count down. A panini can surely be healthy if you utilize the above tips properly. So why are you waiting? Go make yourself a healthy panini now!