Jimmy Johns, a popular “sub” shop on 106th Avenue Northeast, near Bellevue High, has a casual fast food atmosphere. The walls are covered with bright inspirational posters and popular music fills the room. It is a quick place for a good lunch and also offers convenient local delivery.
I ordered the regular #4 Turkey Tom with a combined calorie count of 554, a saturated fat count of 4.25g, and 1,341.61 mg of sodium – not terrible for a lunch. Jimmy Johns includes three bread choices for each sandwich: French, wheat, or lettuce wrap (no bread). If you’re not too hungry you can save 239 calories with the lettuce wrap. However I chose the most popular, French bread, as it is more filling. The whole wheat choice adds an extra 137 calories to your sandwich compared to the French bread. The best way to save calories on the regular sub is to skip the mayonnaise saving 1.5g of saturated fat and 90 calories.
Interesting enough, they have the option of a slim sandwich that has no sauces or veggies, just meat and cheese. When we asked for this option with veggies the employees rejected “Fit Kid’s” request as it was against company policy. However, by leaving off the veggies on the slim #4, you lose the following nutritional value: lettuce – vitamin A (3 percent of dv*), vitamin K (8 percent of dv), and folate (2 percent of dv), alfalfa sprouts – vitamin C (5 percent of dv), vitamin K (13 percent of dv) and folate (3 percent of dv), and tomatoes – vitamin A (12 percent of dv), vitamin C (16 percent of dv) and vitamin K (5 percent of dv). Also, by removing veggies, you save less than 50 calories.
As for dessert, grab a bag of chips instead of a cookie. The chips range from only 140-160 calories with 1.5-2 grams of saturated fat, while the cookies are 420 calories with 8.71-10.6 grams of saturated fat. Just remember – don’t order the side Jumbo Kosher Pickle. It has 1430 mg of sodium.
Dominique Heijer is a junior at Bellevue High School. She reviews local restaurants to find the best nutritional value options for your meal.
