How Many Calories Are in a Subway Sandwich Bread?

Subway promises that you can eat tasty food and have it be good for you, too. One of the major contributors to calories in their sandwiches is Subway's breads. Know the calories in the many varieties to make a smart decision about your order.

Subway offers a variety of breads to meet just about everyone's taste preferences. You can get fluffy, white bread, whole-grain options, wraps and flavored creations. Traditional Italian and 9-Grain Wheat rolls contain 180 calories. The 9-Grain Honey Oat Variety comes in at 190 calories per serving, as does Parmesan Oregano Subway bread.

To save some calories, you might choose a mini version of the sandwiches and bread. Mini Italian contains 130 calories and Mini 9-Grain Wheat contains 120 calories per serving. Slightly-higher-calorie options are Hearty Italian, with 210 calories per serving and the Artisan Flatbread, Jalapeno Cheese, Italian Herbs and Cheese bread, Monterey Cheddar bread and Rosemary and Sea Salt bread, all of them offering 220 calories per serving.

Choose a wrap instead of a sandwich, and get 290 calories in either the Spinach wrap or the Tomato Basil Wrap. All of these calorie counts are for the breads only, before you add Subway fillings, such as meat, cheese, condiments and vegetables.

Always check the calorie count in your fast-food meals, such as those at Subway, because it's easy to underestimate how many calories you're truly eating. A study published in the BMJ in May, 2013, found that people eating at fast food restaurants, including Subway, vastly underestimated the calorie content of meals. Specifically, adults and teens eating at Subway estimated that they were consuming 20 to 25 percent fewer calories than if they were eating at a restaurant such as McDonald's.

Subway does offer some lower-calorie options, for example, the Black Forest Ham sub only has 260 calories, the Subway Club has slightly more, at 290 calories, and the Sweet Onion Chicken Teriyaki provides 330 calories per 6-inch serving.

​Read more:​ The 14 Healthiest Foods at Fast Food Restaurants

Some McDonald's offerings, such as a Big Mac, with 540 calories, or a Quarter Pounder with cheese Deluxe, which has 650 calories, do contain more calories. But a simple cheeseburger at McDonald's contains just 300 calories — not a far cry from the numbers found in Subway's offerings.

With 24 to 48 grams of carbohydrates per serving of Subway bread, you may be concerned about carbohydrate content, and how it will affect your overall health. Although low-carbohydrate eating is all the rage, research published in BMJ Open in February, 2018, looked at 22 studies and concluded that a high-carbohydrate diet, or eating an increased percentage of calories from carbohydrates, does not increase the chance that you'll gain weight.

​Read more:​ List of Good Carbohydrates to Eat

Although carbohydrates are much-maligned by diets such as Atkins, Keto and Paleo, they are an essential part of your diet. The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics points out that they are the main source of fuel for the body and brain, and provide a variety of essential vitamins, minerals and other nutrients.

When it comes to getting your carbs from breads, it's often best to choose whole-wheat or whole-grain options, because they offer more fiber, which helps heart health, and keeps your digestive tract running smoothly, explains the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. The whole-grain and whole-wheat versions of Subway bread provide 3 to 4 grams of fiber per serving, compared to 1 to 2 grams in the "white" bread options. Fiber also helps increase feelings of satiation after consuming food.