The Christmas sandwiches with the most calories, fat, sugar and salt – from Aldi to Starbucks and M&S
FESTIVE sandwiches being sold on British high streets contain more calories than a Big Mac, The Sun can reveal.
The iconic McDonald’s burger has 493 calories whilst Christmas sarnies from the likes of Tesco, Pret A Manger and Marks and Spencer are higher in calories, fat, sugar and salt.
Too much of all four can lead to weight gain, tooth decay and increase our risk of diabetes, heart disease and some types of cancer.
Dietitian Emma Shafqat, from Dietitian With A Difference, said not all festive sandwiches are created equally so you need to be careful with what you pick from the supermarket shelves.
“Christmas sandwiches are high in calories, fat, and salt,” she says.
“While they are a festive treat, some options can be more balanced, depending on ingredients and bread choice.
“A Big Mac contains 493 calories, 24g of fat, 8.3g of sugar and 2.2g of salt.
“Lot of people think a sandwich is the healthier option, but that is not always the case.”
Here, we reveal what’s in some of the most popular festive sandwiches and Emma shares her expert verdict.
Aldi Christmas Club Sandwich
- Cost: £2.39
- Calories: 585
- Fat: 20.1g
- Sugar: 10.5g
- Salt: 3.14g
Emma says: “At 585 calories and 3.14g salt, this one is higher in calories, and it has white bread so it is lower in fibre.
“It also has lots of extra sugar from the cranberry sauce.
“Plus it contains bacon, ham and turkey in the ingredients.
“Bacon and ham are processed meats which are high in salt, saturated fat and additives.
“The World Health Organization classifies processed meats as a group 1 carcinogen, meaning there is evidence linking a high intake to bowel cancer.”
The NHS suggests limiting intake to one to two portions a week.
Pret A Manger Boxing Day Toastie
- Cost: £5.85
- Calories: 634
- Fat: 25.9g
- Sugar: 10.5g
- Salt: 3.14g
The Boxing Day Toastie from Pret comes on seeded bloomer bread, which provides some nutrition benefits, Emma says.
“This is because the seeds provide some healthy fats and extra protein,” she adds.
However, it’s packed full of ham, stuffing and cheese, making it “very high” in calories and “less balanced”.
Waitrose Brie and Cranberry
- Cost: £3.75
- Calories: 536 calories
- Fat: 26.9g
- Sugar: 6.4g
- Salt: 1.57g
“With brie as the main protein, this sandwich has the highest fat content and therefore lots more saturated fat,” the dietitian warns.
“However, the malted bread adds some fibre, and the sugar content is lower than other sandwiches with cranberry sauce.
“It is an option if you are vegetarian.”
Starbucks Festive Feast Panini
- Cost: £5.70
- Calories: 511
- Fat: 11g
- Sugar: 13.4g
- Salt: 1.75g
At 511 calories and with a lower fat content, this Starbucks offering is one of the lighter options.
“It also doesn’t contain any processed meats,” Emma adds.
“However, panini bread might lack the fibre and nutrients of seeded or malted breads.”
M&S Christmas Sando
- Cost: £4.50
- Calories: 609
- Fat: 28.3g fat
- Sugar: 13.4g
- Salt: 1.75g
You might associate the brand with high-quality and premium ingredients that are good for our health, but the M&S Christmas Sando is the second highest in terms of calories (609) and the worst for fat (28.3g), Emma says.
“The chicken goujons increase the calories and saturated fats due to frying,” she adds.
“This highlights the importance of checking nutritional information.
“Being premium doesn’t mean it is better for our health.”
The best and worst
- Healthiest option: Morrisons Turkey Lunch
- Highest in calories: Pret Boxing Day Toastie, closely rolled by M&S Sando
- Saltiest option: Pret Boxing Day Toastie
- Highest in fat: M&S Christmas Sando
Greggs Christmas Lunch Baguette
- Cost: £3.80
- Calories: 544
- Fat: 16g
- Sugar: 9.1g
- Salt: 2.3g
“With a lower calorie count (544) and modest salt levels (2.3g), this Greggs number is a healthier option,” Emma says.
“Although it is still very high in calories and salt, and baguettes tend to be low in fibre.”
Asda Festive Feast
- Cost: £3
- Calories: 567
- Fat: 16g
- Sugar: 9.1g
- Salt: 2.3g
The Asda Festive Feast sandwich is calorie- and fat-dense, with 567 per pack.
But this is perhaps unsurprising given it contains festive favourites like stuffing and bacon.
“The processed meats increase the salt and saturated fat intake,” Emma says.
“The malted bread adds a small fibre source, but this is one of the highest fat options of all the sandwiches.”
Sainsbury’s Pigs Under Blankets
- Cost: £3.25
- Calories: 462
- Fat: 16.8g
- Sugar: 7.8g
- Salt: 1.63g
With pigs and blankets, you might expect this Sainsbury’s sarnie to be sky high in calories and fat.
But it is actually one of the lighter options, at 462 and 16.8g respectively.
“This contains sausages and bacon which means more processed meat compared to some of the other sandwiches, but the malted bread and relatively low sugar (7.8g) make it a reasonable choice as a festive treat,” Emma says.
Recommended daily intake
THE NHS says that women should have 2,000 calories a day and that men should have 2,500.
Your age can play a huge role in this and children and growing teenagers will need more calories than a middle-aged man or woman.
How active you are will also impact this, as will your height and weight – which both influence how fast you use up energy.
Medications, hormones and being unwell can also have an impact on how quickly you burn energy.
To maintain a healthy weight, the NHS says you need to balance the number of calories you consume through food and drink with the number you burn through exercise.
But if you want to lose weight, you need to use more energy than you consume – that’s when it can help to reduce your calorie intake.
If you need to gain weight, then you need to eat more calories than your body uses.
When it comes to fat, a food is considered to be high in fat if it contains more than 17.5g of it per 100g. It is low fat if it has 3g or less.
Men should eat no more than 30g of saturated fat (the day found in butter, fatty meats and cheese) a day, while women should have no more than 20g. Children should have even less.
And the recommended daily limit for salt is 6g for adults, while for free sugars (found in sweets, cakes and fizzy drinks) it’s 30g.
Morrisons Turkey Lunch Sandwich
- Cost: £2.85
- Calories: 409
- Fat: 9.5g
- Sugar: 9.3g
- Salt: 1.76g
But the number one lightest option is this one from Morrisons.
“It only contains turkey, which is a lean meat, and no processed meats,” the expert says.
“Its malted wheat bread also means it has more fibre.
“This is one of the healthiest Christmas sarnie choices.”
Costa Hog Roast Toastie
- Cost: £5.85
- Calories: 545
- Fat: 21g fat
- Sugar: 7.9g
- Salt: 1.80g
“At 545 calories and 21g of fat, this is a more indulgent option featuring pork, a processed meat high in salt,” Emma says.
“It is also high in fat which means it’s better as an occasional treat.”
Emma’s top 4 tips for choosing a festive sandwich
- Look for options with whole grain or malted breads to increase fibre and satiety. Malted bread is a better choice than white bread nutritionally due to its higher fibre content, which helps with digestion and keeps you fuller for longer.
- Keep an eye on portion sizes as some festive sandwiches are large portions, which can increase calorie and salt intake.
- If enjoying a richer sandwich, consider lighter meals or snacks before and after the sandwich.
- Some sandwiches feature cranberry sauces or chutney, which adds festive sweetness but also increases sugar content. Others use cheese, mayonnaise and butter which can push up saturated fat contents. For a lighter option, choose sandwiches with leaner cuts of meat such as chicken or turkey without heavy dressings.
Tesco Cracking Currywurst Sub
- Cost: £3
- Calories: 410
- Fat: 8.2g
- Sugar: 14.5g
- Salt: 1.46g
“This sub is relatively moderate in calories and fat compared to the other options,” Emma says.
“The recipe uses lentils alongside the sausage, which boosts the fibre content.”
But don’t get too excited.
“While the addition of sausage adds protein to the sandwich, it also means processed meat is the main ingredient,” she adds.
“It’s sugar content and salt levels are high.”
Subway VI Brie SubMelt
- Cost: £6.89
- Calories: 469
- Fat: 22g
- Sugar: 12g
- Salt: 2.3g
Brie makes this Subway sarnie one of the higher fat options, according to Emma.
It does contain 23g of protein, which will help keep you fuller for longer.
“However, the salt content is significant and represents a high proportion of the recommended daily intake – though it is not as high as the Pret sandwich,” Emma says.
“This sub isn’t great for those watching their saturated fat or sodium intake.”
The 'unhealthiest' Christmas drinks
THE nation’s coffee shops are serving up their creative, dreamy and delicious festive offerings.
But how do this year’s coffees and hot chocolates stack up health-wise?
We’ve looked into their calories, fat and sugar content so you don’t have to, offering up slightly healthier options.
Caffè Nero
- Worst: Millionaire’s Hot Chocolate (430kcal, 19.9g fat, 46.5g sugar)
- Best: Tiramisu Latte (277 kcal, 9.4g fat, 32.2g sugar)
Costa Coffee
- Worst: Terry’s Hot Chocolate (407kcal, 19.1g fat, 40.3g sugar)
- Best: Festive Spice Latte (208kcal, 9.9g fat, 19.5g sugar)
Pret a Manger
- Worst: Festive Orange Hot Chocolate (419kcal, 17.1g fat, 50.4g sugar)
- Best: Maple Pecan Latte (298kcal, 16.6g fat, 27.2g sugar)
Starbucks
- Worst: White Hot Chocolate (357kcal, 13.2g fat, 47.1g sugar)
- Best: Toffee Nut Latte (236kcal, 9.5g fat, 27g sugar)
Greggs
- Worst: Mint Mocha (293kcal, 9.5g fat, 31g sugar)
- Best: Gingerbread Latte (204kcal, 7.4g fat, 25g sugar)