A tuna sandwich with light mayo and egg a day is a healthy snack for weight loss. It regulates appetite with fewer than 350 calories, as it has up to 28 grams of protein and 4 grams of fiber!
Tuna sandwich keeps you full for hours with a few calories!
Tuna sandwich is good for weight loss because it promotes satiety. It’s high in protein and has decent amounts of fiber. Foods high in protein, fiber, and water have the highest satiety index.[1]
Protein
A tuna sandwich with mayo and egg has approximately 28 grams of protein! It’s a great snack to meet our daily protein needs. Tuna provides almost 60% of the protein content of a tuna sandwich.
Egg significantly contributes to the daily protein intake as well. Even bread has decent amounts of protein! A whole egg and bread provide about 20% each of the protein of a tuna sandwich.
A healthy diet high in protein is beneficial for weight loss because protein:[2]
- promotes satiety.
- has a high thermic effect. About of 30% of calories of protein are burned during digestion.
- protects lean body mass. When we lose weight, we lose fat and muscle mass. High protein intake minimizes muscle mass loss. Increased muscle mass has been associated with high basal metabolism.
Fiber
Furthermore, tuna sandwich has a high satiating effect because it has some fiber. It provides about 5% of the recommended daily intake.
Diets high in fiber decrease the risk of obesity. Fiber keeps us full for hours. It delays digestions and regulates postprandial glucose responses.
Almost all fiber comes from bread. You could substantially increase the fiber content of any sandwich by eating whole grain bread. For instance, whole grain bread has 3 times more fiber than white bread. A tuna sandwich with whole wheat bread provides about 14% of the Daily Value of fiber!
Lettuce is also a great source of fiber. But, we eat tiny portion sizes in a tuna sandwich. So, it doesn’t contribute to the total fiber content.
Calories
Most noteworthy, a tuna sandwich with light mayonnaise and an egg is good for weight loss because it has fewer than 350 calories.
Don’t eat regular mayo or any other fattening dressing if you want to lose weight. It can make you fat, as full-fat mayo has too many calories.
| calories | protein (grams) | fat (grams) | carbs (grams) | fiber (grams) | |
| total | 327 | 28 | 11 | 29 | 1.3 |
| bread | 150 | 5.2 | 2 | 27 | 1.25 |
| tuna | 72 | 16 | 0.8 | 0 | 0 |
| mayonnaise, light | 36 | 0 | 3.3 | 1.4 | 0 |
| egg | 72 | 6.2 | 5 | 0.5 | 0 |
| lettuce | 1.1 | 0.1 | 0 | 0.2 | 0.1 |
Tuna sandwich burns belly fat
A tuna sandwich supports weight loss because it has a great nutritional value. Besides, protein, it’s packed with vitamins and minerals that involved in fat metabolism and help maintain a lean body.
Selenium
First, tuna sandwich is beneficial for weight loss because it’s particularly rich in selenium. Just a tuna sandwich provides more selenium than the recommended daily intake! In fact, tuna is among the richest foods in selenium! Obese people have an increased risk of selenium deficiency. Selenium supports weight loss.
Phosphorus
Also, a tuna sandwich helps us meet our daily needs of phosphorus. It provides 39% of the Daily Value. Tuna, bread, and egg are high in phosphorus. Eating many foods high in phosphorus may decrease body weight, waist circumference, and body mass index. On the other hand, low phosphorus levels have been associated with increased body weight!
Choline
Moreover, a tuna sandwich provides about 26% of the recommended daily intake of choline. Choline supports weight loss and helps burn belly fat. Also, it keeps us full for a long time.[4]
Iron
Tuna sandwich with mayo and an egg is also high in iron. It provides 23% of the DV. Tuna and many other fish are good dietary sources of iron! You could add avocado to your favorite sandwich or toast. It’s also high in iron.
Obese people have increased risk of iron deficiency. Low levels of iron have been associated with inactivity and fatigue, which further lead to obesity.[5]
Folate
Tuna sandwich provides 20% of the Daily Value of folate. Folate supports weight loss.
Calcium
Moreover, a tuna sandwich provides about 16% of the recommended daily intake of calcium. Bread is the main source of calcium. Tuna, mayo, and egg have significantly less calcium. Actually, there are many plant-based foods high in calcium.
Calcium have beneficial effects on reducing belly fat and helping maintain a lean body.[6]
A tuna sandwich is an excellent natural source of many other vitamins and minerals that play a key role in energy metabolism, such as magnesium, potassium, zinc, copper, and vitamin E.
Can tuna sandwich make me fat?
However, too much of a tuna sandwich can make you gain weight. You should be very cautious with portion sizes. We shouldn’t consume more calories than we burn. Hence, we should eat reasonable amounts of tuna sandwich as part of a healthy, well-balanced diet for weight loss.
Also, you should only eat tuna canned in water. Tuna canned in oil has twice the calories than tuna canned in water! Actually, vegetable oils are among the most calorie-dense foods, as they’re almost 100% fat.
Most noteworthy, you should eat regular mayo if you want to lose weight. Full-fat mayo can make us fat, as it has about 100 calories per tbsp!
Furthermore, it’s healthier to eat whole wheat bread instead of white bread. Actually, 1–2 slices of bread a day are beneficial for weight loss. Not only does white bread have less fiber than whole grain bread, but also it may have added sugar. It spikes blood sugar levels. Nor does it regulate hunger. Hence, it isn’t suitable for a hypocaloric diet for weight loss.
Can I eat a tuna sandwich every day?
We can eat tuna regularly as a healthy snack. But, it’s better to avoid its daily consumption. Tuna may be contaminated by heavy metals, such as lead, cadmium and mercury. Mercury, in particular, represents a serious toxicological issue. High concentrations of all metals may cause adverse effects.[7,8]
How many tuna sandwiches can I eat a day?
You should consume only one tuna sandwich per day if you want to lose weight. More can make you fat. Two tuna sandwiches have at least 700 calories. Only athletes and active people can eat them without gaining weight.
What’s the best time to eat a tuna sandwich for weight loss?
The best time of the day to eat a tuna sandwich for weight loss is between meals as a healthy snack. We can eat it on an empty stomach. Protein and fiber controls glucose responses. Tuna sandwich with light mayo and whole wheat bread is a healthy snack for weight loss. It won’t spike blood sugar levels, while it keeps you full until the next meal.
In addition, a great time to eat a tuna sandwich is after exercise. It’s a great post-workout snack as it’s high in protein, high-quality carbs, and dozens of essential nutrients.
Also, you could eat a tuna salad or sandwich at dinner. It supports a restful sleep.
Which is healthier? A tuna or a turkey sandwich?
Both tuna and turkey sandwiches are considered healthy snacks. Both are high in fiber and protein. We can eat both as part of a healthy, well-balanced, hypocaloric diet for weight loss.
But, shouldn’t eat tuna daily, as it may be contaminated with heavy metals.
On the other hand, we shouldn’t consume turkey sandwich daily because it has some saturated fat and cholesterol. It’s among the meats with the lowest amount of saturated fat or cholesterol, though.
Tuna has negligible amounts of saturated fat and cholesterol.
The American Heart Association recommends consuming no more than 13 grams of saturated fat a day. Higher doses may raise the levels of LDL cholesterol in the blood, increasing the risk of heart disease and stroke.[9]
