Ham and Cheese Sandwich

[PinkOnWednesday]

Would you agree a ham and cheese sandwich is a healthy lunch?

It's neither unhealthy nor healthy. Perfectly acceptable part of a balanced diet.

Sure - as part of a balanced diet. I would have brown bread, proper ham (not wafer thin), cheddar, pickle, hummus and some lettuce. And probably some salad on the side. Would probably pass on bread with breakfast/dinner though! Mmm.

Cheese sandwich, with some salad, brown bread, yes.
Not with processed meat though.

However I don't eat ham anyway.

Ha ha ha - Since when has a ham and cheese sandwich ( and again - dietary requirements / restrictions aside ) not been a perfectly reasonable lunch when taken in the context of what else is eaten in the day .

I am now rather longing for a ploughman's lunch - have not had one for years.

@BasiliskStare of course it's reasonable and normal - but it's hardly a health food

@PinkOnWednesday

Would you agree a ham and cheese sandwich is a healthy lunch?

Depends on your ingredients?

Cheap plastic cheese?
Watery processed ham?
Rubbery white bread?
Weird oily spread?

Not so great.

Wholemeal seeded bread?
Organic ham?
Decent cheddar?
Nice butter?

Better

Its normal but not healthy. It has carbs, protein and dairy so its balanced ish although it does lack any veg. Pit some cucumber and tomato in and it gets a bit better.

No I wouldn't consider it healthy. High salt etc, processed.

But it's not a terrible lunch

It needs mayo and lettuce in it, then perfect for me.

Have the lunchbox police made a complaint?

Im not sure ham is very good for you due to the processing. But a lovely bit of granary with lots of grains in it and a bit of cheese is fine. Yes cheese is calorie dense but you dont need to eat a whole block. It has calcium in it and a the tide us turning on fats being ok. Stick some salad in too to replace the ham.

Mmm - tasty. As part of a balanced diet it is not a bad thing. If it's the only thing you ever eat - not so healthy.

No it isn’t. Ham is usually full of salt and chemicals. No salad/veg?

Depending on your personal ideology:

• the carbs will kill you
• the processed meat will kill you
• meat is murder
• gluten will kill you
• the salt will kill you
• the marge is full of murdering chemicals
• the butter is full of murdering saturated fats
• my gods surely one glance at a tomato will leave you stuffed for weeks
• i inhale five rounds of sandwiches as a light snack

Or you could take the viewpoint that in isolation its all a bit meaningless, is it part of a balanced diet?

Fine as part of a balanced diet.

A cheese & ham sandwich is a perfectly fine sandwich though we put sliced tomatoes or cucumber in it & spinach/lettuce to make it more filling.
If you have kids & the lunchbox police at school are being difficult, well they are stupid as there are much more important things to worry about at the moment such as Covid.

@CorianderLord - I suspect I may be agreeing with you - not health food but if decent ingredients and taken in the context of what else is eaten that day I think it is fine. Not every day all day food , but I am a one for everything in moderation ( I am fortunate in that I am not allergic to things ) So I think it may not be a healthy lunch but perfectly fine if the combination of that and other things eaten is healthy. My family sometimes love chips - not healthy but once in a while - it's fine.

I tend to look more at a day's / couple of days' eating for healthy eating - not just one meal. ( i.e. not every meal has to have all the things but over a day or two - it balances out )

No meal is in and of itself healthy or unhealthy (bar a few extreme exceptions), nutrition is about overall diet.

It’s a fucking sandwich it’ll fill a hole and stop snacking so fine on my eyes

Lean cut, real ham (not water pumped, salt laden ‘sandwich’ ham), real cheese (not disgusting plasticy slices) and wholemeal bread. Yes why not? Throw in some salad and you’ve got all your food groups too.

I ate one yesterday and I died, so proceed with caution.

Healthy as part of a balanced diet, yeah. It’s fine.

There isn't a yes / no, healthy / unhealthy answer to that. Lots of other factors.

My son had a cheese and ham sandwich, with a side order of tomatoes and cucumber for school lunch every single day for 8 years, and most holiday lunches.
He seems to be doing well on it