Ham and Cheese Sandwich

[PinkOnWednesday]

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

@Bettercallsaul1

MrsTerryPratchett

Do you come from a long line of sea-faring folk?

No but this method means DD eats veg or fruit with every meal 'in case her hair and teeth fall out'. Fun times.

@PinkOnWednesday
Any context for your question ? out of interest

I have often thought a home baked ham is just lovely to have for main meals and risottos and then sandwiches . We do not do them enough in our house. ( but obviously not vegetarians )

@MrsTerryPratchett

White bread, highly processed ham and a cheese slice? Nothing else. It won't kill you but it's certainly not adding anything to your life. You'd eventually get scurvy. Eventually getting scurvy is my benchmark. But if you ate porridge and fruit for breakfast and chicken and veg for dinner? Fine. No scurvy.

Brown seedy bread, ham that's not full of nitrates and salt, real cheese and a salad/fruit on the side? Healthy. No scurvy.

Pray tell, how do you make ham without salt?

Literally just ham and cheese? Not very healthy no. Ham isn’t healthy. Bread is generally poor-ok, depending on the kind. Cheese is ok in moderation. I mean you could do a lot worse but, no, it’s not a healthy nutritious meal.

Everything in moderation but it wouldn't be healthy every day.

Many types of bread offer little in the way of nutrition...which isn't necessarily a bad thing depending on age, levels of activity and metabolism and so on.
Cheese in my opinion is fine, but then I don't mind fat in my diet. Lots of people will have negative opinions on fat and on dairy.

Processed ham daily would be an issue as one slice a day increases risk of bowel cancer and probably plenty of other stuff too!

No, on its own no. Ham and tomato maybe...

I'm struggling because I don't know how one should define healthy or unhealthy.

I would say it's good value nutrition (vitamins, minerals) for the amount of calories. Whether it's too many calories is too individual: some people would be harmed by those calories but most wouldn't. Quality of ham or cheese can vary a lot from very processed to barely processed.

If white bread: sarnie would be too low on fibre for my liking.

Sooo what is a healthy meal if bread cheese and ham are a no-no?

Yes. Every things in moderation

@CrunchyNutNC

Yes. Cheese is good for you and the fat will make you feel full (fat is not the enemy).

As above!

And it's delicious, so that's another box ticked.

Like anything else, you probably wouldn't want to eat it every day (because of the high carb value of the bread, not the fat in the cheese or the ham), but it certainly isn't unhealthy

@user1481840227

Everything in moderation but it wouldn't be healthy every day.

Many types of bread offer little in the way of nutrition...which isn't necessarily a bad thing depending on age, levels of activity and metabolism and so on.
Cheese in my opinion is fine, but then I don't mind fat in my diet. Lots of people will have negative opinions on fat and on dairy.

Processed ham daily would be an issue as one slice a day increases risk of bowel cancer and probably plenty of other stuff too!

All ham, by definition, is processed.

This is the most MN thread there has ever been because you have got literally every possible answer on it.

Yet another one of MN's classic competitive healthy eating threads. It only took two posts for someone to tell you to ditch the bread 😂

Stick a slice of cucumber in it and then it’s healthy right?

Anything can be seen as unhealthy (especially in MN), I’m sure there’s nothing wrong with a ham and cheese sandwich, if you want healthier then eat a bowl of salad leafs, if you want something less healthy then grab a Big Mac.

She got instant scurvy. The doctor asked, 'Was it white bread?' When I cried, 'Yes!' he just shook his head and said there was nothing more they could do.

That is heartbreaking Fiducia - poor Brillo.

But she brought it on herself.

I don’t think it’s unhealthy but you need to consider what else is being eaten in the day. Also how much cheese and ham? Will the be mayo or butter? Are you having some salad in there too or fruits after?

My answer: only if it's carb-free bread, meat-free ham and dairy-free cheese. Otherwise you will develop gout.

It depends.

Ham can be premium cut from the bone, honey-roast, top quality or it can be shite cheap crap that you wouldn't give houseroom to.

Cheese can be Cathedral City or similar, flavoursome mature cheddar, or plastic skin-grafts from Aldi.

Bread can be multi-grain or whole meal. Or white blotting paper that sticks to the roof of your mouth.

MN - no it’s unhealthy

RL - perfectly fine.

@Mrsjayy

Sooo what is a healthy meal if bread cheese and ham are a no-no?

Smoked meat, forms of bread and cheese sustained people in Britain for centuries, but now they are not 'healthy'.

And porridge, it's traditionally salted.

Not as naice as my sarnies I'm making for a socially distanced lunch tomorrow on the patio with 2 friends I haven't seen for 6 months, sqeee can't wait.

Whole meal sarnies filled with aubergine, courgette and pepper slow-roasted in balsamic, fresh basil leaves and ground pepper and turmeric.

Followed by organic honey yoghurt topped with braised apricot.

Mmmmmmm.

Is it an open sandwich?

@daisychain01

Not as naice as my sarnies I'm making for a socially distanced lunch tomorrow on the patio with 2 friends I haven't seen for 6 months, sqeee can't wait.

Whole meal sarnies filled with aubergine, courgette and pepper slow-roasted in balsamic, fresh basil leaves and ground pepper and turmeric.

Followed by organic honey yoghurt topped with braised apricot.

Mmmmmmm.

I'd leave hungry. Sounds paltry. I couldn't do that to my guests. Lazy, too.

Love love love salted porridge, @InDeoEstMeaFiducia.

It's brought my cholesterol down, and slightly raised my BP (which is quite low)

No, not in any universe.

Depends.

I wouldn't expect it to be questioned by the 'lunchbox police' unless they have 'meat free Monday's' or whatever.

Shop bought ones are probably worse than homemade.

I'd eat it, but then I'm a fat cow.