There's no miracle in the Subway 'diet,' just low fat

By CHRIS SHERMAN, Times Restaurant Critic

© St. Petersburg Times, published June 1, 2000

[Photo: AP] Indiana University senior Jared Fogle, right, can still smile at the thought of foot-long veggie sub he is ordering Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2000, from Subway employee Brent Van Bruaene in Bloomington, Ind. Van Bruaene watched Fogle lose 245 pounds eating a steady diet of low-fat submarine sandwiches for nearly a year. When Subway executives heard he went from 425 pounds to 180 pounds eating their product, they put him in a TV commercial.

The sandwiches may have come from Philly or New Orleans, Naples or Havana. Hard-working guys in the factories, on the docks or out odd hours loved 'em, big long loaves of bread loaded with everything in the kitchen.

They went by a slew of names, hoagies, heroes, submarines, Cubans, grinders, torpedoes and po' boys -- anything but diet food -- yet that's what sub sandwiches supposedly were to Jared Fogle, an Indiana University graduate who is the new poster boy for the surprise movement to make submarines America's newest health food.

Sure, a balanced diet can include all foods in moderation, but what's next, the all-beer diet?

Fogle and his former pants (with the 60-inch waist) have been on the windows of Subway shops as part of a national campaign (which stopped in Tampa last week) touting his all-sub diet -- after losing 245 pounds in a year eating nothing but Subway sandwiches.

Or rather, eating a limited number of Subway sandwiches (a 6-inch turkey for lunch, a 12-inch veggie for dinner) and not much else (baked chips at lunch and diet drinks with his two meals).

That's a radical weight loss, but there's no miracle diet here: Fogle's all-sub regimen was a massive cutback in his food intake. It took more willpower than subs, and the routine did deliver a fair amount of sodium, but it appears to be real, not an invention of the chain's ad wizards.

Subway had already kicked off the latest round of the campaign to pitch the sub as part of a healthy lifestyle -- an un-burger (seven sandwiches with 6 grams of fat and 350 calories or fewer). Fogle was a next-door neighbor of Subway in Bloomington, Ind., a fan of the other end of its menu -- fat, juicy steak-"n'-cheese sandwiches and extra meats -- and 425 pounds when he made the switch.

Here's why it worked:

Cold-cut sandwiches can be much lower in fat and calories than other fast food choices, fried and grilled burgers. Only the smallest, plainest hamburger (a McDonald's single), no cheese, no bacon, no double or triple decker falls under 300 calories, but it still has 9 grams of fat. The classic Whopper, Big Mac or Wendy's is 500 to 700 calories and has four times as much fat.

Key to Fogle's all-sub diet is old-fashioned limited calories. Six-inch turkey is 282 calories and 4 grams of fat; 12-inch veggie 464 calories, 3 grams of fat. That's 746 calories and, with the baked chips, under 1,000 calories a day, half the ordinary consumption and a big cutback from his former diet.

In theory, an all chocolate Kiss diet is possible. Forty chocolate Kisses a day would be 1,000 calories but with 60 grams of fat and not many vitamins.

Hold the cheese and the mayo (mustard's got more sass anyhow); the fat in them boosts the above figures a lot. Tuna salad won't help; a mayo-free ham or roast beef sandwich has fewer calories and fat. Forget extra meat or extra cheese.

There's a secret reason submarines are filling with relatively few calories: You're eating salad! The Nibbler says no to cheese and mayo and yes to "Everything?" -- lettuce, tomatoes, onions, pickles, all kinds of peppers, spices and vinegar. For me it's everything in the relish bin but olives.

In fact I'm more interested in getting good tomatoes on a sandwiche than fancy meats, and I've been surprisingly lucky at sub counters. If I see hard pink-green tomatoes, I go elsewhere.

When the Nibbler tried Fogle's favorite lunch, turkey loaded with low-cal garnishes, it was a very full lunch. Turkey's bland of course, but the mustard made up for it. Subway's Veggie Delight, Fogle's night-time treat, is nothing but vegetarian fixings, and yet it's a huge mouthful, lots of crunch and spice to keep my tastebuds busy.

P.S.: To cut out more calories -- and grams of carbohydrates -- skip the bread and have a salad instead of a sandwich.

If it'll make you feel more macho, go the Jack Nicholson route. "I'd like a turkey sandwich, lettuce, tomato, extra peppers and pickles, with oil, vinegar and spices. Now hold the bread . . ."

Zazarac's grand opening

Lights are on late this week as Outback winds up final run-throughs and training for the grand opening of Zazarac. The radical new restaurant concept takes the chain giant steps upscale, merging chain resources with first-rate cooking (and $17 to $13 entree prices). Prototype opens next week (3702 McKay Ave. W, Tampa; 813-350-0481) in a former Applebee's a few blocks down Henderson Boulevard from the very first Outback. Other Zazaracs will follow but not as fast as Outbacks.

Inspiration is New Orleans, home of the exquisite Sazerac cocktail of whiskey, bitters and Pernod. It's the city's gourmet tradition of solid French-inspired cuisine such as redfish in court-bouillon and veal-stuffed quail, not theme-park Mardi Gras or Cajun popcorn, that Outback wants.

Outback moved its cooking skills up from steakhouse grilling when it created the open-kitchen Italian menu for Carrabba's, but Zazarac will require a kitchen staff that can make stocks, sauces and demi-glace the old fashioned way.

To learn how, the Tampa-based giant with almost 700 restaurants worldwide has turned to Anne Kearney, a New Orleans chef who has only 56 seats in Peristyle (1041 Dumaine, New Orleans; (504) 593-9535) renowned for combining classic French technique with contemporary American freshness. In addition to having Kearney at the top, Outback will have trained chefs on board as partners in each local Zazarac.

After Zazarac, Outback plans three more concepts, each based on similar partnerships. Roy's, an east-west fusion restaurant with Hawaiian star Roy Yamaguchi; Fleming's Prime Steakhouse and Wine Bar with innovator Paul Fleming of P.F. Chang's; and a barbecue restaurant with former Buc and local hero Lee Roy Selmon. Plans call for Tampa Bay to get tastes of all three eventually on Outback property near Tampa International Airport.

Spring finale

It's not officially summer, but it's already blazing hot, which means it's time to grab the sun screen and head for Taste of Pinellas, the oldest local tasting. Now in its 14th year, the taste in Vinoy Park will spread over three days, starting with a limited menu Friday evening. On Saturday and Sunday, more than 50 restaurants and vendors will serve everything from pizza and cheesecake to seafood and jerked chicken for $1 to $4 a portion to thousands of patrons to benefit All Children's Hospital Telethon. Call (727) 892-4193 for more information.

This weekend also marks the debut of a smaller food and wine event in Sarasota, the Epicurean Life Culinary Classic to benefit children's charities. Fred's restaurant, Morton's Market and the Tasting Room along Osprey Avenue are bringing famous chefs (including Ron Siegel, the first American challenger to win on the TV Food Network's Iron Chef) and winemakers to South Side Village for several days of tastings, classes and banquets. Call (941) 954-0609 for information and prices.

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