Dietitians put the bite on as a new sub surfaces

Which is better for you: a McDonald's submarine sandwich or a Big Mac? The answer depends on the contents of the sandwich.

McDonald's introduced a new line of DeliChoice sandwiches last month, and even though the fast food giant says it hasn't specifically marketed the submarines as healthy, some consumers say they believe the new toasted rolls are healthier than traditional menu items.

"We're marketing a new range with a different shape bun," said McDonald's spokesman Liam Jeory, noting that some new sandwiches were healthier than others.

So how do dietitians rate the new product?

Carole Gibb, executive officer of the Dietetic Association, said a sandwich of lean meat with vegetables and wholegrain bread provided a healthy meal - but the McDonald's range fell short of that ideal.

"It would seem it's closer to the hamburger than that icon sandwich."

Dietitian Kate Sladden agreed. She recommended looking for foods with low total energy, sodium and saturated fat, as well as fibre.

The McDonald's sandwiches had too many kilojoules and too much sodium, she said.

The Beef'n' BBQ sandwich provides 2074 kilojoules of energy compared with the Big Mac's 2196 kilojoules. The Italian sandwich tops that with 2299 kilojoules of energy.

The beef sandwich boasts 2446 milligrams of sodium - more than double that of the Big Mac.

"A single serving of any one of these DeliChoice sandwiches will provide as much as 60 to 100 per cent of an adult's recommended sodium intake for a day," said Helen Wallwork, president of the Dietetic Association.

But the sandwiches aren't all bad.

"To be fair, these do have a lower saturated fat than those items on the main menu," Ms Sladden said. The beef sandwich had only 4.2gm of saturated fat, while the Big Mac had 11.1gm.