Fitness fanatic, Solomon Obano, is the brains behind The Truly Healthy Sandwich Co. He’s spent over 10 years working as a fitness instructor and personal trainer, and in that time has trained people from all walks of life, from footballers to housewives.

Although Solomon started out focusing on people’s exercise regimes, he soon discovered that his clients only became truly healthy when they had an exercise plan and a healthy diet. He says: “If a person’s nutrition & lifestyle are correct then not only is it easier for that person to lose weight, but it also helps them to reach their fitness goals, whether that’s running faster or lifting heavier weights.

The age old theory of calories in, calories out, isn’t always the best way to lose weight. In fact in many cases it can be counter-productive. Cutting your calories for as little as one week can slow your metabolism down to as much as 50% of its normal rate. Achieving long-term health and weight loss has to be about more than that. By incorporating exercise into your routine and opting for a balanced diet, you can forget yo-yo dieting altogether. It’s just a better way to live.”

Adapt your diet to who you are

Solomon believes that meals must be tailored to the individual and there’s no such thing as ‘one diet fits all’. He says “We all have different food tolerances and metabolic types, so it stands to reason that what constitutes a healthy diet for one person, may not constitute a healthy diet for someone else.”

Solomon’s passion for and belief in a tailored, balanced diet, is what led him to set up the Truly Healthy Sandwich Co. in 2011. That and his own negative experience of one of the nation’s most important meals.

Finding a better sandwich

Back when he was an office worker, Solomon regularly came across terrible sandwiches. “In my office there was a running joke that the 11 o’clock sandwich man could guarantee you a couple of days off. There was simply no denying that these sandwiches were really bad for you. The worst part of it is that these kind of processed, unhealthy sandwiches aren’t unusual. As a nation we’re quite used to consuming preservatives, additives and other chemicals as part of our daily diet.”

Eat better bread

But for Solomon, the chief culprit is bread. “The bread used in sandwiches is probably my biggest bugbear! Your average sandwich uses nasty, mass produced bread, with an extremely high gluten content that can literally burn holes in your stomach lining. That bread is then filled with cheap meat from commercially farmed animals that give you absolutely no health benefits. It’s just chemicals on a plate.”

Solomon was also surprised by how endemic our bad sandwich culture is, even in wealthy areas like The City. “I’d always had this idea that people in the city would demand more from their food, but to be honest they were just as bad – probably because they’re so busy. They just don’t have the time to think about what goes into their food.

Making a difference with healthy sandwiches

I advised a lot of my colleagues to cut out the cheap breads and pastas, and many of them noticed significant benefits from choosing healthier options, ranging from feeling less lethargic to weight loss. While they had to agree that healthier sandwiches helped them to adopt a healthier lifestyle, many of them had difficulty with finding good sandwiches on a day-to-day basis, which is odd when you consider the growing trend towards organic produce and responsibly sourced food.

And that’s what really sparked the desire to set up my own sandwich company. I wanted to start making a difference to people’s diets with this one core meal and let people see what a difference good ingredients can make.

So I did my research. I looked about and found that there are actually many local farms in and around London that can provide the great quality ingredients I need to deliver truly healthy sandwiches. Each one grows its produce organically i.e. without chemicals; and it’s all free from preservatives too.

By using these local farmers, not only can I deliver chemical-free, fresh produce, but I can also help people to reduce their carbon footprint - an ever more important consideration for people when they’re buying food.

We deliver directly to your office using fully refrigerated vans, and we deliver in and around London, so all you office workers will finally have a sandwich provider that not only knows what is nutritionally good for you, but can also give you health and fitness advice.

It's small things like these that will make all the difference to your life."