Fast Food & Cardiac Health

Fast food is quick, tasty and convenient. Unfortunately, regular consumption of fast food offerings can compromise cardiac health. Due to a busy lifestyle, Americans frequently choose a fast food meal instead of cooking a nutritious meal at home. This, combined with a less active lifestyle, is placing more Americans at risk for heart disease, heart attack and an untimely death.

Fast Food Defined

Fast food is food available from a restaurant that specializes in delivering a limited number of menu items quickly. Many are chain restaurants which have a drive-thru. Fast food is consumed by all age groups, but disproportionately by young adults. Typical fast food restaurants include fried chicken, Mexican, fish and hamburger restaurants.

Types of Fast Food

Fast food includes hamburgers, hot dogs, fried chicken, french fries, fried potato tots, fried fish, various sandwiches, tacos, burritos, milkshakes, fried desserts, soft drinks and other offerings. Fast foods restaurants that serve breakfast often serve biscuits, gravy, hash browns, pastries, sausage and bacon. Fast foods are usually laden with fat while low in nutrients. A typical fast food meal may contain enough calories to last an entire day, explains the National Institutes of Health. These foods often contain trans fat and high levels of saturated fats and sodium. They include few vegetables, fruits, beans or fat-free dairy products.

Impact on Cardiac Health

A heart-healthy diet limits total fat, saturated fat and sodium, relates the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute. This leaves little room for most fast food items. Trans fat, often found in french fries, fried desserts and similar foods, is correlated with a strongly increased risk of heart disease in women, according to an article at the Life Clinic website. The unhealthy fats and high sodium in fast food have a negative impact on cardiovascular health, contributing to arteriosclerosis, high blood pressure and heart attack.

Weight Gain Complications

To complicate matters, frequent fast food dining often leads to weight gain and increased abdominal fat. This can lead to insulin resistance, a precursor for diabetes, according to the National Institutes of Health. Diabetes is a serious illness that greatly increases the risk of heart disease.

Substitutes

For cardiac health, it is best to avoid fast food entirely. Choices such as a side salad, grilled chicken or a bean burrito are preferable to most other fast food offerings. As an alternative to fast food, consider packing a piece of fruit, air-popped popcorn, a handful of almonds or a peanut butter sandwich on whole-wheat bread to eat when hunger strikes.