Heart disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women in the United States, so the importance of following a heart-healthy diet and lifestyle can't be understated. Though convenience foods and fast-food items seem like good options for busy people, most are loaded with sodium, saturated fat and excess calories, all of which can up the risk factor for heart disease. Make your own much healthier options at home.
Chicken Caesar Salad
Prepare a chicken Caesar salad with a conservative amount of low-fat dressing or homemade dressing, and downgrade the ratio of chicken and cheese to greens. Any kind of salad seems as if it could be a healthy fast-food option, but "Good Housekeeping" magazine notes that the Caesar salads at some fast-food joints can top 400 calories in a single serving.
Use low-fat mayonnaise if you're making your own Caesar dressing, and don't use more than two tablespoons of dressing total. You can also shave the total amount of calories and fat in the meal by baking or roasting the chicken you use instead of frying it in oil.
Oven Fries
Make your own fries at home to cut out hundreds of grams of sodium and a significant amount of fat and cholesterol. Fast-food fries are doused in salt and then deep-fried in oil, making their nutritional value negligible. You can prepare a healthier alternative at home by rinsing potatoes, cutting them into thick slices with peels still on, tossing them with a light coating of olive oil and sea salt, and roasting them on a pan in the oven at high heat.
Soup
Cut down on temptation to go to fast-food restaurants by having soup or stew ready to eat at home. A warm bowl of vegetables with meat and broth may not be the most popular fast-food option, but if leftovers are waiting for you, you won't have to spend time cooking every day.
The Worldwatch Institute recommends cooking at least one big meal per week, such as a soup or stew, and dividing leftovers into individual portions so that you can easily pull them out when you feel tempted to go for fast food instead. Soups and stews are generally low in calories and much healthier for the heart than fast-food options because of their comparatively lower amounts of saturated fat and cholesterol.
Sandwiches
Replace a grilled and buttered Panini or high-fat breakfast sandwich with an option that has both vegetables and whole grains. The Mayo Clinic recommends eating whole grains and fresh, whole foods often, and limiting the intake of trans fat and saturated fat to cut down on the risk of coronary artery disease and keep cholesterol in check. So if you're tempted to pick up a grilled-cheese sandwich with lots of butter, make a roasted-vegetable sandwich with Parmesan cheese on whole-grain bread instead.
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