Healthy Diet
Heart-Smart Ways for Eating on the Run!
I hardly ever eat at a fast-food type restaurant. No, it's not because I'm a food snob. Well, actually it kind of is. You see, I don't eat out because I follow a pretty strict eating regime free of processed, salty, buttery, greasy, sugary and white-flour synthetic foods.
As you can probably tell, this is kind of hard when I leave it up to other people, so I tend to prepare all of my meals for the week at home and then store them in plastic Tupperware containers in my refrigerator. However, none of us are perfect, and I sometimes find myself in a lurch for food come lunchtime at the office. And for someone who eats 6 meals per day (be them small meals), sometimes I need a quick fix and fast!
When I'm forced to make fast food an occasion, I choose to do so conscientiously.
Some of my favorite heart-smart menu items include:
Grocery Store Breaky stopping in at the grocery store saves you money, and you will have a little left over for later. I buy a box of whole grain cereal, dried fruit and a small container of yogurt mix it together for a breakfast sundae!
Deli Delights look for sandwich shops that offer whole grain, 100% wheat breads or, better yet, pitas. Choose lean deli meats the best ones are turkey, chicken, ham and roast beef and always hold the butter, mayo and cheese in favor of mustard. Top things off with lots of vegetables.
Donut Stop Warm Up When a donut shop is my only option, I usually get chili because that way at least I'll get my protein in the beef or, better yet, ground chicken and my fiber in the beans.
The Mc-Meal I dread the big M and steer clear always. If I had no choice I would go with one of their market fresh salads just skip the cheese, croutons and go for either a fat-free dressing or use white vinegar.
Spud-licious The tried and true baked potato can always serve as a filler. I always eat sweet potatoes at home because they have fewer carbs than white potatoes. However, if you're stuck at Wendy's, choose the plain baked potato and ask them to top it with salsa no fatty butter or sour cream.
The Bulk Bin Snack It can be dangerous being surrounded by all of those bins of sweets and salties, but willpower must prevail. When I need a quick filler I purchase a couple handfuls of unsalted nuts and, if you must give-in to sweetness, look for a trail mix with raisins and dried cranberries.
