Fitting Fast Foods Into A Heart-Healthy Diet

By: Melissa Stevens, MS, RD, LD, Nutrition Program Coordinator, Preventive Cardiology and Rehabilitative Services

Fast foods have become a staple in our American culture. Hectic work schedules, family responsibilities and limited free time force many of us to get our nutrition outside the home. While most health professionals agree that eating foods like hamburgers, French fries and soft drinks are not a part of a heart-healthy diet, they also agree that fast food outlets are here to stay. So, how can you fit fast foods into your life and still reap the benefits of a heart-healthy diet? Read on for some helpful hints and tips.

Hamburgers

Hamburgers have gotten a lot of bad rap over the years, primarily because high fat cuts of beef contain a lot of the artery-clogging saturated fats. But, it’s not necessarily beef that’s the problem at fast food restaurants. The biggest problem is what goes on and what is served with the hamburger.

To help you cut back on fat and calories when ordering hamburgers, try these suggestions:

• Choose a single patty, preferably 3-4 ounces in size
• Choose from the children’s menu or pick a junior size
• Skip the cheese
• Skip the mayonnaise or special sauce; try catsup or mustard instead

Before your next hamburger trip, check out our Best Choice list first! These choices tend to have fewer calories and fat than other hamburger options (key: g = grams, sat = saturated fat, cals = calories)

Best Choices

Burger King:

• Original Whopper without cheese or mayonnaise - 310 cals, 13g fat, 5g sat fat
• Plain hamburger - 310 cals, 13g fat, 5g sat fat
• Veggie burger with reduced fat mayonnaise - 290 cals, 7g fat, 1g sat fat

McDonald’s:

• Plain hamburger - 280 cals, 16g fat, 4g sat fat

Wendy’s:

• Junior hamburger - 270 cals, 9g fat, 3g sat fat
• Kid’s meal hamburger - 270 cals, 9g fat, 3g sat fat

White Castle:

• 2 plain hamburgers - 270 cals, 14g fat, 6g sat fat

Arby’s:

• Junior roast beef sandwich - 310 cals, 13g fat, 4.5g sat fat
• Arby-Q - 360 cals, 14g fat, 4g sat fat

Chicken Sandwiches and Nuggets

You may think that chicken is a heart-healthier choice over beef; however, the fast food industry has managed to turn a low-fat serving of chicken into an artery–clogging mess, often higher in fat than a burger! And because of the hydrogenated oils used to fry the chicken patties and nuggets, these foods are also high in cholesterol-raising trans fat. Here are a few suggestions on making healthier fast-food chicken choices:

• Make sure the chicken is baked, broiled or grilled instead of fried
• Skip the cheese, mayonnaise or special sauces – see if reduced-fat options are available or try catsup or mustard
• Order fat-free honey mustard, teriyaki or barbecue sauce on the side
• Top chicken sandwiches with lots of lettuce, tomato and onion
• Avoid ordering chicken nuggets (which are very high in trans fat) or choose the smallest portion available

Best Choices

Burger King:

• Chicken Whopper Junior without mayonnaise - 270 cals, 6g fat, 1.5g sat fat

McDonald’s:

• Chicken McGrill without mayonnaise – 310 cals, 7g fat, 1.5g sat fat

Wendy’s:

• Grilled chicken sandwich – 300 cals, 7g fat, 1.5g sat fat

Arby’s:

• Light grilled chicken sandwich – 280 cals, 5g fat, 1.5g sat fat
• Light roast chicken deluxe –260 cals, 5g fat, 1g sat fat

Fish Sandwiches

Researchers have revealed that fish contains heart-protective fats called omega-3. However, almost all fast food restaurants fry their fish products, creating a product high in artery-clogging trans fat. There are no Best Choices of fish sandwiches to choose from, however, if you must have a fish sandwich, refer to these tips below:

• Since fish sandwiches aren’t usually found on the Children’s Menu, eat half of the sandwich and share with a friend – filling up on a side salad or baked potato
• Pass on the tartar sauce or order on the side and eat ½ of what’s given
• Omit the cheese

Sub & Delis Sandwiches

Sub sandwiches offer consumers a wider variety of mealtime choices. However, just because a sub isn’t fried, this doesn’t mean it’s heart-healthy. For example:

Worst Choices

Subway :

• 6” Meatball sub on white – 530 cals, 26g fat, 10g sat fat
• 6” BMT – 480 cals, 24g fat, 9g sat fat

Arby's :

• Roast Turkey Ranch & Bacon Market Fresh sandwich - 880 cals, 44g fat, 10g sat fat
• Roast Beef & Swiss Market Fresh sandwich – 810 cals, 42g fat, 13g sat fat
• Roast Chicken Caesar Market Fresh sandwich – 820 cals, 38g fat, 9g sat fat

Mr. Hero:

• Romanburger hot sub - 717 cals, 47g fat, 15g sat fat
• Tuna & Cheese sub – 666 cals, 47g fat, 9g sat fat
• Hot Buttered Cheesesteak Deluxe – 566 cals, 33g fat, 18g sat fat
• Ultimate Italian sub – 608 cals, 33g fat, 11g sat fat

Now that’s a lot to chew! Here’s a few beginner tips on making wise sub or deli sandwich choices:

• Ask if reduced fat or reduced sodium deli meats are available
• Ask the clerk to put ½ the amount of meat on the sub or sandwich (some fast food restaurants will give you over a half a pound of meat on one sandwich alone!)
• Skip the mayonnaise and cheese and ask for a light dressing on the side
• Top sub or sandwich with vinegar and salt-free seasonings
• Share the sub or sandwich with a friend and enjoy half the fat and calories
• Top the sub with lots of veggies like green and red peppers, onions, tomato, lettuce, pickles or even olives

Best Choices

Subway:

• 6” Ham sub* – 290 cals, 5g fat, 1.5g sat fat
• 6” Roast beef* - 290 cals, 5g fat, 2g sat fat
• 6” Roasted chicken breast* - 320 cals, 5g fat, 2g sat fat
• 6” Subway club* - 320 cals, 6g fat, 2g sat fat
• 6” Turkey breast* - 280 cals, 4.5g fat, 1.5g sat fat
• 6” Turkey breast and ham* - 290 cals, 5g fat, 1.5g sat fat
• 6” Veggie delight* - 230 cals, 3g fat, 1g sat fat
• 6” Sweet onion chicken teriyaki *– 380 cals, 5g fat, 1.5g sat fat
• 6” Honey mustard ham* – 310 cals, 5g fat, 1.5g sat fat

*These subs contain no mayonnaise or cheese

Arby’s:

• Light roasted turkey deluxe sandwich – 260 cals, 5g fat, 0.5g sat fat

Take note that sub and deli sandwiches, and almost all fast-food sandwiches, are very high in sodium. If you have high blood pressure, keep your fast food intake to a minimum!

Salads & Sides

Increasing pressure from health-conscious consumers has forced the fast-food industry to begin offering more healthful menu items, such as salads and side dishes. But buyers beware! Some salad items are not necessarily heart-healthy. Here are a few tips to ensure your choice is a healthy one:

For Salads:

• Eliminate the “extras” such as croutons, taco chips, bacon bits, cheese, sour cream, and rice noodles – these can add (individually) anywhere from 60 to 220 calories, 2.5 to 12 grams of fat, and up to 3 grams of saturated fat.
• Substitute regular salad dressings with light, reduced fat or fat-free salad dressing. Most salad dressings add from 180 to 250 calories per packet, 20 to 30 grams of fat, and up to 6 grams of saturated fat.

For Sides:

• Eliminate the french fries, or choose the smallest portion
• French fries can add 210 calories (kid’s portion) to 610 calories (Biggie or Super Size options), 11 to 45 grams total fat, and 1.5 to 5 grams saturated fat. If you choose the largest portion of French fries and eat a high-fat sandwich, you’ve exceeded your daily fat allowance in one sitting
• If ordering chili on the side, order the smallest portion and omit the cheese
• When ordering baked potatoes, ask for sour cream and butter on the side (if you must have it) and use half as much
• Try steamed vegetables, salsa, barbecue sauce or a nonfat salad dressing to top your potato
• Eliminate cheese on baked potatoes
• Choose a side salad with light dressing instead of french fries
• Do not add special side dishes or starters like fried mozzarella sticks, cinnamon sticks, fried vegetables, etc.
• Make the best of low-fat ice cream available at some restaurants and purchase a small cup or cone instead of apple pie, chocolate ice cream pies, shakes or flurries
• Fruit drinks, colas, cappuccino and hot chocolate contain a significant amount of calories, and some even add fat. To reduce your heart-disease risk, choose water, 100% fruit juice, 1% fat milk, plain coffee or tea and diet sodas. Choosing these beverages can save you up to 450 calories.

As you can see, fast foods CAN fit into a heart-healthy diet. But just like everything in life, you must plan ahead and follow the principles of moderation. Even if you choose from our Best Choices list, it is not recommended that you frequent fast food outlets more than a few times each week. Add some variety to your heart-healthy diet by bringing lunch to work and preparing a few more meals each week at home. Your pocketbook and your heart will thank you!

For more information on a heart-healthy diet plan, please contact the Preventive Cardiology and Rehabilitation Program at 216.444-9353 (or toll-free at 800/223-2273, extension 49353) and we can schedule a nutrition consultation - or - use our Remote Cardiac Nutrition Counseling Services.

Web Sites and Resources for Fast Food Nutrition Information

• http://www.mcdonalds.com/
• http://www.burgerking.com/
• http://www.subway.com/
• http://www.wendys.com/
• http://www.arbys.com/
• http://www.mrhero.com/
• http://www.whitecastle.com/

*Please note - a new browser window will open with these links. The inclusion of links to other web sites does not imply any endorsement of the material on the web sites or any association with their operators.