The following are highlights from the book written by Cardiologist, Stephen Sinatra MD

Dr. Sinatra is a board certified cardiologist and a certified nutrition and anti-aging specialist.  His book is published by Wiley & Sons

It’s hard to avoid fast food restaurants
The reality of life is that, on any given day, one-quarter of North Americans will eat at a fast food restaurant.  We do it because it’s so convenient.

You can order at the counter and get your meal within minutes, or just drive up to the window to order and eat in the car.  That’s quick and easy for busy people

Can you eat healthy in a fast food restaurant?
Most people don’t.  A cheeseburger with fries has a high level of fat, salt, and calories that can cause serious harm to your heart and the rest of your body.

Dr. Sinatra attempts to educate people to eat smarter so they can stay healthy and even lose weight.  Yes, even fast food addicts can lose weight by emphasizing protein (chicken, fish, and other meats) and avoiding the carbohydrates and sugars that accompany it.

If you’re a parent, or a grandparent, and you take your kids out to eat, it pays to serve as a good role model.

Here, in brief are some basic do’s and don’ts to help you and the kids make better choices.  We know we’re going to hear some groans because high fat, high salt, high carb foods are what we consider “comfort” foods, but they aren’t good for your insides.

Pass on the French fries.
We know you will groan at this one.  You like the taste because they are deep fried and have plenty of salt.  Unfortunately they pose the worst danger to health and weight.

They are often cooked in Trans fat oils that undermine heart health, and they contain acrylamide, a substance that has caused cancer in lab rats.  Instead, eat a potassium-rich baked potato.

Eat healthy sandwich toppings
Many toppings are healthy, such as onions, tomatoes, and lettuce.  They contain protective compounds.  Eat salsa, pickles, or mustard instead of fatty mayonnaise.

Minimize the salt
Many fast foods are loaded with salt, which can promote high blood pressure and weight gain.  At McDonald’s for example, a fish filet has 640 mg of salt while a double cheeseburger has 1,140 mg.

Eat smaller portions
No one needs a super size.  The restaurant can sell a super size for a little bit more money because the food cost is so low they still make a profit.

You can probably get by with something from the children’s menu, which is a smaller size than the regular adult menu.  Yep, children’s sizes.

Pass on the cheese
The cheese on cheeseburgers and nachos, and an egg muffin has extra fat and calories that you don’t need.

Eat a hamburger with half the bun
Hamburger buns are made up of unhealthy refined white flour.  Take the top off so you only eat half the bread.

Order a salad
More and more places are offering salads with healthy veggies.  You want those nutrients.  If you can get lettuce greens rather than head lettuce (which is pale), go for it.

Order low-fat salad dressings
Most salad dressings contain a lot of fat.  In fact many times you pick up more calories from a salad dressing than the entire salad.

Ask for just lemon and olive oil if you can get it.

Choose grilled foods instead of fried foods
Fried foods, whether cooked in a pan or deep fried, pick up a lot of high-fat oil.  Grilled foods don’t.

When you have chicken, grilled preparation is so much better for you than deep fried.  When it’s deep fried, it’s covered in a pastry that soaks up a lot of the fat.

Always ask whether the restaurant uses Trans fats for its cooking oil.  They do that because Trans fats (which are chemically altered vegetable fats) don’t go rancid as fast as vegetable fats, so they can be used longer.  That saves the restaurant money.

For more information
Check out Dr Sinatra’s web site www.thefastfooddiet.com.  It is loaded with good ideas.

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