Bypass the drive-thru, not your heart
Bill Clinton’s recent encounter with heart disease reflects some sobering realities of America’s convenience cuisine culture. He famously ate badly – remember those morning jogs with Secret Service, which included Eggs McMuffin at the finish line?
He recently lost weight on a low-carb diet, but that didn’t cure his heart disease. Bad diet and other lifestyle factors are cumulative and can’t be erased in a few months’ time by simple weight loss efforts. Almost everyone at the least vaguely understands this, but two problems get in the way of smarter eating: time and knowledge. The typical default is convenience food, but Gourmet Sleuth Guys know better – or at least, give it a good effort.
The solution we propose today is to skip the burger drive-thru and pull into the mini-mart next door. Many have added grocery items that can enable a fast, heart-healthy meal – so instead of a meal that puts chalupa schmutz on your shirt and saturated fat in your blood vessels, you get something a lot better for you that takes mere minutes to make when you get home.
The Facts
Here are heart-healthy things to look for in a convenience store:
Fats Without Feet. Fats from plants (avocadoes, vegetable oils like olive, canola and flaxseed) and fish are unsaturated and essential to your body’s functioning. They also aid in the absorption of other nutrients. Fats from things with feet (cows, chickens, pigs) are saturated, meaning they add to plaque build-up in the cardiovascular system – what can lead to a heart attack.
Omega 3s: These are components of food that contribute to heart health, yet the typical American diet is severely lacking in Omega 3s. Foods rich in Omegas include dark greens (romaine, arugula, spinach, but not nutrient-poor iceberg lettuce), avocadoes, walnuts, flaxseeds, soy products, and cold-water fish (salmon, mackerel, sardines, albacore tuna, herring and anchovies).
Fiber: Healthy in many ways, fibrous foods such as vegetables, fruit and whole grains generally slow the digestion of food and fill you up, each of which tend to reduce consumption of other foods that might be detrimental to your health. Good examples are canned beans (nutritionally at a par with dried beans and a lot less work), pre-washed and cut salad greens, whole fruits and vegetables and whole grain breads. Note that canned and frozen fruits and vegetables have excellent nutrient retention, sometimes better than what is sold as fresh.
Omega Man Mega Meal
Here’s a dinner that does a heart good, loaded with favorable fats, Omega 3s and fiber – and made in less than ten minutes with items available in most mini-marts.
You need:
• Large mixing bowl
• Tuna (one 6-ounce can of white albacore; substitutes include smoked salmon, herring, anchovies or sardines)
• Dark greens (washed, chopped and sold in bags – enough to cover a plate)
• Diced tomatoes (half of a 16-ounce can, already stewed and diced)
• Onion, one small, chopped (about a half-cup)
• Black, kidney or Garbanzo beans (canned, not refried – use half a 16-ounce can)
• Avocado (half of one, mashed; substitute 1-2 Tablespoons of olive oil)
• Raisins (about a handful; substitute diced apples or grapes)
• Feta cheese (half a handful; if you need to restrict sodium, substitute Swiss cheese)
• Lemon juice (2-4 Tablespoons)
• Seasonings, salt and pepper to taste
Mash the avocadoes, then mix in the tomatoes and chopped onion, lemon juice and a pinch of salt. Then mix those with all the other ingredients in the bowl.
Nutritional information: 25 grams fat (largely unsaturated), 65 grams protein and 800 calories. Compare to a Big Mac with large fries: 68 grams fat (mostly saturated); 30 grams protein; 1120 calories.
If your most convenient convenience store doesn’t have a produce section, suggest it to them. The industry trend is in this direction – the bagged greens category grew 16.5 percent overall between 2001 and 2003 – and consumer interest will drive it further.
The Facts: metals out of the body, giving even further credence to the apple-a-day axiom.)
Golden Salmon:
W g starts out frozen it can be cooked in less than ten minutes.
| You need:
- Skillet, cutting board and a chopping knife
- Canned pink salmon – about 7 ounces (often sold in 14 ounce cans)
- Onion (one medium to large, chopped but not minced to maintain a chunky texture)
- Sweet potato, diced (a small one will do for this recipe)
- Lemon juice (5-6 squirts from a plastic bottle, or about 1/4 cup)
- Turmeric (1/2 to a full teaspoon)
- Mustard (about a Tablespoon)
- Salt and pepper (black or chili) to taste
Directions: 1. Scramble salmon with a stirring spoon in a skillet; set heat to medium
2. Add lemon juice, turmeric, mustard, salt and pepper
3. Chop onion and sweet potato and add to skillet; raise heat to medium high and stir frequently
4. Cook 5-8 minutes or until the sweet potato slices are sufficiently tender
5. Add cilantro at end (optional)
Nutritionals (approx.): Calories, 495; protein, 42 grams; fat, 17.5 grams
Serving suggestion: This can be eaten on whole wheat bread or toast; or, serve alongside the chopped cabbage salad below. Cabbage-Apple Salad
You need: - Large bowl, cutting board and a chopping knife
- Cabbage, chopped (about four handfuls, red or green)
- Green apple (large, chopped to small pieces)
- Olive oil (about 2-3 Tablespoons)
- Apple vinegar (3-4 Tablespoons)
- Salt and pepper (black or chili) to taste
Directions:
1. Chop cabbage and apple
2. Mix thoroughly with all other ingredients in bowl
This side dish is a smart complement to any meal because it’s relatively low in calories and high in bulk – helps you feel full and less likely to indulge elsewhere. As with a cole slaw, it will become slightly more tender with time – and this quantity should last several days. |
For more ideas on healthy meals made with long shelf-life foods in under 15 minutes, get “A Guy’s Gotta Eat, the regular guy’s guide to eating smart” (Marlowe & Co, March 2004).
“A Guy’s Gotta Eat” strives to return sanity to the simple act of eating, emphasizing the ease with which sound nutrition can be achieved in a busy workaday schedule through frozen, canned, dried and fresh produce; whole grain cereals, breads and pastas; leaner cuts of beef, chicken and pork; fish and other seafood; and lower-fat dairy products. The book features 15-minute recipes using long shelf-life products, ideal for grocery shopping-averse men and others who are thin on cooking skills – meals that can be faster, tastier, less expensive and far healthier than drive-by foods ubiquitous in our convenience food culture. It is available nationwide where books are sold.