Just one trip through the drive-through won't hurt . . . right?

True, one fast-food meal may not immediately go to your hips. But it will hit your blood pressure hard and fast. Here's how one fatty meal offends your arteries.

Unhappy Meal
In a study of healthy young women, one group was given a fatty fast-food breakfast (two hash-brown patties, a sausage breakfast sandwich, and an egg breakfast sandwich), while another group took a low-fat morning meal (cereal, skim milk, fat-free yogurt, fruit bar, and orange juice).

Duress Mess
Two hours later, the women performed a stressful task, like timed math problems or public speaking. The result? The fast-food group didn't fare so well. Their blood pressure readings went extra haywire from the strain. Not good, because overreactive cardiovascular systems are associated with problems like high blood pressure and heart disease.

Did You Know? Besides bringing on heart disease, saturated fat may up your risk of this.

Here's a surefire way to be kind to your heart and arteries: the DASH Diet.