Do you love the taste of a McDonald’s Egg McMuffin, but hate the calories and fat? When it comes to McDonald’s sandwiches the Egg McMuffin is one of the healthier choices – particularly if you order it without the cheese. On the other hand, it still has twelve grams of fat – five of which are saturated fat which isn’t doing your arteries any favors. It also has 840 milligrams of blood pressure raising sodium. Why not avoid these problems and make a healthy egg sandwich at home? Here’s how.

Start with a More Nutritious Muffin

When you make your own healthy egg sandwich, you don’t have to put it on a standard English muffin. Put it on a whole wheat one instead and get the benefits of the extra heart-healthy fiber. Thomas’s makes a 100% whole wheat English muffin that’s high in fiber, but lower in calories and fat. These tasty and healthy substitutes can be found at most grocery stores.

 Add the Egg

If you want to save on calories and fat, nix the fried egg and add a poached one instead to lower the calorie and fat content. Another option is to use egg whites or egg beaters instead of regular eggs. Try spraying the bottom of a ceramic bowl with olive oil cooking spray and pour in the equivalent of one egg. Heat it in the microwave until it’s firm and can be easily placed on your sandwich. Enjoy all of the calories and fat you’re saving.

The Cheese

A standard Egg McMuffin contains American cheese, but you can use low-fat or even fat-free slices instead. Be sure to melt the cheese after you place it on top of the egg to make it gooey. You can save as many as forty calories by using fat-free cheese instead of standard American cheese.

The Canadian Bacon

Canadian bacon has one-third the calories and fat of regular bacon, but it’s still high in sodium. Go ahead and add it to your sandwich if you plan on watching your salt intake for the rest of the day, but chances are it’ll still taste pretty good without it.

Keep in mind that you can make dozens of variations on a healthy egg sandwich by varying the ingredients. Try substituting spinach and sliced tomatoes for the cheese and Canadian bacon and turn it into a nutritious and satisfying lunch time sandwich. Make an egg salad using low fat mayonnaise and put it on a whole wheat muffin. The sky’s the limit when you make a healthy egg sandwich.