Ode to Burgers

Everyone loves a good burger. Whether it is made from beef, lamb, chicken, fish, tofu, or vegetables, it is delicious served on a bun with lettuce, tomato, condiments, and whatever else you enjoy on it. However, with the way America eats, this icon of American fast food has become a not-so-great choice in our menu plan. Portion size has a lot to do with why this beloved food has disappointed us, but also, what we put on it and what we eat with the burger as a side dish. With a typically high saturated fat content, low fiber, and low nutrient value, we need to take a look at how we can create a more healthful way to eat this favorite American staple.

Beef is the typical ingredient for hamburgers so be sure to select extra-lean meat and keep your portion size to 3 or 4 ounces. Ground chicken and turkey are increasingly used as a healthier alternative to beef. 3 ounces of ground turkey and ground chicken offer 106 calories, 6 grams fat and 12 grams protein. 3 ounces of extra-lean ground beef has 185 calories, 12 grams of fat and 18 grams of protein. As you can see, the beef has twice as much fat and has more than twice the saturated fats of the poultry.  2 ounces of ground lamb has 160 calories, 13 grams of fat and 9 grams of protein. Another idea is to mix ground meats to reduce calories and fat. For example, if you love the lamb flavor but don’t need the calories, use half ground lamb and half ground chicken mixed together.

Soft pillow-type white bread buns are a huge obstacle for healthy eating. One bun can have over 200 calories, 3.5 grams of fat (half of which is saturated), less than 2 grams of fiber, and over 35 grams of carbs, 10 grams or more which may be from sugars. Several of the packaged hamburger buns that you see in the stores are twice as big as a regular portion and contain high fructose corn syrup and partially hydrogenated fats. Your best bets are whole grain rolls, whole grain pita or just plain lettuce as in the popular lettuce wraps, or “protein-style” that you can now order in restaurants (bunless burgers!)

Get creative with condiments. Use the freshest tomatoes, lettuce or shredded cabbage, avocado, onions, cucumber, mushrooms, sprouts, or any other vegetable that sounds yummy. If you love herbs, fresh basil leaves, cilantro, parsley, and mint can be added either to the meats or on top for more zing. Grilled vegetables such as peppers and onions, summer squash, and eggplant add great flavor and filler for the burgers and can be cooked at the same time as the rest of the burger. Forgo the mayonnaise please! If using catsup or mustard, ensure they don’t have high fructose corn syrup or artificial colorings or flavorings in them. Notice too that we didn’t mention cheese. A one-ounce slice of cheese can add over 100 calories to your meal – just say no to cheese.

For a special treat, you can cook up and carmelize some onions and or mushrooms to top your burger. With these toppings you don't need catsup. A spot of dijon style mustard would be nice with these two.

For each of these toppings, I put a tablespoon of olive oil in the pan and then added the veggies. 

For 1/2 pound of mushrooms, I added 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and pepper.  Garlic powder is also delicious with the mushrooms.  Cook over low heat, stirring occasionally until the mushrooms are soft and golden.

To cook a whole onion, remove the outer skin and slice it thinly.  Add to the oil in the pan and cook over low heat stirring occasionally.  After about five minutes, sprinkle a small amount of sugar over and stir into the onions.  Continue cooking until the onion is transluscent and golden. 

Each of these toppings should serve four burgers.  Have fun and experiment with different vegetables.

- Kim Fielding