The age-old question of “Are burgers really bad for you?” can finally be answered. The reason is that burgers in themselves aren’t the enemy, but it’s pretty much the ingredients you will use.
You Don’t Have to Go Old School
For burger enthusiasts, there’s nothing like a classic American burger. A classic burger uses a brioche buns recipe found here, high-fat ground beef, with a dressing of onions, gherkins, and ketchup and mustard. This combination is amazing, as made popular by two brothers from a small California town. But you don’t have to do your burger like this. There’s no reason why you can’t use gluten-free bread, low-fat meat, and lower calories condiments to relish it with.
You Can Have Your Burger, Your Way
A classic burger is a great treat once in a while. But why stop there? You can have burgers whenever you like by changing up how you make them. There are tons of healthy breads you can use, such as whole grain buns, oat bread, and even sourdough makes a great burger. Then you can substitute your meat or reduce the thickness of a burger. Low-fat options are available everywhere. And there’s no reason why you need to use beef, so you can use chicken instead.
Are Burgers Really Bad?
No food is really bad for you. But eating an excess of certain things is. Even drinking too much water can kill you. But for unprocessed red meat like beef, every 50g excess per day increases the risk of coronary heart disease by 9%. And even higher for processed foods. So, of course, you should limit your intake of burgers and other things you know are bad in excess. Eating one burger a week won’t do you any harm, especially if you eat a well-balanced and healthy diet.
Eating them Once in a Blue Moon
Eating one fresh burger per week (not from fast food chains) isn’t likely to cause you any harm. But it can add to an excess of red meat intake that could increase your health risks. So if you are really concerned, perhaps consider eating a juicy burger every now and then, maybe as a monthly treat, at a BBQ only, or when you are out at events like a carnival. Of course, you can try vegan faux meat substitutes if you feel like including burgers on your weekly food menu.
If In Doubt, Make Your Own
Processed food increases your health risks. That is now an established fact. And it doesn’t come much more processed than meat. The good news is you can become healthier by learning to cook fresh and delicious food. And burgers are among the easiest things you can make. You can use the brioche bun recipe above. And you have complete control over the type of ground beef you use. Additionally, you can use fat-reducing dressings such as avocado.
Summary
So, are burgers really bad for you? Well, it depends. Buying your burger from a fast food chain probably is. So you can make your burger yourself, use lower-fat meat and try healthier bread.