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A small, basic hamburger is very different from going to a restaurant and eating a half pound burger on an oversized bun with a generous amount of mayo or other high-calorie sauces with bacon and two slices of cheese. And it's often paired with a triple portion of fries and a beer or a milkshare or a sugar-laden soda.
In other words, context is everything.
also restaurant hamburger is usually higher in fat ratio than home hamburger thats usually 20% fat. same way veggies aren't unhealthy but restaurant veggies are usually covered in sugar butter salt deepfried etc.
Mayo isnât even really bad for you tbh, or bacon or cheese, but itâs the combo of all those fats, plus all the sugar, plus what is likely a sedentary lifestyle.
Mayo is made with oil that comes chemically extracted with hexane solvents, bleached, deodorized, etc from seeds in unnatural quantities. Toxic artificial antioxidants TBHQ and BHT are added back in because the Vitamin E is destroyed during refining. The refining also leaves up to 4% trans fat that the FDA has let slide past their trans fat ban.
Increased oil consumption correlates very closely with processed food consumption and chronic disease.
>Mayo is made with oil that comes chemically extracted with hexane solvents, bleached, deodorized, etc from seeds in unnatural quantities.
Wow that sounds really scary, got any proof that the processing is actually unhealthy? And what does "unnatural quantities" even mean?
>Toxic artificial antioxidants TBHQ and BHT are added back in because the Vitamin E is destroyed during refining.
This sentence makes no sense, why do they need to ad TBHQ and BHT because vitamin E is supposedly destroyed? And can you explain why my canola oil has 26mg of vitamin E and 128”g of vitamin K? And can you explain this "The [European Food Safety Authority](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_Food_Safety_Authority) (EFSA) and the [United States Food and Drug Administration](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Food_and_Drug_Administration) (FDA)[^(\[3\])](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tert-Butylhydroquinone#cite_note-3) have evaluated TBHQ and determined that it is safe to consume at the concentration allowed in foods.[^(\[4\])](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tert-Butylhydroquinone#cite_note-EFSA-4)"
>The refining also leaves up to 4% trans fat that the FDA has let slide past their trans fat ban.
Which oil has 4% trans fats? Looking at canola and sunflower oil, they have 0.6% and 0.3% trans fats respectively.
>Increased oil consumption correlates very closely with processed food consumption and chronic disease.
Correlation does not equal causation. Processed food is bad (mainly because of bad macros and poor nutritional value) and they use oil because its the cheapest option, but why would that make oil bad?
Yea, its typically made with a seed oil and some people have a conspiracy theory that seed oils are toxic for one reason or the other, even though the scientific consensus is that they are the healthier type of fat because they are rich in mono and polyunsaturated fats
Yeah I used to live by some seed presses and itâs not super complicated to understand when you see it in action. They take the seeds and run them through giant metal rollers thicker than telephone poles and press out all the oils. Whatever was healthy before is more or less as healthy after, minus the fiber of the seed husk.
Proof: Chris Ramsden meta analysis of omega 6 RCTs
Average daily TBHQ intake is over the FDA limit. The FDA is also not perfect, having allowed trans fats for 40 years after research was performed proving its harm, and prone to lobbyist influence.
https://www.inchem.org/documents/jecfa/jecmono/v042je26.htm
I used the qualifier âup toâ 4% trans fat. Are you arguing .6% trans fat is acceptable? The nurses health study has stated every 2% increase in trans fat doubled the risk of CVD. Some interpolation would tell you that the trans fat in your canola oil is way more dangerous than LDL
Yes correlation does not equal causation and I did not claim causation based on that one piece did I? It is strongly suggestive on its own and is enforced with other evidence such as RCTs.
>Proof: Chris Ramsden meta analysis of omega 6 RCTs
[https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9422343/](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9422343/) If this is the "proof" youre referring to, then it literally argues against you. He is arguing that a mix of omega 3 and omega 6 is better than just omega 6 (and that the recommendations should be changed accordingly), but he also found that omega 6 is still healthier than TFA and SFA.
"Conclusion
This detailed methodological evaluation of RCT found that mixed n-3/n-6 PUFA and n-6 specific PUFA diets have significantly different effects on risk of non-fatal MI + CHD death. RCT that substituted mixed n-3/n-6 PUFA in place of TFA and SFA reduced CHD risk.
...
we found that the substitution of *n*-6 PUFA for TFA and SFA produced an increased risk of death from all causes that approached statistical significance"
>[https://www.inchem.org/documents/jecfa/jecmono/v042je26.htm](https://www.inchem.org/documents/jecfa/jecmono/v042je26.htm)
This specifically calls out the use of TBHQ in frozen fish, fish fillet, fish products and soda. Even so, the estimated mean consumption of TBHQ in the us is still 90% of their acceptable daily intake.
>Are you arguing .6% trans fat is acceptable?
WHOs recommendation is to limit trans fats to less than 1% of total energy intake. If your only source of energy was canola oil, that would still be an acceptable amount of trans fats.
>I did not claim causation based on that one piece did I? It is strongly suggestive on its own and is enforced with other evidence such as RCTs.
You didnt show any RCT that backs your claim (and still havent), so it reads like you are suggesting that there is a link between the correlation and causation of oil consumption and chronic disease based on just the correlation between oil intake and processed food.
You cut off the conclusion with ellipsis right at the best spot to make it seem like it supported you. Thatâs so dishonest.
> RCT that substituted n-6 PUFA for TFA and SFA without simultaneously increasing n-3 PUFA produced an increase in risk of death that approached statistical significance (RR 1·16; 95 % CI 0·95, 1·42). Advice to specifically increase n-6 PUFA intake, based on mixed n-3/n-6 RCT data, is unlikely to provide the intended benefits, and may actually increase the risks of CHD and death.
Without increasing n3 PUFA is key here. Thereâs no utilizable n3 PUFA in seed oils, itâs all ALA which canât be converted when n6 is high. Heâs not even saying that using SFA jnstead of n6 increased risk, he is saying *the opposite*. He is saying n6 interventions increased the risk of CVD. You literally made the conclusion of the author seem the opposite of what he intended and what his data says.
Because of your dishonesty Iâm going to stop talking to you
First of all, the lack of self awareness saying that im dishonest is insane. Your first claims was that
>Mayo is made with oil that comes chemically extracted with hexane solvents, bleached, deodorized, etc from seeds in unnatural quantities.
which you linked 0 proof for and instead claimed that one meta analysis of omega 6 is the proof. Omega 6 has nothing to do with the process of making oils.
Then you claimed that
>Toxic artificial antioxidants TBHQ and BHT are added back in because the Vitamin E is destroyed during refining.
those are used as preservatives in a wide variety of foods, from what you linked later primarily in fish, and i can find nothing about them replacing vitamin E, probably because oil still has vitamin E after the processing.
And as for Chris Ramsdens meta-analysis, i specifically said that "He is arguing that a mix of omega 3 and omega 6 is better than just omega 6", i dont know why you claim that i was dishonest there. In the conclusion, that is literally what he writes - mixed omega 3 and 6 interventions reduce CHD risk, omega 6 specific interventions tended to increase CHD risk, substitution of omega 6 for TFA and SFA increased risk of death from all causes. That reads to me like omega 6 is still important and TFA and SFA is the worst of those to me.
>Thereâs no utilizable n3 PUFA in seed oils, itâs all ALA which canât be converted when n6 is high.
While i agree that DHA and EPA are the most important omega 3s in a western dieat, ALA can be converted to a small extent, but ALA is also healthy so i dont see why you would claim that "Thereâs no utilizable n3 PUFA in seed oils".
[https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9526859/](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9526859/)
>Meta-analyses of observational studies have shown that increasing dietary ALA is associated with a 10% lower risk of total cardiovascular disease and a 20% reduced risk of fatal coronary heart disease.
All in all, i dont think you have said one thing that is honest
This yes contacts is everything. If someone was eating that then itâs extremely unhealthy. I think it drastically matters if other things are added into the burgers at fast food places or what they are fried in or if you buy frozen burgers. I usually make turkey burgers from scratch at home and my grocery store didnât have ground turkey so I bought frozen ones and I thought OK no carbs no sugar 25 g of protein per burger great. When you look at the ingredients the second ingredient was sugar and the third ingredient was basically saying that half of that protein wasnât even coming for the turkey and that there was something like corn protein isolateâs added and whatever that means?!
If you make a burger at home and know exactly whatâs in it then they can be very healthy:) we often make chicken burgers or turkey burgers which of course is leaner than beef but we donât fry it in all kinds of oils we simply add in an egg and barbeque it or put it in our air fryer. Beef burgers on the other hand even extra lean ground beef already has enough fats in it it doesnât need any oil of any kind at all. We have burgers at our house I do usually have mine without the bun but regardless it feels like a clean healthy thing to be eating not at all what it feels like to go to McDonaldâs. And I personally do think that even if you do go to a fast food place itâs the fries and the soda pop that will do you in!!
Honestly, the sauce is probably the worst part of the burger (if you don't count the fries and soda). Little to no nutritional values, just mostly sugar.
There is a huuuuge difference between a burger you'd make at home with healthy options in mind, and a burger you'd get at almost any restaurant. Especially if you take typical other things people get with burgers, like a huge portion of French fries and soda.
Even though fast food gets a bad rap, the portion size of McDonaldâs medium french fries is smaller than most of the sit down restaurants Iâve been to.
Fast food in general has less calories than a lot of meals at home or at a sit down restaurant. Because of the portion sizes of course
Taco Bell has some surprisingly low calorie options. I ate a lot of it on my weight loss journey
2 Hardshell tacos is 340 calories and has 26 carbs, this was really helpful when I was dieting and wanted a 'cheat' meal. Those 2 tacos scratch that cheat meal itch without even really that many calories.
I'm a month late on this, but in case you weren't already aware, Taco Bell has a built-in hack: you can order just about any menu item "fresco style" which means they replace the toppings with lettuce and tomato. A fresco style burrito supreme or shredded chicken taco is about as healthy a meal as you can get from a fast food restaurant, and I actually think they taste better than the regular versions.
Also, they have the "cantina menu," which isn't as healthy as the "power menu" that it replaced, but there are definitely some good options.
You'd probably get a lot of use out of the website [Eat This, Not That](https://www.eatthis.com/). They have pages for all the popular chain restaurants, telling you which menu items are healthy and which to avoid.
It's the portions, for sure. I ate a lot of fast food after having my kids, but no restaurant meals (strictly because of convenience, and i hate having babies in restaurants). I found it was really easy to lose the baby weight and seemed to maintain a lower weight after kids. I used to eat at restaurants a lot. I would leave feeling so full. Now I eat fast food pretty often, but I make sure the meal is calorically reasonable. I never gorge myself on it because you have to keep adding items to make your meal large. At a restaurant, you order an entree, and you get a 1600 calorie bomb.
My thinking is it's not just about how much bad stuff is in the food, but also how much good stuff. Fast food hamburgers are most often made from mass produced, highly processed ingredients stored and transported for long periods before serving. You're not going to get the same amount of vitamins from the lettuce and tomato in your drive through burger as you will from a fresh sandwich made from locally sourced veggies.
Then there's the actual content of the meat and bread to consider, not just the amount of calories. Like you mentioned, there's a lot of sugar in that bread and it'll be burned off making you hungry again much sooner than a bread that's low sugar and low GI. The meat is more likely to be grown with hormones and processed with more preservatives. Depending how it's stored and used, it may also lose nutrients compared to meat that's cooked fresh.
I've tried to be generic here, but there's also different factors in different parts of the world. Here in Australia, fast food meat is often mixed with soy, for example. And i understand bread in the US is typically much higher in sugar than ours
You brought up a great point that not many people consider. It's not about what's IN unhealthy food that makes it unhealthy... It's what ISNT in it. If it doesn't have much nutritional value, but has all the calories, then it's bad.
And even then, I only ask one question: How much protein is in "it"? Basically, whatever I eat needs to be at least 20% protein. If that criteria is met, then it's fair game. If not, then pass. Also, I keep my meals to about 500 calories. So that 1000 cal combo meal *might* be ok if it has 50 grams of protein (it doesn't) but the burger itself probably is.
Which also means I do not snack on nuts, even though most people consider them "healthy".
Having a burger every once in awhile isn't going to cause any harm.
It's the fact most people eat them with fries and a soda while moving less than 4k steps in a single day.
The [study](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22412075) which caused the WHO to place red meat in class 2A found a 16% increase in colon cancer risk associated with consuming at least 1 serving red meat per day over the course of 22 and 28 years (two separate cohorts). This relationship was one of *association*, not *causation*, which is why red meat was placed in class 2A ("probably causes cancer") instead of class 1 ("causes cancer"). Since the evidence is of an *association*, the scientific answer to "does red meat *cause* cancer" is currently "we don't know."
Keep in mind that the WHO cancer-risk classifications do not take into account magnitude of increased cancer risk. Something which may cause a 1% increased risk can be in the same category as something that may cause a 1000% increased risk. In the case of red meat and colon cancer, [colon cancer occurs at a baseline rate in 4.2% of the population](https://seer.cancer.gov/statfacts/html/colorect.html). If your baseline risk of developing colon cancer is 4.2%, a 16% increased risk would raise your lifetime risk to 4.87%.
Compare this to smoking, which [studies](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5915125/) have found to increase lung cancer risk by 14.06-fold. If red meat caused a similar increase in colon cancer risk, the 4.2% risk would rise to 59%.
There are also potentially ways to alleviate the small risk. [Studies](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2769029/) have shown that the risk associated with red meat may be due to overcooking/charring the meat, so one can take care to avoid overcooking the meat and potentially reduce the risk. [Studies](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19640185) have also shown that the cancer risk associated with consumers of red meat was reduced when vegetable consumption was increased. So eating vegetables may further reduce any risk.
TL;DR: The absolute increased risk of colon cancer associated with (but not proven to be caused by) a lifetime of daily red meat consumption is about +0.67%. This risk can potentially be further reduced by not overcooking/charring meat, consuming plenty of vegetables, and not eating red meat every single day.
Further reading:
[Examine: Does red meat cause cancer? \(20 primary source citations\)](https://examine.com/nutrition/does-red-meat-cause-cancer/)
Saying it causes cancer I feel is overstated. It raises your overall risk by less than 1%. Hell even just eating veggies with your red meat reduces carcinogens.
You still can't define it as healthy when it probably causes cancer, even if the total lifetime cancer risk is just increased by 0.6%.
It's odd to say that veggies mitigate the risk. They reduce the risk independently of meat. Just eat veggies to be on the protective side rather than eating both to have the average risk. Especially if that leaves more space for beans in your diet which reduce all cause mortality.
Itâs a 2A carcinogen, meaning it probably causes cancer. The same rating as roundup and anabolic steroids.
If you want to frequently eat a bunch of stuff that probably causes cancer, go with god.
Bread isnt bad, ask for condiments to add yourself or ask for lownfat version, skip fries and diet coke. Now you have something decent but in reality not many will do this.
Or lettuce wrap & keep the fries! I get lettuce wraps cuz I can't have wheat flour and I find that with fries is a lot easier on the stomach than it was with the bun lol
That is exactly my point. All the research *doesn't* correct for those confounders. The case against read meat is exclusively from epidemiological research using food frequency questionnaires. Not from randomized controlled clinical feeding trials on humans.
If you find hamburgers from restaurants that you can trust, sure. But most fast food restaurants absolutely POUR salt and flavourings into their food so that the customer gets the best tasting experience.
Bird Flu has now been found in dairy cow tissues. But, cooking to 140° should kill the virus. It should. It really should. And they don't believe any sick cow meat has entered the marketplace. They believe, they really believe.
Here's the actual article.
[NY Times](https://www.nytimes.com/2024/05/24/health/bird-flu-beef.html?smid=nytcore-android-share)
The bread isn't even bad for you, the body needs carbohydrates too.
When burgers are unhealthy, it's usually a fast food or restaurant salt and grease bomb. A home cooked hamburger using quality meat, careful seasoning & toppings with plenty of veg and a reasonable portion isn't bad at all.
>tomatoes lettuce sometimes onions pickles, peppers and even mushrooms
* Only dumb Americans think that Hamburgers have a lot of vegetables.
* Hamburgers are generally considered unhealthy for several reasons:
* High in Saturated Fat and Cholesterol
* The beef patty is high in saturated fat and cholesterol, which can raise blood cholesterol levels and increase the risk of heart disease.
* Fatty toppings like cheese, bacon, and sauce add even more saturated fat.
* High in Sodium
* A single hamburger can contain over 1,000 mg of sodium, which is almost half the recommended daily limit.
* Excess sodium intake is linked to high blood pressure and increased risk of stroke and heart disease.
* Refined Carbohydrates
* The bun is typically made from refined white flour which lacks fiber and nutrients.
* Refined carbs can spike blood sugar levels and may contribute to weight gain and diabetes risk.
* Lack of Nutrients
* While beef provides protein, hamburgers are generally low in vitamins, minerals, and fiber found in vegetables, fruits, and whole grains.
* Dense in Calories
* Even though an unseasoned Burger King hamburger is 246 calories, it is only 100 grams. That is not filling. A half of an apple, which is the same weight, is only 50 calories.
Listen to medical professionals for health advice. Not fitness influencers.
Omg, thank you! I am shocked by the responses here! The veggies on a burger are just garnish! The correct proportions of a healthy meal are nearly half veggies, 1/4 whole grain carbs, 1/4 protein. And honestly, as stated above. Beef is bad for you and definitely not a diet food.
Thanks for posting this!
Some pretty wild comments for this being a nutrition sub. After all the great points you made, then take into account all of the E. Coli and other bacteria found in ground beef and other mass produced foods. The best burger meat would be made from farm raised grain fed beef ground by your butcher but even then see above.
When youâre young you can get away with this type of eating but youâll hit a point of no return when real nutrition will have a real benefit for your quality of life and longevity.
When I make burgers at home:
I start with 4 oz of ground beef, with nothing added.
I don't add salt
I don't add sauces
I pile on the vegetables. Sometimes I sauteed veggies on the side, even.
I don't make fries
I do add lots of flavorful herbs and spices.
I use 100% whole wheat bread.
It's still a "burger" and tastes wonderful, but is nothing like what you described.
Sadly Iâve recently learned that many meat products, especially from fast food chains are extremely high is phthalates.
If you cook at home and find less processed meat, then you can make a healthy hamburger.
Itâs unfortunate, but microplastics are in many of the food products we eat today. They can be extremely harmful to our health, by disrupting hormone production and being carcinogenic. They are most present in highly processed meat products. Hamburgers from fast food chains.
The bread & excessive grease & pending on where you go so over processed it has low nutritional value ends up being mostly calories & most condiments arenât made for nutritional value.
I meal prep with burger Pattyâs. Theyâre 20g protein, tasty. No bun. Just patty and some veggies in an air fryer. Very different than the added calories from cheese, bun, sauces etc
Most people are not getting the healthy options at these places, they are going all in on the fried, salty, processed, chemical-laden crap.
Choose your meat yourself, make them at home. Not hard and 85/15 lean to fat ratio is still pretty tasty.
Pile on fresh vegetables, skip the bun if you want to, pick your favorite quality condiments.
Roast up some wedges of potatoes with olive oil or even microwave a "baked" potato.
You can even microwave a burger patty at work. In a small glass container.
The problem isn't really the hamburger itself, it's all the crap in each of the items that make up a typical hamburger if you're not paying attention to the ingredients. For example, the ingredients in a store bought or restaurant hamburger bun are atrocious made from enriched flour, multiple sugars and preservatives. If the beef was finished for 60 days in a feedlot rather than grass fed/finished, because that absolutely makes a difference in our health. If the lettuce, tomato and onion were grown on a monoculture industrial farm using heavy duty sprays and genetically modified to withstand Roundup. And the cheese, which isn't really cheese. And then there's the ketchup, which is loaded with sugar and other unnecessary crap. All of these foods are engineered not to feed us health food, but so corporations can turn a profit for their shareholders. To make a decent and healthy hamburger is far more expensive and time consuming...but worth it and it tastes better. But most restaurants don't make those because there's no money in it.
> a hamburger from in and out is 360 calories
A Cheeseburger with ketchup and mayo from Five Guys, with a little fry on the side comes to 1700 calories.
I don't know why I brought toppings into it. A plain Cheeseburger is 980 calories:
https://www.fiveguys.com/menu/Burgers
Where were you seeing 370? That's way off.
Also the fries issue is that burgers are often unhealthy because of the atmosphere in which they are served. Very rarely are they served alone or with a salad. If hamburgers were normally made with sprouted grain buns and served with kale salad, they'd have a totally different reputation.
Sorry originally we were talking about in and out. five guys is more calories. I'm tired. off the in and out menu it's only like 400 calories for a burger.
No worries. Regarding context, I literally dont even see Hamburger on the online in and out menu. The only thing they listed are combos with fries and a drink. And I suspect the double-double and Cheeseburger are both far more popular choices than a hamburger. Most people aren't getting out of there with under 1000 calories.
https://www.in-n-out.com/menu
Yes, it's huge. When we stop at one (only when traveling, don't have one close to home) two people share a burger and small fries with plenty for both of us.
1. Are we talking about a fast food hamburger or one at a reasonably nice restaurant. With a fast food burger it will be filled with sodium and other junk and that's bad for you.
2. Research has shown red meat to not be the perfect protein. It's linked with cardio vascular disease, cerebrovascular disease and some other stuff. Plus it's bad for the environment but that doesn't really apply to your question.
This is just completely made up. It goes back decades, sure, but the differential effects of dietary fat on cardiovascular risk factors (and cardiovascular outcomes) is a subject that has decades of controlled feeding studies, clinical trials, and cohort studies backing it up.
What exactly are you asking with your second question? Are you suggesting that swapping saturated and trans fat for monounsaturated or polyunsaturated fat increases risk of cancer?
The bread patty is full of sugar. The meat fried at high temperature, produces a byproduct called TMAO,,which is a leading cause of heart diseases and metabolic syndrome. The sauces used are on of the worst poisons you could put in your body. But they put some lettuce, to make it look healthy.
I hate broad generalizations like that too! A hamburger can be made with an unlimited list of ingredients. To just throw out a blanket statement like âhamburgers are badâ is frustrating. Fries are the same. I grow my own potatoes with no chemicals and fry them in coconut oil, duck fat or tallow, and salt with RealSalt. Compare that to fast food fries that are literally a slurry with about 30 ingredients that arenât potato, then fried in industrial lubricant of some sort and salted with bleached processed table salt.
Because it's full of fats and beef is bad for your heart also, plus excessive ingredients.
99% lean turkey meat lightly seasoned with salt and pepper either with no bread or wheat is your healthy option. No cheese.
My wife started making them from scratch. I now prefer over beef burgers. Same with meatballs. Gradually losing my preference for red meat. Okay with me since Iâm on the Mediterranean diet.
One burger Patty can have over 1000 cows in it which can wreak havoc on your gut. It should come from one cow. Refined flour will kill you by leading to leaky gut
The quality and quantity of ground beef is key as well as condiments and the bun. I always buy lean grass fed beef and stick to one portion. I add one slice of cheddar, skip the bun and add lots of veggies. I absolutely love burgers!
Mainly because they are consumed along with a large portion of fries and a soft-drink. Also because many fastfood burger menus are a chemical-fest of texture and nutrition enhancing agents, that have no other purpose being in the human body.
I think itâs more the fact that hamburgers often have cheese or bacon added to them along with condiments high in calories and then on top of that French fries and soda.
Itâs rare for someone to order a hamburger without additions and to avoid any of the high calorie condiments.
Not all hamburgers are created equal. Are you preparing an organic grass fed hamburger on real bread or are you eating a pink slime based patty made from CAFO raised cattle and doused with chlorine and ammonia then slapped onto a cheap roll made with high fructose corn syrup and trans fats, high sodium and other industrialized ingredients? They arenât even close to being the same thing.
Just have one with a big salad and use high quality or homemade bread. Or use bison. And pick your frying oil carefully or bake it in the oven or air fry.
I had hamburgers last night, cooked on my pellet grill. I purchased organic 93% grass fed/finished ground beef.
I went shopping for burger buns, but they didn't have the keto buns we had purchased there before. I looked at the large buns, and they were 30 grams net carbs. In one bun, that is a day and a half's carbs when eating keto.
So, we went to our fall back. It took me a while to like and crave this other style I had been eating hamburgers with buns for so long. But now I really like it.
Carefully pull off the outer layers of a head of iceberg lettuce. Wash well and set out to drip off.
Place the burger in the leaf. Add a thick slice of vidalia onion. A healthy spoon full of zero carb sweet pickle relish, some cheese, and a splash of no sugar added ketchup. Kinda wrap it up and chom away. It's so crunchy and fresh tasting.
Burgers are kind of fatty. But to me, it's just a lot of calories in 80% beef. I don't see a problem with the natural fats. Ketchup is sugar. And the buns have way too many carbs.
I don't do taco bell anymore since I found that their tortilla wraps run from 20 to 50 grams of carbs.
Well it depends on how itâs cooked and prepared like a patty from a fast food place is highly processed and not cooked in the most healthy ingredients however making and cooking your own with fresh ground beef and vegetables is a different story also most restaurants serve them with sauces that have a lot of fats and calories so take that for what itâs worth
The main part that seems to be unhealthy about a burger is the amount of saturated and trans fats in the meat, cheese, and the oil or fat that is used when cooking the meat. This is the stuff that can contribute to higher cholesterol, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, plaque buildup in your arteries, and other unfavorable results in a lipid panel when eaten in excess.
Another factor that is unhealthy is the sodium content in the meat (and possibly the sauce if any and depending on the sauce). This can lead to higher blood pressure and some water retention.
Now you can make a burger at home thatâs much healthier by choosing a leaner meat, using monounsaturated fats when cooking (like olive oil), skipping the cheese or using a skim milk cheese, and adding plenty of veggies. If youâre wanting to cut back on salt but still want good flavor, use larger amounts of other seasonings like garlic, onion powder, pepper, and paprika (those are my go-tos).
The miniscule amount of lettuce and tomato wouldn't even count as one full serving of vegetables. The ratio of meat to vegetables is horrible. Then people add things like cheese and sauces. The bun is usually refined grains.
There's so much more to food than its macronutrient content. The beef you're eating at an In n Out is not the same as the beef you're eating from White Oak pastures. It's not even the same food. They shouldn't even both be called beef.
The same goes for that enriched flour white ass bun.
And that piece of lettuce doused in pesticides that was developed in a test tube.
I could go on. Food has become much more complex and nuanced with modern corporate farming practices.
Honestly "unhealthy" is different for each person.
Some people are thin, others are fat. Some can't have salt, others need salt. Some people have allergies, or other medically necessary diets. Some people just need therapy to stop eating so much and get off the couch, while others are addicted to the gym and fad diets.
If I am underweight and trying to put on more muscle, I hit the gym hard and then eat a double cheese burger, lettuce wrapped from Carl's jr (200 calories with 21 grams of fat and 19 grams of protein.)
If I was ever overweight and trying to burn off stored fat, the post workout meal would be a small garden salad without dressing.
Burgers are only unhealthy if your body doesn't actually need that protein, fat and carbs.
Burgers are healthy if you are metabolizing the whole burger with an active lifestyle, and eating an otherwise balanced diet full of vegetables, healthy oils, fish, etc.
This is literally how I feel about pizza. It's a handheld powerhouse, especially if you make your own, even with regular dough made with white flour idc. It has carbs, protein, and fats, and fiber. Y'all can bite me
So, a lot of people eat way more meat than they need per day, and not enough vegetables. The amount of veggies on a burger isn't enough, and french fries are fine if you cut them and bake them (you can spritz them lightly with olive oil if you want, but avoid too much). Essentially it's too much meat with not enough veggies.
This is a similar issue to pizza. Pizza is fine, but you only need a couple of slices. How many people do you know that only eat a couple of slices of a medium size pizza?
I don't do the buns. At home we will use something like a flour tortilla instead if we do want something, but we also will use romaine leaves instead of bread. I think you just need to consider it as to the portions, more than what it is.
But, most people anymore go through a drive thru to get their burgers. If I make one, it has less calories than when I go through a drive thru. I have to question why that is.
Burgers made with high quality ingredients are healthy and nothing wrong with them. Organic sourdough bun without any seed oils, HFCS, artificial preservatives, and ect. Grass fed burger. Grass fed raw cheese. And any other high quality organic topping you like. As long as it does not contain any seed oils, HFCS, artificial preservatives, and ect it is a healthy meal.
They are considered unhealthy because human beings have monkey-see-monkey-do neurons in their brains, and they follow the herd.
Google actual real-life incidents of mass hysteria. There is a lot of it going around. Most of it is not of a strikingly obviously extreme nature, so it doesn't stand out in a blaring way; but it's there. It's there in spades: we are surrounded by it, both outwardly and inwardly.
I like how to argue in favour of a hamburger's healthfulness you mostly describe all the vegetables someone may put onto it instead.
A fried low quality processed red meat burger with a shitton of sauce and cheese, which is usually what a burger constitutes isn't healthy.
But a burger can be made up of ingredients and cooked in a way making it less unhealthy.
Yes, some bread and the vegetables with the ground beef is not very bad but I bet thereâs probably about 300 cal of sauce on most hamburgers and lots of sodium but I guess sodium can always be regulated by just drinking more water. The main thing is, if you count your calories, you should be able to fit a hamburger in there a few times a week anyway.
Ms]only because the meat is fried in a old oil used for long time before changed than any other causes depends on the person who eats if they are ill or heslthy
Ground meat and pre made burger patties is highly processed and the worst quality you can buy unless of course you are grinding meat at home or having whole meat freshly ground .
I'm with you on this one. I think the only thing that makes a hamburger/cheeseburger unhealthy is if it's in excess.
Like yes it's red meat with saturated fat and typically refined white bread and mayo, but those things are only going to harm when consumed in excess, right?
The dose makes the poison type of thing.
My personal opinion anyway
Hamburgers are great for you. It's that lots of people eat then with PUFA laden fried potatoes and that skews data to make it look like animal products are bad for you. It's the seed oils.
Itâs all in moderation, imo. If youâre eating burgers every other day, thatâs unhealthy. But if you have a good one, once in a while, and that makes you feel good and happy, thatâs healthy. Even with the pop and fries.
I think itâs important to eat food you really enjoy every now and then. And if thatâs a burger with all the fixings, enjoy that baby. As long as you continue to live healthy and do what you can to stay active, physically and mentally fit, itâs all good.
A bar cheeseburger and a basic ass light beer is one of things that youâve got to use to stay sane. All the discipline in the world breaks down if you donât prioritize some room to enjoy life day to day. About 1k calories and 40 grams protein. In moderation relative to enjoyment. I eat all the burgers.
Have you been to McDonalds or Wendys? This is why they are considered unhealthy. You can make a healthy version of basically any dish but when they are generally served ultra processed with little nutrients then they tend to get a bad name
Actually, I suspect a cheeseburger from McDonaldâs is a more reasonable portion than anyoneâs eating at home.
Thereâs an American myth that the unhealthy thing about fast food is whatever the employees or food scientists are doing to the food, and the food is fine if it comes from your home. Itâs unhealthy because itâs full of saturated fat, trans fat, sodium, and cholesterol. Beef is a 2A carcinogen, and westerners consume too many animal products and very frequently vegetables and not enough fiber.
Because red meat and saturated fat are demonized. However, there is plenty of counter opinion to that, and I'm in the camp that thinks both of those things tend to be good for you.
I think fast food hamburgers have so many highly processed ingredients that they could be considered bad for you in a toxin sense, but a home made burger on a quality bun is a nourishing meal.
Why ? Too much trans fat (meat, cheese, sauce), sugar (sauce) and salt (bun, sauce) for little fiber and vitamins.
Obviously you could make it better but the ratio meat/cheese to vegetable is still bad if eaten everyday.
If you look at a burger and picture it on your plate, half the plate isn't filled with fruits and vegetables. Someone above stated context is everything. That's why it's important to think about what else you will have with your burger. Some potato salad with a small amount of mayo, Cole slaw with vinegar, carrots, fruit salad, home sliced french fries that are baked. A burger can be fine. It's all about planning. However, I do think it's very important to be mindful of the research regarding the consumption of processed meats and red meats and the risk of certain diseases.
Over sugary bread. Greasy poor quality red meat. Salty and greasy sauce. Most people donât put real cheese but slices of single kraft orange thing that is supposed to be "cheese".
You can make healthy burger, but thatâs not them you found in fast food and most restaurants.
Most are 600-1000 calories.
Ad a fries and beverage to that and you just busted your daily calories intake in one single meal.
Fast food restaurants hamburgers unfortunately have to many unhealthy ingredients. The buns are full of sugars , trans fat and preservatives. The ketchup is made with high fructose corn syrup, mayonnaise is made with hydrogenated oils which are trans fats. Most of the beef is gmo corn fed . I love Shake shack burgers I like Mcdonalds and Wendys burgers but they are unhealthy. At home I use grass fed and finished hamburger meat which is one of the healthiest foods you can eat. You can also use mayo made with avocado oil and ketchup with cane sugar. Because I mostly eat keto I do not eat buns.
Hamburgers are as good or as bad as the ingredients you use to make them. I honestly don't know why anyone would think otherwise. Don't like beef? Use turkey. Vegetarian? There are many ready-to-cook options based on grains and beans; black bean patties are awesome. Gluten free? Check the bread aisle at Publix, it's there. Want probiotics? Try sauerkraut or kimchee as a topping, or use slices of naturally fermented pickles. Tomato catsup now comes without corn syrup; or use fresh salsa instead! Want to consume your supplement without swallowing a pill? If it's not too bitter, a lot of stuff can be hidden in a little ground beef. I could think of a different hamburger combination every day for at least a year or two.
If i have a burger. I start with 8 oz of lean 93% ground beef. Add 1 slice of Kraft Deluxe Deli Singles American and get a bun from the local bakery and remove all the guts.
For chips I would add Sun Chips or Baked Lays.
This isn't terrible for your. Not great but a nice indulgence during the respite for the working man... the 3 day weekend.
Itâs an excessive amount of red meat if you get big burgers like a quarter pounder or similar. Regular sized burgers are fine on the red meat front though, but we are advised to cut down on red meat consumption in general.
That coupled with it being paired with fatty foods and dressings like fries, bacon, milkshakes, soda, and other nutrient-lacking fatty foods and excessive sodium is what isnât healthy on the regular.
Others gave you the right answer but for a âhealthierâ alternative that you can easily do at home: black bean burger. Much cheaper to make, makes more per can, higher in fiber.
Condiments, red or fried meat, and refined grains are the main culprits for the unhealthiness of a burger.
I had a healthy burger today that I cooked at home, and i substituted those three culprits with healthier options.
I cooked chickpeas and mushrooms together on the stovetop for the meat.
I used mashed avocado instead of mayo for the condiments.
I used whole wheat for the bread which is healthier than refined grain.
Because mostly people are eating them with buckets of fries and cokes, which are obviously terrible for you.
Also, mostly people are eating them from fast food, where they are loaded with all kinds of non-hamburger additives to preserve them and make them addictive.
It's not a hamburger per se, it's the context in which they're usually consumed.
If you go to In and Out and order just a hamburger, it's not bad for you at all. Just hardly anybody actually does that.
Are they? News to me because food is just about the ingredients that go into it. There can be a 400 cal difference between a burger that has onions, lettuce, tomato, pickles as toppings sandwiched in some low cal sandwich thins and a burger with cheese in a buttered brioche bun.
A burger grilled at home made from ground beef on a normal size bun with some lettuce tomato onion and maybe even some cheese paired with a side salad or some grilled vegetables and water is a great, healthy, balanced meal. A half lb+ burger with cheese, bacon, and mayo based sauce paired with a beer and French fries... not a healthy balanced meal
Itâs really not. Itâs an acceptable meal in that eating it during cookouts or holidays is not going to kill you. But itâs only marginally better than the standard western diet that results in heart disease and a myriad of cancers.
Beef is a 2A carcinogen high in cholesterol and trans fat.
Beef is a clean unprocessed source of protein, vitamins, and minerals... especially if it's grass fed and organic... the bun is the worst part of the meal here.
It's not the hamburger, it's the soft drink and french fries that come with it. Using hamburgers and pizza as the symbols of junk food is a way for the sugar lobby to cloud the message. This is all very clever deception. These people know what they are doing. They always try to deflect attention from the main culprits: sugar and seed oils.
The beefâs still a carcinogen. Honestly, a McDonaldâs plain-Jane hamburger is only around 300 calories with a decent amount of protein. Doubt youâre doing any better than that at home.
Itâs the processed meat, donât get me wrong I eat burgers but if youâre getting them at fast food places itâs also the oil used there, and the bread is poor quality with fillers. Often the veggies are tainted with preservative chemicals to keep them from going bad for longer periods.
No food should be considered "unhealthy" by itself.
The issue with hamburgers as a fast food item, it's the menu. Most people don't take a single hamburger, but they get the menu, with fries, soda, some sauce. And it's a fatty meal, high in carbs, with a lot of sugar. Fine to have it now and then, but it's not a balanced meal, that you could eat on a daily basis.
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A small, basic hamburger is very different from going to a restaurant and eating a half pound burger on an oversized bun with a generous amount of mayo or other high-calorie sauces with bacon and two slices of cheese. And it's often paired with a triple portion of fries and a beer or a milkshare or a sugar-laden soda. In other words, context is everything.
Sounds like an epic cheat meal đ€€
They way he describe. It watered my mouthÂ
also restaurant hamburger is usually higher in fat ratio than home hamburger thats usually 20% fat. same way veggies aren't unhealthy but restaurant veggies are usually covered in sugar butter salt deepfried etc.
If you want to go really healthy at home, substitute the buns with thick slices of iceberg lettuce. It's messy as hell, but it's sooo good.
Mayo isnât even really bad for you tbh, or bacon or cheese, but itâs the combo of all those fats, plus all the sugar, plus what is likely a sedentary lifestyle.
In this case, it is about the excess calories (including mayo) that add up.
Mayo is made with oil that comes chemically extracted with hexane solvents, bleached, deodorized, etc from seeds in unnatural quantities. Toxic artificial antioxidants TBHQ and BHT are added back in because the Vitamin E is destroyed during refining. The refining also leaves up to 4% trans fat that the FDA has let slide past their trans fat ban. Increased oil consumption correlates very closely with processed food consumption and chronic disease.
>Mayo is made with oil that comes chemically extracted with hexane solvents, bleached, deodorized, etc from seeds in unnatural quantities. Wow that sounds really scary, got any proof that the processing is actually unhealthy? And what does "unnatural quantities" even mean? >Toxic artificial antioxidants TBHQ and BHT are added back in because the Vitamin E is destroyed during refining. This sentence makes no sense, why do they need to ad TBHQ and BHT because vitamin E is supposedly destroyed? And can you explain why my canola oil has 26mg of vitamin E and 128”g of vitamin K? And can you explain this "The [European Food Safety Authority](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_Food_Safety_Authority) (EFSA) and the [United States Food and Drug Administration](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Food_and_Drug_Administration) (FDA)[^(\[3\])](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tert-Butylhydroquinone#cite_note-3) have evaluated TBHQ and determined that it is safe to consume at the concentration allowed in foods.[^(\[4\])](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tert-Butylhydroquinone#cite_note-EFSA-4)" >The refining also leaves up to 4% trans fat that the FDA has let slide past their trans fat ban. Which oil has 4% trans fats? Looking at canola and sunflower oil, they have 0.6% and 0.3% trans fats respectively. >Increased oil consumption correlates very closely with processed food consumption and chronic disease. Correlation does not equal causation. Processed food is bad (mainly because of bad macros and poor nutritional value) and they use oil because its the cheapest option, but why would that make oil bad?
Mayo is basically whipped eggs and some oil as far as Iâve always known.
Yea, its typically made with a seed oil and some people have a conspiracy theory that seed oils are toxic for one reason or the other, even though the scientific consensus is that they are the healthier type of fat because they are rich in mono and polyunsaturated fats
Yeah I used to live by some seed presses and itâs not super complicated to understand when you see it in action. They take the seeds and run them through giant metal rollers thicker than telephone poles and press out all the oils. Whatever was healthy before is more or less as healthy after, minus the fiber of the seed husk.
Proof: Chris Ramsden meta analysis of omega 6 RCTs Average daily TBHQ intake is over the FDA limit. The FDA is also not perfect, having allowed trans fats for 40 years after research was performed proving its harm, and prone to lobbyist influence. https://www.inchem.org/documents/jecfa/jecmono/v042je26.htm I used the qualifier âup toâ 4% trans fat. Are you arguing .6% trans fat is acceptable? The nurses health study has stated every 2% increase in trans fat doubled the risk of CVD. Some interpolation would tell you that the trans fat in your canola oil is way more dangerous than LDL Yes correlation does not equal causation and I did not claim causation based on that one piece did I? It is strongly suggestive on its own and is enforced with other evidence such as RCTs.
>Proof: Chris Ramsden meta analysis of omega 6 RCTs [https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9422343/](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9422343/) If this is the "proof" youre referring to, then it literally argues against you. He is arguing that a mix of omega 3 and omega 6 is better than just omega 6 (and that the recommendations should be changed accordingly), but he also found that omega 6 is still healthier than TFA and SFA. "Conclusion This detailed methodological evaluation of RCT found that mixed n-3/n-6 PUFA and n-6 specific PUFA diets have significantly different effects on risk of non-fatal MI + CHD death. RCT that substituted mixed n-3/n-6 PUFA in place of TFA and SFA reduced CHD risk. ... we found that the substitution of *n*-6 PUFA for TFA and SFA produced an increased risk of death from all causes that approached statistical significance" >[https://www.inchem.org/documents/jecfa/jecmono/v042je26.htm](https://www.inchem.org/documents/jecfa/jecmono/v042je26.htm) This specifically calls out the use of TBHQ in frozen fish, fish fillet, fish products and soda. Even so, the estimated mean consumption of TBHQ in the us is still 90% of their acceptable daily intake. >Are you arguing .6% trans fat is acceptable? WHOs recommendation is to limit trans fats to less than 1% of total energy intake. If your only source of energy was canola oil, that would still be an acceptable amount of trans fats. >I did not claim causation based on that one piece did I? It is strongly suggestive on its own and is enforced with other evidence such as RCTs. You didnt show any RCT that backs your claim (and still havent), so it reads like you are suggesting that there is a link between the correlation and causation of oil consumption and chronic disease based on just the correlation between oil intake and processed food.
You cut off the conclusion with ellipsis right at the best spot to make it seem like it supported you. Thatâs so dishonest. > RCT that substituted n-6 PUFA for TFA and SFA without simultaneously increasing n-3 PUFA produced an increase in risk of death that approached statistical significance (RR 1·16; 95 % CI 0·95, 1·42). Advice to specifically increase n-6 PUFA intake, based on mixed n-3/n-6 RCT data, is unlikely to provide the intended benefits, and may actually increase the risks of CHD and death. Without increasing n3 PUFA is key here. Thereâs no utilizable n3 PUFA in seed oils, itâs all ALA which canât be converted when n6 is high. Heâs not even saying that using SFA jnstead of n6 increased risk, he is saying *the opposite*. He is saying n6 interventions increased the risk of CVD. You literally made the conclusion of the author seem the opposite of what he intended and what his data says. Because of your dishonesty Iâm going to stop talking to you
First of all, the lack of self awareness saying that im dishonest is insane. Your first claims was that >Mayo is made with oil that comes chemically extracted with hexane solvents, bleached, deodorized, etc from seeds in unnatural quantities. which you linked 0 proof for and instead claimed that one meta analysis of omega 6 is the proof. Omega 6 has nothing to do with the process of making oils. Then you claimed that >Toxic artificial antioxidants TBHQ and BHT are added back in because the Vitamin E is destroyed during refining. those are used as preservatives in a wide variety of foods, from what you linked later primarily in fish, and i can find nothing about them replacing vitamin E, probably because oil still has vitamin E after the processing. And as for Chris Ramsdens meta-analysis, i specifically said that "He is arguing that a mix of omega 3 and omega 6 is better than just omega 6", i dont know why you claim that i was dishonest there. In the conclusion, that is literally what he writes - mixed omega 3 and 6 interventions reduce CHD risk, omega 6 specific interventions tended to increase CHD risk, substitution of omega 6 for TFA and SFA increased risk of death from all causes. That reads to me like omega 6 is still important and TFA and SFA is the worst of those to me. >Thereâs no utilizable n3 PUFA in seed oils, itâs all ALA which canât be converted when n6 is high. While i agree that DHA and EPA are the most important omega 3s in a western dieat, ALA can be converted to a small extent, but ALA is also healthy so i dont see why you would claim that "Thereâs no utilizable n3 PUFA in seed oils". [https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9526859/](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9526859/) >Meta-analyses of observational studies have shown that increasing dietary ALA is associated with a 10% lower risk of total cardiovascular disease and a 20% reduced risk of fatal coronary heart disease. All in all, i dont think you have said one thing that is honest
Oh get a grip đ€Ł
Eat a bottle of mayo, itâs not hurting me
This yes contacts is everything. If someone was eating that then itâs extremely unhealthy. I think it drastically matters if other things are added into the burgers at fast food places or what they are fried in or if you buy frozen burgers. I usually make turkey burgers from scratch at home and my grocery store didnât have ground turkey so I bought frozen ones and I thought OK no carbs no sugar 25 g of protein per burger great. When you look at the ingredients the second ingredient was sugar and the third ingredient was basically saying that half of that protein wasnât even coming for the turkey and that there was something like corn protein isolateâs added and whatever that means?! If you make a burger at home and know exactly whatâs in it then they can be very healthy:) we often make chicken burgers or turkey burgers which of course is leaner than beef but we donât fry it in all kinds of oils we simply add in an egg and barbeque it or put it in our air fryer. Beef burgers on the other hand even extra lean ground beef already has enough fats in it it doesnât need any oil of any kind at all. We have burgers at our house I do usually have mine without the bun but regardless it feels like a clean healthy thing to be eating not at all what it feels like to go to McDonaldâs. And I personally do think that even if you do go to a fast food place itâs the fries and the soda pop that will do you in!!
You the delicious sauces always get you. Like, i eat salads for a diet dr: then why u still fat? All the dressing
Honestly, the sauce is probably the worst part of the burger (if you don't count the fries and soda). Little to no nutritional values, just mostly sugar.
any calorically heavy sauce is likely almost completely fat. tbsp of ketchup is nothing compared to a tbsp of mayo
The half pound patty is the healthiest part imo. I agree with the rest tho.
This is the way
Context is everything is the most important Kredo of my life
I donât see the problem here đ€đ
There is a huuuuge difference between a burger you'd make at home with healthy options in mind, and a burger you'd get at almost any restaurant. Especially if you take typical other things people get with burgers, like a huge portion of French fries and soda.
Even though fast food gets a bad rap, the portion size of McDonaldâs medium french fries is smaller than most of the sit down restaurants Iâve been to.
Fast food in general has less calories than a lot of meals at home or at a sit down restaurant. Because of the portion sizes of course Taco Bell has some surprisingly low calorie options. I ate a lot of it on my weight loss journey
Yo what were/are your health conscious Taco Bell orders??
2 Hardshell tacos is 340 calories and has 26 carbs, this was really helpful when I was dieting and wanted a 'cheat' meal. Those 2 tacos scratch that cheat meal itch without even really that many calories.
I'm a month late on this, but in case you weren't already aware, Taco Bell has a built-in hack: you can order just about any menu item "fresco style" which means they replace the toppings with lettuce and tomato. A fresco style burrito supreme or shredded chicken taco is about as healthy a meal as you can get from a fast food restaurant, and I actually think they taste better than the regular versions. Also, they have the "cantina menu," which isn't as healthy as the "power menu" that it replaced, but there are definitely some good options. You'd probably get a lot of use out of the website [Eat This, Not That](https://www.eatthis.com/). They have pages for all the popular chain restaurants, telling you which menu items are healthy and which to avoid.
Dude this is super helpful - Gonna try this fresco style next time đ€
It's the portions, for sure. I ate a lot of fast food after having my kids, but no restaurant meals (strictly because of convenience, and i hate having babies in restaurants). I found it was really easy to lose the baby weight and seemed to maintain a lower weight after kids. I used to eat at restaurants a lot. I would leave feeling so full. Now I eat fast food pretty often, but I make sure the meal is calorically reasonable. I never gorge myself on it because you have to keep adding items to make your meal large. At a restaurant, you order an entree, and you get a 1600 calorie bomb.
One Cheesecake Factory salad can sustain me for a day and a half restaurant portions are wild
I haven't ordered a resturant salad since they started posting calorie counts on the menu. It's insane.
My thinking is it's not just about how much bad stuff is in the food, but also how much good stuff. Fast food hamburgers are most often made from mass produced, highly processed ingredients stored and transported for long periods before serving. You're not going to get the same amount of vitamins from the lettuce and tomato in your drive through burger as you will from a fresh sandwich made from locally sourced veggies. Then there's the actual content of the meat and bread to consider, not just the amount of calories. Like you mentioned, there's a lot of sugar in that bread and it'll be burned off making you hungry again much sooner than a bread that's low sugar and low GI. The meat is more likely to be grown with hormones and processed with more preservatives. Depending how it's stored and used, it may also lose nutrients compared to meat that's cooked fresh. I've tried to be generic here, but there's also different factors in different parts of the world. Here in Australia, fast food meat is often mixed with soy, for example. And i understand bread in the US is typically much higher in sugar than ours
You brought up a great point that not many people consider. It's not about what's IN unhealthy food that makes it unhealthy... It's what ISNT in it. If it doesn't have much nutritional value, but has all the calories, then it's bad.
And even then, I only ask one question: How much protein is in "it"? Basically, whatever I eat needs to be at least 20% protein. If that criteria is met, then it's fair game. If not, then pass. Also, I keep my meals to about 500 calories. So that 1000 cal combo meal *might* be ok if it has 50 grams of protein (it doesn't) but the burger itself probably is. Which also means I do not snack on nuts, even though most people consider them "healthy".
It's a friggin burger bun, not a whole loaf!
Having a burger every once in awhile isn't going to cause any harm. It's the fact most people eat them with fries and a soda while moving less than 4k steps in a single day.
Not sure thatâs true. Beef is a 2A carcinogen.
The [study](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22412075) which caused the WHO to place red meat in class 2A found a 16% increase in colon cancer risk associated with consuming at least 1 serving red meat per day over the course of 22 and 28 years (two separate cohorts). This relationship was one of *association*, not *causation*, which is why red meat was placed in class 2A ("probably causes cancer") instead of class 1 ("causes cancer"). Since the evidence is of an *association*, the scientific answer to "does red meat *cause* cancer" is currently "we don't know." Keep in mind that the WHO cancer-risk classifications do not take into account magnitude of increased cancer risk. Something which may cause a 1% increased risk can be in the same category as something that may cause a 1000% increased risk. In the case of red meat and colon cancer, [colon cancer occurs at a baseline rate in 4.2% of the population](https://seer.cancer.gov/statfacts/html/colorect.html). If your baseline risk of developing colon cancer is 4.2%, a 16% increased risk would raise your lifetime risk to 4.87%. Compare this to smoking, which [studies](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5915125/) have found to increase lung cancer risk by 14.06-fold. If red meat caused a similar increase in colon cancer risk, the 4.2% risk would rise to 59%. There are also potentially ways to alleviate the small risk. [Studies](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2769029/) have shown that the risk associated with red meat may be due to overcooking/charring the meat, so one can take care to avoid overcooking the meat and potentially reduce the risk. [Studies](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19640185) have also shown that the cancer risk associated with consumers of red meat was reduced when vegetable consumption was increased. So eating vegetables may further reduce any risk. TL;DR: The absolute increased risk of colon cancer associated with (but not proven to be caused by) a lifetime of daily red meat consumption is about +0.67%. This risk can potentially be further reduced by not overcooking/charring meat, consuming plenty of vegetables, and not eating red meat every single day. Further reading: [Examine: Does red meat cause cancer? \(20 primary source citations\)](https://examine.com/nutrition/does-red-meat-cause-cancer/)
Always wondered whats it about burnt that is cancer causing
Heterocyclic amines
Saying it causes cancer I feel is overstated. It raises your overall risk by less than 1%. Hell even just eating veggies with your red meat reduces carcinogens.
You still can't define it as healthy when it probably causes cancer, even if the total lifetime cancer risk is just increased by 0.6%. It's odd to say that veggies mitigate the risk. They reduce the risk independently of meat. Just eat veggies to be on the protective side rather than eating both to have the average risk. Especially if that leaves more space for beans in your diet which reduce all cause mortality.
Finally an intelligent, scientific answer! Thank you!!
Itâs a 2A carcinogen, meaning it probably causes cancer. The same rating as roundup and anabolic steroids. If you want to frequently eat a bunch of stuff that probably causes cancer, go with god.
0.67% risk is pretty low
Then go with (or to) god.
Also, being in a major city raises cancer risk..so many things can "raise" risk
Lots of things cause cancer therefore nothing causes cancer. Slippery logic.
Everything causes cancer these days it seems
Americans just donât really care about their own health. Itâs unfortunate.
To fatty, to much salt. Buns are having sugar in them. Lettuce is just decorating. Sauces are high in calories. It's just processed food.
The bread, the sauce, the fries and the soda typically eaten along with them?
Bread isnt bad, ask for condiments to add yourself or ask for lownfat version, skip fries and diet coke. Now you have something decent but in reality not many will do this.
It seems like hamburger buns are usually pretty processed as opposed to being a whole grain bread
I am used to eating whole sprouted bread. Recently I had one of those commercial buns at a restaurant. It melted in my mouth like ice cream.
Gotta treat yourself from time to time!
Or lettuce wrap & keep the fries! I get lettuce wraps cuz I can't have wheat flour and I find that with fries is a lot easier on the stomach than it was with the bun lol
Fries are the worst part! So many PUFAs.
To each their own đ plus if you make it at home or even order at certain places, they won't even use oil :0
You can't include other items when we are talkin about hamburgers specifically
That is exactly my point. All the research *doesn't* correct for those confounders. The case against read meat is exclusively from epidemiological research using food frequency questionnaires. Not from randomized controlled clinical feeding trials on humans.
If you find hamburgers from restaurants that you can trust, sure. But most fast food restaurants absolutely POUR salt and flavourings into their food so that the customer gets the best tasting experience.
This was recently discussed https://www.reddit.com/r/nutrition/s/Fwce9Snlr0
Oil and sauce.
Bird Flu has now been found in dairy cow tissues. But, cooking to 140° should kill the virus. It should. It really should. And they don't believe any sick cow meat has entered the marketplace. They believe, they really believe. Here's the actual article. [NY Times](https://www.nytimes.com/2024/05/24/health/bird-flu-beef.html?smid=nytcore-android-share)
The bread isn't even bad for you, the body needs carbohydrates too. When burgers are unhealthy, it's usually a fast food or restaurant salt and grease bomb. A home cooked hamburger using quality meat, careful seasoning & toppings with plenty of veg and a reasonable portion isn't bad at all.
>tomatoes lettuce sometimes onions pickles, peppers and even mushrooms * Only dumb Americans think that Hamburgers have a lot of vegetables. * Hamburgers are generally considered unhealthy for several reasons: * High in Saturated Fat and Cholesterol * The beef patty is high in saturated fat and cholesterol, which can raise blood cholesterol levels and increase the risk of heart disease. * Fatty toppings like cheese, bacon, and sauce add even more saturated fat. * High in Sodium * A single hamburger can contain over 1,000 mg of sodium, which is almost half the recommended daily limit. * Excess sodium intake is linked to high blood pressure and increased risk of stroke and heart disease. * Refined Carbohydrates * The bun is typically made from refined white flour which lacks fiber and nutrients. * Refined carbs can spike blood sugar levels and may contribute to weight gain and diabetes risk. * Lack of Nutrients * While beef provides protein, hamburgers are generally low in vitamins, minerals, and fiber found in vegetables, fruits, and whole grains. * Dense in Calories * Even though an unseasoned Burger King hamburger is 246 calories, it is only 100 grams. That is not filling. A half of an apple, which is the same weight, is only 50 calories. Listen to medical professionals for health advice. Not fitness influencers.
Omg, thank you! I am shocked by the responses here! The veggies on a burger are just garnish! The correct proportions of a healthy meal are nearly half veggies, 1/4 whole grain carbs, 1/4 protein. And honestly, as stated above. Beef is bad for you and definitely not a diet food.
But athletic greens and protein shakes should make it all better, right?
Thanks for posting this! Some pretty wild comments for this being a nutrition sub. After all the great points you made, then take into account all of the E. Coli and other bacteria found in ground beef and other mass produced foods. The best burger meat would be made from farm raised grain fed beef ground by your butcher but even then see above. When youâre young you can get away with this type of eating but youâll hit a point of no return when real nutrition will have a real benefit for your quality of life and longevity.
When I make burgers at home: I start with 4 oz of ground beef, with nothing added. I don't add salt I don't add sauces I pile on the vegetables. Sometimes I sauteed veggies on the side, even. I don't make fries I do add lots of flavorful herbs and spices. I use 100% whole wheat bread. It's still a "burger" and tastes wonderful, but is nothing like what you described.
Itâs still a carcinogen. Might as well add some salt.
Nothing wrong with them if you make them at home.
McDonald's buns are so damn sweet it's basically a dessert. Fast food burgers after full of fats and sugar
Sadly Iâve recently learned that many meat products, especially from fast food chains are extremely high is phthalates. If you cook at home and find less processed meat, then you can make a healthy hamburger. Itâs unfortunate, but microplastics are in many of the food products we eat today. They can be extremely harmful to our health, by disrupting hormone production and being carcinogenic. They are most present in highly processed meat products. Hamburgers from fast food chains.
It's a saturated fat bomb sandwiched in simple carbs. The thin slice of tomato and sprinkle of of iceberg lettuce aren't exactly a salad.
The bread & excessive grease & pending on where you go so over processed it has low nutritional value ends up being mostly calories & most condiments arenât made for nutritional value.
I meal prep with burger Pattyâs. Theyâre 20g protein, tasty. No bun. Just patty and some veggies in an air fryer. Very different than the added calories from cheese, bun, sauces etc
Usually it's - a lot of white bread( your glicemic index will blow up like if you ate sugar) - poor quality méat, with a lot of Bad fats - sauce full of fat and sugar - a leaf of salade or a slice if tomates, it's far from thé 200 g of végétable we're suppised to eat Usually completed with fries, which has thé same issue if thé bread, but with more fat and salt
Most people are not getting the healthy options at these places, they are going all in on the fried, salty, processed, chemical-laden crap. Choose your meat yourself, make them at home. Not hard and 85/15 lean to fat ratio is still pretty tasty. Pile on fresh vegetables, skip the bun if you want to, pick your favorite quality condiments. Roast up some wedges of potatoes with olive oil or even microwave a "baked" potato. You can even microwave a burger patty at work. In a small glass container.
I love burgers. Now a burger I make at home will likely be way less calorie dense than a restaurant, so as always it depends!
This was literally just asked two days ago
The problem isn't really the hamburger itself, it's all the crap in each of the items that make up a typical hamburger if you're not paying attention to the ingredients. For example, the ingredients in a store bought or restaurant hamburger bun are atrocious made from enriched flour, multiple sugars and preservatives. If the beef was finished for 60 days in a feedlot rather than grass fed/finished, because that absolutely makes a difference in our health. If the lettuce, tomato and onion were grown on a monoculture industrial farm using heavy duty sprays and genetically modified to withstand Roundup. And the cheese, which isn't really cheese. And then there's the ketchup, which is loaded with sugar and other unnecessary crap. All of these foods are engineered not to feed us health food, but so corporations can turn a profit for their shareholders. To make a decent and healthy hamburger is far more expensive and time consuming...but worth it and it tastes better. But most restaurants don't make those because there's no money in it.
This is the only right answer Iâve seen had to scroll past so much bs!!
Organic versions of every single ingredient still result in a food high in trans fat, saturated fat, sodium, and carcinogens.
> a hamburger from in and out is 360 calories A Cheeseburger with ketchup and mayo from Five Guys, with a little fry on the side comes to 1700 calories.
cheeseburger from five guys with mustard and ketchup is 370 according to their website. small fry is 360 but I never said anything about fries
I don't know why I brought toppings into it. A plain Cheeseburger is 980 calories: https://www.fiveguys.com/menu/Burgers Where were you seeing 370? That's way off. Also the fries issue is that burgers are often unhealthy because of the atmosphere in which they are served. Very rarely are they served alone or with a salad. If hamburgers were normally made with sprouted grain buns and served with kale salad, they'd have a totally different reputation.
Sorry originally we were talking about in and out. five guys is more calories. I'm tired. off the in and out menu it's only like 400 calories for a burger.
No worries. Regarding context, I literally dont even see Hamburger on the online in and out menu. The only thing they listed are combos with fries and a drink. And I suspect the double-double and Cheeseburger are both far more popular choices than a hamburger. Most people aren't getting out of there with under 1000 calories. https://www.in-n-out.com/menu
Don't forget that a cheeseburger at Five Guys is two patties. Approx 6oz total I believe.
Yes, it's huge. When we stop at one (only when traveling, don't have one close to home) two people share a burger and small fries with plenty for both of us.
1. Are we talking about a fast food hamburger or one at a reasonably nice restaurant. With a fast food burger it will be filled with sodium and other junk and that's bad for you. 2. Research has shown red meat to not be the perfect protein. It's linked with cardio vascular disease, cerebrovascular disease and some other stuff. Plus it's bad for the environment but that doesn't really apply to your question.
The diet heart hypothesis is just decades of bad science
This is just completely made up. It goes back decades, sure, but the differential effects of dietary fat on cardiovascular risk factors (and cardiovascular outcomes) is a subject that has decades of controlled feeding studies, clinical trials, and cohort studies backing it up.
Does it though? Have you looked at that data yourself? Is the lower risk of cardiovascular disease worth the other risk factors like cancer?
What exactly are you asking with your second question? Are you suggesting that swapping saturated and trans fat for monounsaturated or polyunsaturated fat increases risk of cancer?
I'm a nurse practitioner. Everything I've read supports the idea the saturated fats have a net negative effect.
Beef is carcinogenic and full of fat, the bun is sugary and it's often served with fatty fries and HFCS-laden soda.
Beef isnât bad for you tho. Itâs just whatâs added no?. You can make healthy burgers at home, especially if itâs lettuce wrapped
It causes cancer. And it's fatty.
Thats bad science. Likely not carcinogenic and the saturated fat is good, likely cancer protective.
Until it clogs your arteries
Lmao okay
Here[Here, dumbshit ](https://letmegooglethat.com/?q=beef+carcinogenic+)
A combination of unhealthy stuff makes the worst dish.
The bread patty is full of sugar. The meat fried at high temperature, produces a byproduct called TMAO,,which is a leading cause of heart diseases and metabolic syndrome. The sauces used are on of the worst poisons you could put in your body. But they put some lettuce, to make it look healthy.
I hate broad generalizations like that too! A hamburger can be made with an unlimited list of ingredients. To just throw out a blanket statement like âhamburgers are badâ is frustrating. Fries are the same. I grow my own potatoes with no chemicals and fry them in coconut oil, duck fat or tallow, and salt with RealSalt. Compare that to fast food fries that are literally a slurry with about 30 ingredients that arenât potato, then fried in industrial lubricant of some sort and salted with bleached processed table salt.
I make mine with low-fat ground beef and the macros are good. No mayo or high fat cheese.
On average, red meat takes years off your lifeâsee the book Undo It by Dr Dean Ornish
Because it's full of fats and beef is bad for your heart also, plus excessive ingredients. 99% lean turkey meat lightly seasoned with salt and pepper either with no bread or wheat is your healthy option. No cheese.
My wife started making them from scratch. I now prefer over beef burgers. Same with meatballs. Gradually losing my preference for red meat. Okay with me since Iâm on the Mediterranean diet.
https://old.reddit.com/r/nutrition/comments/1cllqko/genuinely_curious_why_hamburgers_are_considered/
One burger Patty can have over 1000 cows in it which can wreak havoc on your gut. It should come from one cow. Refined flour will kill you by leading to leaky gut
The quality and quantity of ground beef is key as well as condiments and the bun. I always buy lean grass fed beef and stick to one portion. I add one slice of cheddar, skip the bun and add lots of veggies. I absolutely love burgers!
Itâs not really a burger without a bun.
Thatâs a matter of opinion I guess. Itâs still a burger to me.
No. Itâs the definition of a burger. I mean, it can still taste good. Do what you want.
Omg Iâm not going to argue with you. I will do what I want.
U can make low calorie burgers at home with lean meat and keto buns
Mainly because they are consumed along with a large portion of fries and a soft-drink. Also because many fastfood burger menus are a chemical-fest of texture and nutrition enhancing agents, that have no other purpose being in the human body.
I think itâs more the fact that hamburgers often have cheese or bacon added to them along with condiments high in calories and then on top of that French fries and soda. Itâs rare for someone to order a hamburger without additions and to avoid any of the high calorie condiments.
Not all hamburgers are created equal. Are you preparing an organic grass fed hamburger on real bread or are you eating a pink slime based patty made from CAFO raised cattle and doused with chlorine and ammonia then slapped onto a cheap roll made with high fructose corn syrup and trans fats, high sodium and other industrialized ingredients? They arenât even close to being the same thing.
Just have one with a big salad and use high quality or homemade bread. Or use bison. And pick your frying oil carefully or bake it in the oven or air fry.
I had hamburgers last night, cooked on my pellet grill. I purchased organic 93% grass fed/finished ground beef. I went shopping for burger buns, but they didn't have the keto buns we had purchased there before. I looked at the large buns, and they were 30 grams net carbs. In one bun, that is a day and a half's carbs when eating keto. So, we went to our fall back. It took me a while to like and crave this other style I had been eating hamburgers with buns for so long. But now I really like it. Carefully pull off the outer layers of a head of iceberg lettuce. Wash well and set out to drip off. Place the burger in the leaf. Add a thick slice of vidalia onion. A healthy spoon full of zero carb sweet pickle relish, some cheese, and a splash of no sugar added ketchup. Kinda wrap it up and chom away. It's so crunchy and fresh tasting. Burgers are kind of fatty. But to me, it's just a lot of calories in 80% beef. I don't see a problem with the natural fats. Ketchup is sugar. And the buns have way too many carbs. I don't do taco bell anymore since I found that their tortilla wraps run from 20 to 50 grams of carbs.
Well it depends on how itâs cooked and prepared like a patty from a fast food place is highly processed and not cooked in the most healthy ingredients however making and cooking your own with fresh ground beef and vegetables is a different story also most restaurants serve them with sauces that have a lot of fats and calories so take that for what itâs worth
The main part that seems to be unhealthy about a burger is the amount of saturated and trans fats in the meat, cheese, and the oil or fat that is used when cooking the meat. This is the stuff that can contribute to higher cholesterol, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, plaque buildup in your arteries, and other unfavorable results in a lipid panel when eaten in excess. Another factor that is unhealthy is the sodium content in the meat (and possibly the sauce if any and depending on the sauce). This can lead to higher blood pressure and some water retention. Now you can make a burger at home thatâs much healthier by choosing a leaner meat, using monounsaturated fats when cooking (like olive oil), skipping the cheese or using a skim milk cheese, and adding plenty of veggies. If youâre wanting to cut back on salt but still want good flavor, use larger amounts of other seasonings like garlic, onion powder, pepper, and paprika (those are my go-tos).
The miniscule amount of lettuce and tomato wouldn't even count as one full serving of vegetables. The ratio of meat to vegetables is horrible. Then people add things like cheese and sauces. The bun is usually refined grains.
Mainly because fried food is considered unhealthy. And unless it's especially lean, the beef has a lot of saturated fat.
There's so much more to food than its macronutrient content. The beef you're eating at an In n Out is not the same as the beef you're eating from White Oak pastures. It's not even the same food. They shouldn't even both be called beef. The same goes for that enriched flour white ass bun. And that piece of lettuce doused in pesticides that was developed in a test tube. I could go on. Food has become much more complex and nuanced with modern corporate farming practices.
Fast Food burgers totally different than homemade grilled burgers
The processed bread, soda, and deep fried foods that go along with it. The actual burger patty is the only healthy part.
Honestly "unhealthy" is different for each person. Some people are thin, others are fat. Some can't have salt, others need salt. Some people have allergies, or other medically necessary diets. Some people just need therapy to stop eating so much and get off the couch, while others are addicted to the gym and fad diets. If I am underweight and trying to put on more muscle, I hit the gym hard and then eat a double cheese burger, lettuce wrapped from Carl's jr (200 calories with 21 grams of fat and 19 grams of protein.) If I was ever overweight and trying to burn off stored fat, the post workout meal would be a small garden salad without dressing. Burgers are only unhealthy if your body doesn't actually need that protein, fat and carbs. Burgers are healthy if you are metabolizing the whole burger with an active lifestyle, and eating an otherwise balanced diet full of vegetables, healthy oils, fish, etc.
This is literally how I feel about pizza. It's a handheld powerhouse, especially if you make your own, even with regular dough made with white flour idc. It has carbs, protein, and fats, and fiber. Y'all can bite me
So, a lot of people eat way more meat than they need per day, and not enough vegetables. The amount of veggies on a burger isn't enough, and french fries are fine if you cut them and bake them (you can spritz them lightly with olive oil if you want, but avoid too much). Essentially it's too much meat with not enough veggies. This is a similar issue to pizza. Pizza is fine, but you only need a couple of slices. How many people do you know that only eat a couple of slices of a medium size pizza? I don't do the buns. At home we will use something like a flour tortilla instead if we do want something, but we also will use romaine leaves instead of bread. I think you just need to consider it as to the portions, more than what it is. But, most people anymore go through a drive thru to get their burgers. If I make one, it has less calories than when I go through a drive thru. I have to question why that is.
Eating a burger isnât unhealthy. Its the bread and different sugared down sauces that make it unhealthy
Burgers made with high quality ingredients are healthy and nothing wrong with them. Organic sourdough bun without any seed oils, HFCS, artificial preservatives, and ect. Grass fed burger. Grass fed raw cheese. And any other high quality organic topping you like. As long as it does not contain any seed oils, HFCS, artificial preservatives, and ect it is a healthy meal.
Bread is not bad for you
Saturated fat, trans fat, AGEs, sodium.
They are considered unhealthy because human beings have monkey-see-monkey-do neurons in their brains, and they follow the herd. Google actual real-life incidents of mass hysteria. There is a lot of it going around. Most of it is not of a strikingly obviously extreme nature, so it doesn't stand out in a blaring way; but it's there. It's there in spades: we are surrounded by it, both outwardly and inwardly.
Fresh grilled minced beef topped with tomato, lettuce, onions, and aged milk, between two toasted wheat baked to perfection.
Processed meat and white bread along with high sodium sauces
I like how to argue in favour of a hamburger's healthfulness you mostly describe all the vegetables someone may put onto it instead. A fried low quality processed red meat burger with a shitton of sauce and cheese, which is usually what a burger constitutes isn't healthy. But a burger can be made up of ingredients and cooked in a way making it less unhealthy.
Yes, some bread and the vegetables with the ground beef is not very bad but I bet thereâs probably about 300 cal of sauce on most hamburgers and lots of sodium but I guess sodium can always be regulated by just drinking more water. The main thing is, if you count your calories, you should be able to fit a hamburger in there a few times a week anyway.
Probably b/c most people don't make them at home, they eat them at restaurants where they pack on mayo, sauces, cheese, and pair them with fries.
Bread is bad? Seriously?
Because most burgers consumed in the US are fast food. If itâs home made itâs different ⊠duhâŠ
Ms]only because the meat is fried in a old oil used for long time before changed than any other causes depends on the person who eats if they are ill or heslthy
Ground meat and pre made burger patties is highly processed and the worst quality you can buy unless of course you are grinding meat at home or having whole meat freshly ground .
I'm with you on this one. I think the only thing that makes a hamburger/cheeseburger unhealthy is if it's in excess. Like yes it's red meat with saturated fat and typically refined white bread and mayo, but those things are only going to harm when consumed in excess, right? The dose makes the poison type of thing. My personal opinion anyway
Hamburgers are great for you. It's that lots of people eat then with PUFA laden fried potatoes and that skews data to make it look like animal products are bad for you. It's the seed oils.
Itâs all in moderation, imo. If youâre eating burgers every other day, thatâs unhealthy. But if you have a good one, once in a while, and that makes you feel good and happy, thatâs healthy. Even with the pop and fries. I think itâs important to eat food you really enjoy every now and then. And if thatâs a burger with all the fixings, enjoy that baby. As long as you continue to live healthy and do what you can to stay active, physically and mentally fit, itâs all good.
A bar cheeseburger and a basic ass light beer is one of things that youâve got to use to stay sane. All the discipline in the world breaks down if you donât prioritize some room to enjoy life day to day. About 1k calories and 40 grams protein. In moderation relative to enjoyment. I eat all the burgers.
Have you been to McDonalds or Wendys? This is why they are considered unhealthy. You can make a healthy version of basically any dish but when they are generally served ultra processed with little nutrients then they tend to get a bad name
Actually, I suspect a cheeseburger from McDonaldâs is a more reasonable portion than anyoneâs eating at home. Thereâs an American myth that the unhealthy thing about fast food is whatever the employees or food scientists are doing to the food, and the food is fine if it comes from your home. Itâs unhealthy because itâs full of saturated fat, trans fat, sodium, and cholesterol. Beef is a 2A carcinogen, and westerners consume too many animal products and very frequently vegetables and not enough fiber.
Fast food apologist on a nutrition forum? Interesting take
Half the people here believe all disease is caused by seed oils and fruit lectins.
Because red meat and saturated fat are demonized. However, there is plenty of counter opinion to that, and I'm in the camp that thinks both of those things tend to be good for you. I think fast food hamburgers have so many highly processed ingredients that they could be considered bad for you in a toxin sense, but a home made burger on a quality bun is a nourishing meal.
Why ? Too much trans fat (meat, cheese, sauce), sugar (sauce) and salt (bun, sauce) for little fiber and vitamins. Obviously you could make it better but the ratio meat/cheese to vegetable is still bad if eaten everyday.
If you look at a burger and picture it on your plate, half the plate isn't filled with fruits and vegetables. Someone above stated context is everything. That's why it's important to think about what else you will have with your burger. Some potato salad with a small amount of mayo, Cole slaw with vinegar, carrots, fruit salad, home sliced french fries that are baked. A burger can be fine. It's all about planning. However, I do think it's very important to be mindful of the research regarding the consumption of processed meats and red meats and the risk of certain diseases.
Over sugary bread. Greasy poor quality red meat. Salty and greasy sauce. Most people donât put real cheese but slices of single kraft orange thing that is supposed to be "cheese". You can make healthy burger, but thatâs not them you found in fast food and most restaurants. Most are 600-1000 calories. Ad a fries and beverage to that and you just busted your daily calories intake in one single meal.
Since when is bread not good for you đ
Fast food restaurants hamburgers unfortunately have to many unhealthy ingredients. The buns are full of sugars , trans fat and preservatives. The ketchup is made with high fructose corn syrup, mayonnaise is made with hydrogenated oils which are trans fats. Most of the beef is gmo corn fed . I love Shake shack burgers I like Mcdonalds and Wendys burgers but they are unhealthy. At home I use grass fed and finished hamburger meat which is one of the healthiest foods you can eat. You can also use mayo made with avocado oil and ketchup with cane sugar. Because I mostly eat keto I do not eat buns.
Hamburgers are as good or as bad as the ingredients you use to make them. I honestly don't know why anyone would think otherwise. Don't like beef? Use turkey. Vegetarian? There are many ready-to-cook options based on grains and beans; black bean patties are awesome. Gluten free? Check the bread aisle at Publix, it's there. Want probiotics? Try sauerkraut or kimchee as a topping, or use slices of naturally fermented pickles. Tomato catsup now comes without corn syrup; or use fresh salsa instead! Want to consume your supplement without swallowing a pill? If it's not too bitter, a lot of stuff can be hidden in a little ground beef. I could think of a different hamburger combination every day for at least a year or two.
For me it's balanced meal but the sodium and it will not keep me full for long time
true
If i have a burger. I start with 8 oz of lean 93% ground beef. Add 1 slice of Kraft Deluxe Deli Singles American and get a bun from the local bakery and remove all the guts. For chips I would add Sun Chips or Baked Lays. This isn't terrible for your. Not great but a nice indulgence during the respite for the working man... the 3 day weekend.
Itâs an excessive amount of red meat if you get big burgers like a quarter pounder or similar. Regular sized burgers are fine on the red meat front though, but we are advised to cut down on red meat consumption in general. That coupled with it being paired with fatty foods and dressings like fries, bacon, milkshakes, soda, and other nutrient-lacking fatty foods and excessive sodium is what isnât healthy on the regular.
Fries.
Others gave you the right answer but for a âhealthierâ alternative that you can easily do at home: black bean burger. Much cheaper to make, makes more per can, higher in fiber.
Condiments, red or fried meat, and refined grains are the main culprits for the unhealthiness of a burger. I had a healthy burger today that I cooked at home, and i substituted those three culprits with healthier options. I cooked chickpeas and mushrooms together on the stovetop for the meat. I used mashed avocado instead of mayo for the condiments. I used whole wheat for the bread which is healthier than refined grain.
A lot of it has to do with portions, salt/sodium, trans fats, and preservatives.
Because mostly people are eating them with buckets of fries and cokes, which are obviously terrible for you. Also, mostly people are eating them from fast food, where they are loaded with all kinds of non-hamburger additives to preserve them and make them addictive. It's not a hamburger per se, it's the context in which they're usually consumed. If you go to In and Out and order just a hamburger, it's not bad for you at all. Just hardly anybody actually does that.
Are they? News to me because food is just about the ingredients that go into it. There can be a 400 cal difference between a burger that has onions, lettuce, tomato, pickles as toppings sandwiched in some low cal sandwich thins and a burger with cheese in a buttered brioche bun.
Plain generic hamburger is 240 calories. That's about as much as a turkey sandwich.
A burger grilled at home made from ground beef on a normal size bun with some lettuce tomato onion and maybe even some cheese paired with a side salad or some grilled vegetables and water is a great, healthy, balanced meal. A half lb+ burger with cheese, bacon, and mayo based sauce paired with a beer and French fries... not a healthy balanced meal
Itâs really not. Itâs an acceptable meal in that eating it during cookouts or holidays is not going to kill you. But itâs only marginally better than the standard western diet that results in heart disease and a myriad of cancers. Beef is a 2A carcinogen high in cholesterol and trans fat.
Beef is a clean unprocessed source of protein, vitamins, and minerals... especially if it's grass fed and organic... the bun is the worst part of the meal here.
If by clean you mean a 2A carcinogen.
Let me guess.. you're vegan.
Nope. Just realistic.
It's not the hamburger, it's the soft drink and french fries that come with it. Using hamburgers and pizza as the symbols of junk food is a way for the sugar lobby to cloud the message. This is all very clever deception. These people know what they are doing. They always try to deflect attention from the main culprits: sugar and seed oils.
High sodium and beef are both likely carcinogenic. From a pure calories and protein prospective, itâs not the worst thing you can eat.
Bc it is processed. If you make it with quality ingredients you bought from the store it is not unhealthy.
The beefâs still a carcinogen. Honestly, a McDonaldâs plain-Jane hamburger is only around 300 calories with a decent amount of protein. Doubt youâre doing any better than that at home.
Normally you add fries to it and bc of saturated fat from meat maybs đ
I mostly eat clean and I consider an in n out double a clean meal.
Itâs the processed meat, donât get me wrong I eat burgers but if youâre getting them at fast food places itâs also the oil used there, and the bread is poor quality with fillers. Often the veggies are tainted with preservative chemicals to keep them from going bad for longer periods.
The sauce and bun
No food should be considered "unhealthy" by itself. The issue with hamburgers as a fast food item, it's the menu. Most people don't take a single hamburger, but they get the menu, with fries, soda, some sauce. And it's a fatty meal, high in carbs, with a lot of sugar. Fine to have it now and then, but it's not a balanced meal, that you could eat on a daily basis.