I think hamburgers get a bad rap, because when people typically eat hamburgers, they are also drinking soda and eating French fries.
Agree or disagree?
There’s a wide range of what constitutes a burger. Some will be pretty bad, yes, but then so are some salads.
Ultimately though, a hamburger is just a bit of meat and a bun.
If we use a Five Guys hamburger as an example….
EDIT: I have discovered The Five Guys “Hamburger” is actually 2 patties, so these values are actually overstated!
It constitutes:
840kcal. UK reference is 2000kcal (for a woman) (this should be adjusted per person).
43g fat. UK ref… 70g.
19g sat fat. UK ref… 30g.
0 trans fats
39g carbohydrates. UK ref… 260g
8g sugar. UK ref… 90g
430mg sodium. UK ref…. 2400mg (6g of salt).
39g protein. UK ref… 45g+ a day
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Vitamin wise, you can expect a burger to be a good source of vitamin B12, B6 and more. Really it only lacks vitamin C and A.
Mineral content you can expect to be pretty good too.
Nothing in this is horrible really. From a fitness / aesthetic perspective, many could make it fit their macros quite easily even.
Terms like “processed” foods are often lazy shortcuts for referring to items which are high in salt, sugar or fat.
Salt-wise (or rather, sodium), this is fine.
Sugar-wise, this is good.
It is relatively high in fat, but acceptable in a decent diet. Don’t have several a day. Over the years, evidence has weakened in terms of the damage of fat, but high-intakes are still linked with heart disease and stroke, but much of the discourse has moved to sugar really.
Overall, I’d agree. It’s not really something to avoid if your diet is already in control.
I make turkey burgers myself with 2% fat ground turkey. I have salad and homemade salsa in the bun to go along with it.
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Bun is probably the worst part of the meal but it’s not too bad once in a while
I don’t think any food is inherently “bad for you”. Depends on how it’s prepared and what goes on it/into it. And everything in moderation, even if you eat an “unhealthy burger” one day, your overall nutrition matters more and if you eat healthy otherwise it doesn’t really matter to have a “treat” every now and then. I love burgers, you get some good protein, fat, carbs and can top it with veggies too. Not a bad meal if it isn’t being fried in a lot of oil with a lot of higher fat/processed toppings.
A burger is easy:
Healthy depending on your criteria and belief system. If you think calories don’t matter, you probably think burgers are a good option.
If you think nutrient dense foods are healthy, a burger is pretty unhealthy.
It’s like asking if you believe in science and math. Or, are you trying to gain weight? Maybe you exercise regularly, have a healthy body composition, and typically eat to maintain or at a slight calorie deficit and then a burger falls into the categorie of healthy for you because the total package is actually appropriate for you.
Hamburgers are perfectly fine… IF you’re making it yourself. Store bought and fast food joint burgers are low quality trash, the only reason they have any taste is either through excessive MSG, salt and sugar or flavourings.Making your own with good quality beef, salt and herbs/spices. Healthy enough to have everyday. (Although I’m sure there’s some “meat is bad” clown to disagree)
for me i compare a restaurants/fast food burger to my own homemade ones. I opt out of the processed american cheese, the ketchup, mayo and white bread. my favorite burger atm is a black and blue burger (cajun seasonings, blue cheese on sourdough -(i skip the bacon too) It is good food to eat and digest
I think a homemade burger with salad on a regular bun is probably not much different from a steak and salad with some toast.
The big difference I would see is the sugar content in fast food buns (McDonalds for instance adds a lot of sugar to their buns), and the sauces - lots of ketchup, lots of sugar in the relish, lots of sugar in the burger sauce.
Also, whatever random shit they might toss on the burger too. Processed American cheese slices can’t be all that good.
And finally, they probably add a bunch of preservatives and things to the ingredients to make them more shelf-stable and ship better:
E.g. a bun should basically be flour, salt, yeast, maybe some oil. But a McDonalds Bun is:
>EITHER:Allergen Ingredient: WHEAT Flour (contains Calcium Carbonate, Iron, Niacin, Thiamine), Water, Sugar, Rapeseed Oil, Salt, Yeast, Emulsifier (Mono- and Diacetyl Tartaric Acid Esters of Mono- and Diglycerides of Fatty Acids), Allergen Ingredient:WHEAT Gluten, Preservative (Calcium Propionate), De-activated Yeast, Antioxidant (Ascorbic Acid).Potential Allergen Ingredient:N.B. May contain traces of sesame seeds, milk, barley and rye.OR:Allergen Ingredient: WHEAT Flour, Water, Sugar, Rapeseed Oil, Salt, Yeast, Emulsifier (Mono- and Diacetyl Tartaric Acid Esters of Mono- and Diglycerides of Fatty Acids), Antioxidant (Ascorbic Acid).Potential Allergen Ingredient:N.B. May contain traces of sesame seeds, milk, barley and rye.OR: Allergen Ingredient:WHEAT Flour, Water, Sugar, Yeast, Allergen Ingredient:WHEAT Gluten, Sunflower Oil, Salt, Baking Improver (Sodium Hydrogen Carbonate), Antioxidant (Ascorbic Acid).Potential Allergen Ingredient:N.B. May contain traces of sesame seeds, milk, barley and rye.OR:Allergen Ingredient: WHEAT Flour, Water, Glucose Fructose Syrup, Rapeseed Oil, Salt, Yeast, Emulsifier (Mono- and Diglycerides of Fatty Acids, Mono- and Diacetyl Tartaric Acid Esters of Mono- and Diglycerides of Fatty Acids), Flour Treatment Agent (Ascorbic Acid).Potential Allergen Ingredient:N.B. All the above may contain traces of sesame seeds, milk, barley and rye.
So that’s probably not ideal.
But yeah, if you have a real burger (to McDonalds credit, their burgers are just 100% beef) with a regular non-processed bun, some tomatoes, lettuce, onion, a bit of mustard, and not too much ketchup, it’s probably pretty healthy.
Well usually it is a lot of red meat and depending on the sauces you use, it’s even more fat. Hardly any fiber to go around. But of course nothing is inherently”bad” for you.. everything can be enjoyed in moderation, I don’t think anyone would recommend eating red meat everyday. Also the poor animals no? 🥺🐄