Hamburgers: 7 Ways To Improve Your Burger

Double Bacon and Cheese Hamburger** image courtesy of Amanda McClements

Once in awhile I get a hankering for a hamburger. They are delicious and can be even more so with additions such as cheese, tomato, onion, etc. There are many ways to customize your own hamburger, but Edward Lane, in his Men's Health article, gives us "7 Ways To Improve Your Burger". Here is what he says:


"The fast food invasion from across the pond continues unabated. With an American diner popping up on every street corner the humble burger is fast becoming a British staple. Bad news for your quest for a beach body? Not necessarily. Use these culinary tweaks to turn your patty into a health-boosting powerhouse."


1) Quality Control:

"When it comes to selecting mince for your burgers, don't scrimp. Cheap mince carries a lot of water weight, and the patties you prep will go from Big Tasty-bulky to skinny un-happy meal under the grill. Don’t go extra lean, either; it’s likely to be low on fat and flavor, and tricky to stop from drying out, too. Jane Hornby, author of What to Cook and How to Cook it, suggests opting for mince with 20 per cent fat content. Just make sure burgers are a weekly rather than nightly habit."


2) Give It A Grill:

"Frying is a fool's game. Cooking under the grill seals in moisture but lets excess fat drain away. And that’s not all. It also locks in vital B vitamins like riboflavin, which helps maintain healthy hair and skin and slows the body's ageing process. A burger that makes you better looking? Don’t mind if we do."


3) Nice Buns:

"A juicy patty encased in a toasted brioche bun is a thing of beauty, but not exactly a picture of health. Swapping your white bun’s 250 empty calories for a wholegrain option is the thinking man’s edit: a study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found whole grains are positively associated with higher cognitive function and should be considered a “core neuroprotective food.""


4) Be Choosy With Cheese:

"Cheese gets a lot of bad press for clogging arteries and swelling your gut. But while we don't recommend eating a whole wheel of the stuff – terrific an idea as that sounds – there's no need to avoid everyone's favorite burger topper altogether. A 30g portion of emmenthal is high in protein and provides more than a third of your RDA of calcium, helping to build muscle and boost your immune system."


5) Beet High Cholesterol:

 "Cheese isn’t the only essential burger topping. A slice of beetroot atop your patty will reduce blood pressure and help lower cholesterol. Researchers at the University of Aberdeen found the veg’s carotenoids and flavonoids prevent LDL or ‘bad’ cholesterol from being oxidised and deposited in your arteries."


6) Fowl Play:

"Beef's position at the top of the patty podium shouldn’t stop you mixing up your meats. With 32g of protein in a four ounce serving and only 1.7g of fat, turkey is muscle fuel par excellence. Crammed full of mood-boosting selenium, this portion of poultry also has an essential role to play in your antioxidant defense system, helping to eliminate cancer-friendly free radicals in the body."


7) Here's The Sauce:

"Polluting your patty with high-fat condiments overwhelms the meat’s flavour and sends the scales needle soaring. One tablespoon of ketchup can contain up to four grams of sugar, while a serving of mayonnaise comes at a cost of 100 calories. But not all sauces are suspect. Men's Health smoky tomato sauce is full of fat-burning capsaicin, which speeds up your metabolism and encourages your body to burn fat, found research published in the British Journal of Nutrition. It packs a punch, too."




** To read the full article, please visit Men's Health.