We as Americans LOVE burgers. That's just a fact of life. But plain old ground beef isn't the best for you, it's high in calories, saturated fat, and surprisingly, not that high in protein. It also doesn't approach some of the vast array of vitamins other leaner, healthier meats have. So with summer in our sights (well, it's only January, but believe me I'm thinking about summer), let's explore a few burger alternatives, shall we?
Angus Burger- Here we're talking about the best of the best: organic grass fed angus beef. Now I'm not one to immediately hop on the organic food train, but in this case there are some real advantages to choosing grass fed beef over the cheaper pile of ground beef you usually form into patties. Angus beef is usually leaner (fewer calories), and actually has a good helping of both Omega-3 fatty acids and beta-carotene. These nutrients both come from the grass the cows eat, so it's quite obvious why the "grass fed" portion is important. Beef in general still isn't the best choice for a cutting diet however, as the calorie-protein ratio is still a little too high, as is the saturated fat. You can get more protein for fewer calories in some of the burgers I will describe later, however lean organic angus beef is still an excellent healthy burger choice for those long summer evenings.
| Nutrition Facts | ||
|---|---|---|
| Calories 430 | (1797 kJ) | |
| % Daily Value 1 | ||
| Total Fat | 34g | 52% |
| Sat. Fat | 13g | 65% |
| Trans Fat | 0g | |
| Cholesterol | 120mg | 40% |
| Sodium | 115mg | 5% |
| Total Carbs. | 0g | 0% |
| Dietary Fiber | 0g | 0% |
| Sugars | 0g | |
| Protein | 29g | |
| Calcium | 40mg | |
Chicken Burger- Here's our first really lean burger we'll discuss. White meat chicken has always been a great option to dieters, due to its high protein content and low caloric value per ounce of meat. As far as land animals go, it's hard to beat the health factors chicken have. Chicken is packed full of niacin, selenium, and vitamin B6. These help your body to fight various cancers and free-radicals alike. When cooked right chicken is absolutely delectable, and can be as tender and juicy as you could ever desire. It can also be charred or barbequed to give a great smokey taste. Try a few when the weather warms up, you may just find you like the little bird more than the big cow.
| Nutrition Facts |
Serving Size
1 serving (85.0 g)
|
Amount Per Serving
|
Calories
130
Calories from Fat
45
|
% Daily Value*
|
Total Fat
5.0g
8%
|
Saturated Fat
1.5g
7%
|
Cholesterol
45mg
15%
|
Total Carbohydrates
1.0g
0%
|
Protein
20.0g
|
Turkey Burger- Want another way to cut some saturated fat without cutting flavor? Well a turkey burger will do that for you, and while doing so will taste absolutely delicious! I love turkey in general, and the burgers are no exception. In terms of health benefits, turkey burgers are actually quite similar to chicken burgers. They contain good amounts of selenium, and various B vitamins. Turkey burgers also contain decent amounts of vitamin A and vitamin C, while also providing respectable doses of calcium and iron. While turkey burgers do have a lot of protein, the figure isn't quite as impressive as other alternatives (at least calorie-wise), however each burger can still deliver upward of 20g. Turkey burgers taste great when spiced up, don't be afraid to try a few new recipes!
| Nutrition Facts | ||
|---|---|---|
| Calories 308 | (1288 kJ) | |
| % Daily Value 1 | ||
| Total Fat | 11.4g | 18% |
| Sat. Fat | 2.7g | 13% |
| Cholesterol | 50mg | 17% |
| Sodium | 623mg | 26% |
| Total Carbs. | 31.5g | 10% |
| Dietary Fiber | 2.7g | 11% |
| Sugars | 8g | |
| Protein | 20.8g | |
Salmon Burger- I'll be honest, these have become my new favorite burger. As far as taste goes they're abolutely delightful, soft and tender, and the flavor is to die for. If you like salmon, or just fish in general, I would suggest trying one of these ASAP. With a salmon burger you also get AWESOME health benefits, and these things are one of the best lean protein sources you can find. You get loads of heart healthy omega-3 fatty acids as well as about 20g of protein per burger. And in each one there are usually only around 110-170 calories! Now that's a summer diet I can stick to. Here's the info on a salmon burger from Trader Joe's.
| Nutrition Facts | ||
|---|---|---|
| Calories 110 | (460 kJ) | |
| % Daily Value 1 | ||
| Total Fat | 1.5g | 2% |
| Sat. Fat | 0g | 0% |
| Trans Fat | 0g | |
| Cholesterol | 35mg | 12% |
| Sodium | 380mg | 16% |
| Total Carbs. | 3g | 1% |
| Dietary Fiber | 0g | 0% |
| Sugars | 0g | |
| Protein | 21g | |
| Calcium | 20mg | |
Tuna Burger- Another one of my favorites. I have a great homemade recipe on youtube for one of the best and simplest tuna burgers you could ever make, check it out here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xpYH7NoQ8b8 . When cooked right, a tuna burger can also be one of the tastiest burgers you'll ever eat. In my opinion it doesn't taste too far off from a standard beef burger, but then again it has been a while since I've had one of those. As far as health benefits go, you're getting a TON of lean protein, lots of omega-3 fatty acids, a good heaping of selenium, which is both an assistance to your heart and toward detoxifying your bodily systems. As far as calories go, these things are pretty darn light. My recipe has about 200 calories per burger and a whopping 30g of protein! It's also quite substantial at around 5-6 oz, so you'll get full fast. Just to give you a real nutritional information banner though, I'll use a more generic attempt at representing the tuna burger's calories, most likely WITHOUT the oats I added in mine:
| Nutrition Facts |
Serving Size
1 serving (107.0 g)
|
Amount Per Serving
|
Calories
140
Calories from Fat
27
|
% Daily Value*
|
Total Fat
3.0g
5%
|
Saturated Fat
1.0g
5%
|
Cholesterol
62mg
21%
|
Total Carbohydrates
1.0g
0%
|
Protein
28.0g
|
Buffalo Burger- Now THIS is a great alternative to plain old beef. Buffalo burgers have a much lower fat content than regular ol' beef patties, and are absolutely loaded to the brim with protein! They're lean, mean, healthy machines as far as I'm concerned. I haven't had one as of yet, so I can't comment on the taste, but I've read rave reviews all across the internet as to how tasty a protein source buffalo can really be. It makes sense why the meat is so lean and healthy, considering most buffalo are still free range and constantly moving. Rarely do they let fat pile up on that big frame of theirs. Buffalo meat is high in zinc, copper, selenium, and various B vitamins. If you get the chance, try some buffalo meat! Now just like beef, there ARE fatty cuts of buffalo meat, so make sure you get the lean stuff!
| Nutrition Facts | ||
|---|---|---|
| Calories 280 | (1170 kJ) | |
| % Daily Value 1 | ||
| Total Fat | 12g | 18% |
| Sat. Fat | 6g | 30% |
| Cholesterol | 105mg | 35% |
| Sodium | 115mg | 5% |
| Total Carbs. | 0g | 0% |
| Dietary Fiber | 0g | 0% |
| Sugars | 0.5g | |
| Protein | 43g | |
| Calcium | 20mg | |
Venison Burger- Want another ridiculously lean, ridiculously protein packed alternative to beef? Try venison! This stuff is so lean it's not even funny. I mean think about it, you've got a deer running around all day in the woods, constantly on the move, eating minimally and only choosing the healthiest food. Plus, it's completely free range meat, and therefore it's an even greater feat if you get your hands on some of the good stuff. Venison does have a gamey taste that some absolutely LOVE and others can't stand, however for the health benefits provided by the meat itself it would really be worth it to give this stuff a shot, and see if you can appreciate a meat much different than anything you've had before. Like most of the land meats described above, venison has good doses of zinc, selenium, B vitamins and phosphorous. And check out this nutritional info!
| Nutrition Facts | ||
|---|---|---|
| Calories 179 | (746 kJ) | |
| % Daily Value 1 | ||
| Total Fat | 3.6g | 6% |
| Sat. Fat | 1.4g | 7% |
| Cholesterol | 127mg | 42% |
| Sodium | 61mg | 3% |
| Total Carbs. | 0g | 0% |
| Dietary Fiber | 0g | 0% |
| Protein | 34.1g | |
| Calcium | 7.9mg | |
| Potassium | 378.5mg | |
"Veggie" Burger- now I'd get screamed at for not including veggie burgers, but it's kind of hard to determine what exactly a veggie burger is. Is it any burger made without meat? If so, there are a million examples of different types of veggie burgers, all with different recipes and nutritional information. I would strongly suggest making homemade veggie burgers, as most of the store bought ones use processed soy as their base (Morningstar, Boca Burger, etc.) Now you can get a pretty good helping of protein from these, but it's not the most absorbable protein by your body, so they won't be the choice for most gym-goers. However these things are PACKED with healthy vitamins and minerals, so you will be getting a healthy alternative to meat. In a morningstar veggie burger you get a good helping of vitamin A, iron, and potassium, and they're quite tasty! Give them a shot, you might enjoy them. They're very low calorie too, as well as low saturated fat, great for a cutting diet!
| Nutrition Facts | ||
|---|---|---|
| Calories 110 | (460 kJ) | |
| % Daily Value 1 | ||
| Total Fat | 3.5g | 5% |
| Sat. Fat | 0.5g | 3% |
| Trans Fat | 0g | |
| Cholesterol | 0mg | 0% |
| Sodium | 350mg | 15% |
| Total Carbs. | 9g | 3% |
| Dietary Fiber | 3g | 12% |
| Sugars | 1g | |
| Protein | 10g | |
| Potassium | 180mg | |
Black Bean Burger- These things are great! Again I would definitely recommend making them homemade, and if any of you need a recipe I'd be happy to give you one I've tried before. They're absolutely delicious and a great vegetarian alternative to a meat loaded bun. You still get plenty of plant protein, except from the beans this time, not soy (yay). You also get a wide array of vitamins and minerals, which definitely benefit your body. The awesome thing about making black bean burgers is the fact that the beans are very moist and therefore give an amazing texture to the burger. They're juicy, and if you spice them up right, can give a real kick. Meat lovers and vegetarians alike should give these a shot! These things have almost no fat, and none of it is saturated. THAT'S AWESOME! Here are the nutrition facts, but just as a fair disclaimer this is for 7.5 oz of black bean burger, and that's a LOT of burger, hence why the calorie information seems a little high:
| Nutrition Facts | ||
|---|---|---|
| Calories 270 | (1128 kJ) | |
| % Daily Value 1 | ||
| Total Fat | 7.5g | 12% |
| Sat. Fat | 0g | 0% |
| Trans Fat | 0g | |
| Cholesterol | 0mg | 0% |
| Sodium | 1110mg | 46% |
| Total Carbs. | 48g | 16% |
| Dietary Fiber | 15g | 60% |
| Sugars | 6g | |
| Protein | 12g | |
| Calcium | 120mg | |
| Potassium | 390mg | |
There you have it. Some serious meat munchies, and some vegetarian grillers alike. Every single one tastes great grilled up and on a bun, or even plain! They all can be the perfect accompaniment to a beautiful summer evening.
Do me a favor though, skip the ketchup, OK? GOOD LUCK!
They all can be the perfect accompaniment to a beautiful summer evening.
ReplyDeleteDo me a favor though, skip the ketchup, OK? GOOD LUCK!