Can I Make a Healthy Burger?

Can you make a healthy burger?

Can a burger be a healthy meal? Its a difficult question, much the same as if you asked the same thing about sausages. The question comes with how you make it. The best ingredients are always difficult to choose, as it depends on your diet, training goals and health conditions. Recent news about the contents of certain supermarket burgers tell you all you need to know about the benefits of making your own burgers if you want to know what's in them. Today we will look at the key ingredients to your home made burgers, looking at the nutritional value, and see if its possible to cook up something that tastes great and makes you feel even better.

Ingredient 1 – The Meat

Of course it wouldn't be a burger without the meat. Although vegetarian options are available, we'll be looking at animal meats in this article, and approach vegetarian options another time. The question is, what meat is best?

Beef

Is beef a good choice?

Minced beef sometimes gets a raw deal, but the availability of lean minced beef nowadays means that you never need to have a high fat diet to enjoy some quality beef products. As you find with most meat products, beef is high in protein. In the case of a good sized burger (85g of beef) you are getting 23g of protein, with all of your essential amino acids. Given that you can use about 1.2g of protein per kilogram you weigh per day, that is a healthy amount of protein, allowing for quality exercise recovery and general health. Beef also contains high levels of niacin, which is essential for lowering blood cholesterol and processing fats, as well as high level of vitamin B12, important for cell regeneration. Beef is also high in zinc, a mineral needed for growth and tissue repair. Beef, even the extra lean varieties contain 8% of your RDA of fat, but in the grand scheme of your daily diet, this isn’t so bad. It can be high for cholesterol (85g of meat containing 22% of your RDA) but with the high levels of niacin and the use of egg as a binding agent, you can find that your HDL level is able to deal with the cholesterol well. Beef is also extremely high in levels of l-carnitine, a compound which increases the level of fat oxidisation, improving the use of fat as fuel.

Lamb

Does lamb make the healthiest burger?

Lamb as a meat can be quite fatty, and as such, even minced lamb contains a relatively high amount of fat. As good as this is for flavour, in 85g of lean lamb you get 16g of fat, with 8g of that being saturated fats. Lamb does contain a good amount of protein, though slightly less than beef at 14.5g per 85g serving. This means it is less effective for an athletic training programme, and doesn't help your case in fat burning, as proteins release chemicals in the brain that make you feel fuller, faster. Lamb is still high in niacin, B12 and zinc, just like beef, but the benefits of choosing lamb over beef are limited as it is also much lower in l-carnitine levels. The lamb burger might taste great with mint, but could well be a worse choice for your burger.

Pork

Does pork make for a good burger?

Lean pork mince is becoming more readily available, and although a pork based burger might sound strange, the hamburger is pork based. As for the meat quality, lean pork contains 17.8g of protein per 85g burger, better than lamb, but still lagging way behind the beef burger. With 4g of fat in your portion, pork has a slightly higher fat content than extra lean beef, but nothing to worry about, given that fat is essential for a healthy diet. Pork does have contain excellent levels of vitamin B1 (thiamin), which is essential for proper nerve function, and can be very good for those people who suffer from cramp. Pork also contains exceptional levels of selenium, which increases antioxidant production, so it's a winner if you're worried about free radicals.

Chicken

Chicken breast for the best burgers?

As far as a chicken burger goes, nobody wants minced chicken, so the standard chicken burger is usually a chicken breast. For comparison sake, lets say our chicken breast is 85g. Chicken contains 19.5g of protein in a serving, beating the pork and lamb, but still coming in behind the beef, though not by a long way. In addition to this, the level of fat in chicken is amazing compared to other meats. The 85g chicken breast contains less than 1g of fat, as long as you take the skin off, and that is phenomenal if you are trying to reduce calories. As for your added extras, chicken contains exceptional levels of niacin, more so than beef, as well as excellent levels of vitamin B6, which is important for cell growth, making chicken great for muscle growth. Chicken also contains excellent levels of glutamic acid, essential for brain activity, making your burgers smart!

Ingredient 2 – The Bread

After choosing the meat that suits you, you need the right bread. It might seem like the bread is the dullest part of the meal, but the right bread can give just the right balance to your burger.

Whole–Wheat

The whole-wheat types of bread have become popular within health circles for there nutritious values. Whole-wheat bread contains only 24g of carbohydrates per 2 slices, while 4g of that is fibre. That means you have an overall lower level of digestible carbohydrate than other breads. Commercially produced whole-wheat bread does have 3g of sugar in 2 slices, so other more organic options might be more appropriate for the diet conscious. The same can be said for the fairly high levels of salt, which are added in the bread making process of commercially produced loaves. On the plus side, it contains 12% of your daily magnesium, which is important for energy metabolism, and has high levels of thiamine and manganese.

White

White bread is a staple in most kitchens around the UK, and many other parts of the world. It is commercially made, and as such, has many refined ingredients. It has a lower carbohydrate level than pita bread, but higher than multi-grain, at 26g per 2 slices. As a fibre to starch balance, there is only 1.2g of fibre, meaning this bread is higher in calories than other breads, and this bread has 2g of added sugar to sweeten the deal. This type of bread does have good levels of thiamine and folic acid, which is good for pregnant and lactating women, but also has higher salt levels than other breads. Due to its high level of refinement, white bread has a higher level of glycemic index, meaning it increases blood sugar very quickly, so not great for diabetics if blood sugar control is difficult.

Does pita make you fitter?

Pita Bread

Pita bread usually comes in an oval shape, with an air pocket inside that allows you to add your contents to them easily. Pita are mostly carbohydrates at 33g, with 1.3g being fibre. As a white style of bread, they have limited fibre, but also low levels of salt. They have good levels of calcium and iron, both being 5% of your RDA in a good sized pita. They have a small amount of protein, and virtually no fat. A good choice as a burger holder, if lacking a little in real substance.

Multi – Grain

Multi-grain bread has added seeds to improve the quality of the nutrition in the bread. It contains 22g of carbohydrates in your average bun, with 4g coming from fibre. This means it offers good roughage for your digestive transit. It is low in sugar, as with many breads, and contains very low levels of salt compared with your other options. It addition, multi-grain bread also contains a large amount of your RDA manganese, which is great for enzyme creation, and good digestion. This is common with whole grain foods. Multi-grain therefore gives you great extra benefits and added taste.

Ingredient 3 – The condiment

After you choose your meat and bread, you will need your sauce. The flavour that makes the burger work for you! But which one will suit your healthy burger?

Tomato Ketchup

Is ketchup good for you?

Ketchup is full of flavour, but not a lot else. It is low in fat and cholesterol, so from that perspective you cannot go wrong, but is high in sugar, with 3g per 15g serving, you are adding extra calories to a potentially good meal. It is a good source of vitamin A, vital for eyesight, and vitamin C which is good for the immune system. Ketchup does have quite a large amount of salt, which isn't great to add on top of the bread, but low sodium versions are available. Just be careful not to smother your food in ketchup as the flavour can be overpowering, and the extra sugar and salt are unwanted extras.

Mayonnaise

Mayonnaise is made using egg whites, mustard and vinegar. Those ingredients don't sound particularly nutritious, and that is the true story here. Even low calorie mayonnaise can have extraordinary levels of fat. A 15g serving contains 5g of mayonnaise, of which 1g is saturated. That's not doing you any favours, and the vitamin and mineral statistics don't give you much to cheer about either. Only excellent levels of vitamin K exist here, with most others being negligible. The egg whites do add some HDL cholesterol, which can help to reduce levels of blood cholesterol, but the general fat levels leaves you on negative gains.

Mustard

Is mustard the best for healthy burgers?

Mustard is made from the mustard seed, and as such, has its benefits in plant nutrition. First of all, with mild mustard, you are looking at virtually no calories, so its great for weight loss. It does contain relatively high levels of sodium, but no more than ketchup or mayonnaise. It is lacking in any positive vitamin or mineral content, with negligible amounts across the board, but seeing as your condiment is for flavour, not nutrition, mustard is a good choice.

Putting it Together

So, if you're looking for a healthy burger, you want either chicken, or extra lean beef. Either of those has a number of benefits without too many drawbacks. Beef packs more protein, getting you fuller, faster, but chicken has unbeatable fat content and excellent versatility. Use multi-grain or organic bread to wrap your burger, and add mustard for flavour. Always remember to add extra vegetables, like lettuce, tomato or onion for good vitamins and minerals, and if you're tempted by cheese, try a fat free cream cheese for good nutrition and flavour. If you're looking for extra flavour, try adding spices, they can be good for you add make things taste great! Find out which ones are best for you here.

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Happy eating!

3 Berries that are Good For You

Super-Berries?

Superfoods

If you have recently flicked through the pages of a healthy eating magazine, read a food blog or follow a foodie on Twitter you’ve almost certainly heard that berries of all varieties are one of the newest superfoods. Superfoods are, according to The Independent (http://www.independent.co.uk) are “foods packed with nutrients that supposedly have health-giving properties”. Now the obvious falsity with that as a statement is that ALL nutrients have health-giving properties, is we get the correct amount of each for a balanced diet. So what makes a superfood different from any other food?

It would appear that the big difference is similar to the difference between the average man on the street, and a super hero. Inside, there is more good stuff. Something generally classed as a superfood has little ‘wrong’ with it from a nutritional viewpoint. Check out our superfood blogs, part 1, part 2 and part 3.That said, all heroes have their dark side, and so do superfoods.

This article will be addressing one of the types of superfood, and trying to find the kryptonite, if any exists, that can take the superfood down. That superfood is berries.

When we say berries, we are talking about a group of small fruits, blackberries, blueberries and raspberries. Each of them is a sweet tasting fruit with seeds that can be bought whole and eaten raw after washing.

1. Blackberries

Are these berries the best?

Blackberries appear to have an excellent balance of nutrients. They are low in fat, with only 4 calories coming from 100g of them, and no cholesterol whatsoever. So if you’re on a low fat diet, they are great. As for carbohydrates, these berries are great. They contain 5g of sugar, and 5g of fibre per 100g. That’s only 1.5% of your daily recommended amount of carbohydrates. The fibre is 21% of your RDA, which can be problematic if you’re heavily invested in wholemeal products, and push the limits of your fibre intake, as this can result in cramping and intestinal issues, but as long as you’re careful you should be fine. There is little protein in them, but you don’t eat fruit for protein purposes. They are also full of vitamins and minerals. With 32% of your daily manganese, you are getting plenty of that, which is essential for bone growth, healing and it works as an antioxidant. They also have 35% of your daily vitamin C, which is great for your immune system and you can’t get too much of it. But the blackberry does have a weakness. Vitamin K is essential for healthy bones, and is made naturally in the body. Your body can store it in fat, and excrete is as urine if we have too much. But for the extra health conscious who eat a lot of fruits and vegetables, while taking multi vitamins can overdose, causing bleeding from the nose, skin and organs. With 25% of your RDA vitamin K coming from just 100g of blackberries, you have to watch how many berries you have.

Could a raspberry be the perfect snack?

2. Raspberries

Raspberries are another excellent source of quality carbohydrates. In fact, they outdo the blackberry in this department. With 12g of carbohydrates in 100g of raspberries, but 6.5g of those as fibre, there is actually less sugar in raspberries, so it’s excellent for your low sugar diet. They contain slightly higher amounts of fat, but only by a single calorie per 100g, as well as low levels of protein. If you’re ill and you want extra vitamin C, these are great, as they contain 44% of your RDA, and the vitamin K level is only 10% of your RDA, so the weakness of the blackberry is removed. The lack of cholesterol and sodium, and they have a really low glycaemic load, so the sugar doesn’t immediately affect your blood sugar. The raspberry has very little wrong with it really, though they are quite tasty, so you might be tempted to keep eating them!

Blueberries - Really a superfood?

3. Blueberries

The blueberry is the final ‘superfood’ for this blog. But this berry is not so super, and is to be approached with care. Firstly, although its packet might show it has similar levels of fat and cholesterol as the other berries, it does contain more carbohydrate, and more importantly, it contains 10g of sugar per 100g. This means a significant amount more calories in 100g of berries, and those are not calories you need for the taste! In addition, the blueberry have less vitamin C and manganese than there superfood friends. They are also fairly low in all other vitamins and minerals.  The blueberry is the least nutritious of all the berries seen here, but you could be fooled in the shop by the lack of information on the label.

Conclusions

So, it appears superfoods might exist. Certainly the blackberry and the raspberry are main characters in the nutrition universe. Low salt, fat and protein, limited sugar, and good vitamin and mineral content mean that you get good quality nutrition from them. If you take into account some recent research from the Society for the Study of Study of Ingestive Behaviour sound that food in small parts makes us feel more full, so you’re going to feel fuller, faster, and eat less berries. Combine the psychological fullness with the high fibre creating physiological fullness and you are onto a healthy snack that satisfies your hunger. But be careful, because some innocent looking berries can be worse for you, with higher sugar levels and lower antioxidant properties. Always think about how snacking on these fruits might impact on your overall diet, and ensure that you have a varied nutritious balance.

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Red Lentils

A whole range of lentils are available,
but the orange ones are the red lentils

Ingredient

Red Lentils

Information

Lentils are a member of the legume family of foods. Uncooked they are a small hard circular legume the size of a small pea. They are orange when uncooked, and turn yellow after boiling. They need to be properly cooked before eating, and boiling or stewing is a commonly used method. After cooking they turn yellow in colour

Nutritional Information

Per 100g of cooked lentils

Nutrient	Value per 100g
Energy	116 kcal
Proteins	9
Carbohydrates	20
Sugar	2
Fats	Trace
Fibre	8
Folate	181 micrograms
Potassium	369 micrograms

Where it is usually eaten?

Lentils are great in stews and soups. They are regularly used in indian dishes, as they grow well in the subcontinent, but are also commonly added to vegetable dishes. Lentils have a fairly neutral taste, and so it is not uncommon to add soaked lentils to any other dishes, including pasta and rice, to add good quality protein and roughage.

What are it’s uses?

Lentils have excellent levels of protein, so vegetarians find them very useful as part of a varied diet. They contain all the essential amino acids, though you still need additional protein sources for a balanced diet. The carbohydrate level in good, and heavily strachy, meaning a low level of glycemic index and slow release energy.

Hidden Benefits

Lentils have many benefits, but its trump cards are its levels of fibre and folic acid. Fibre is essential for digestive transit, and at 8g per 100g of lentil, with the RDA between 18g and 30g, this is a significant contribution to your fibre intake.

Folic acid is essential for good health, with about 300 micrograms needed for the average adult daily diet. But the hidden benefit is for pregnant and breastfeeding women. The need for folilc acid in these groups is double the average, and regularly supplements are taken. Lentils are a natural source, with 181 micrograms per 100g of lentils when cooked, they are a great source of this essential vitamin.

Pros

·         Good carbohydrate levels

·         Low in sugar

·         High in protein

·         High in fibre

·         Excellent folic acid levels and low levels of vitamin D.

Cons

·         Low levels of methionine, an essential amino acid needed to use other amino acids

·         Low fat levels for those looking for a rounded diet

·         Shorter cooking times than other lentils, but less nutritional content.

Summary

Red lentils are an excellent source of carbohydrates, protein and fibre. They are great with many types of food, particularly soups and stews. They are great for pregnant women as they have no vitamin D, and lots of folic acid. An all round great source of nutrients, but make sure your protein intake is vaired beyond legumes.

Scoring

Carbs 4/5 – high starches, low sugars

Fats 4/5 – no fats here, so great, unless your looking for them

Proteins 3.5/5 – high levels of protein but be careful about the methionine

Vitamins 4.5/5 – great levels of folic acid and other B vitamins

Minerals – 4/5 – zero sodium and high amounts of potassium

Fibre – 5/5 – great levels of fibre for a healthy diet

Water 5/5 – as a cooked ingredient they are saturated with water, so a great way to take in extra fluid

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