What ingredients are lurking in your burger that you didn’t know about. How does consuming burgers impact your health. Why are homemade burgers a healthier alternative to fast food options. What are the recommended portion sizes for burgers. How can you build a healthier burger at home.

The Hidden Ingredients in Your Fast Food Burger

Burgers are an American classic, beloved by many. However, the convenience and taste of fast food burgers often come with hidden health risks. Let’s explore some of the surprising ingredients that may be lurking in your favorite fast food burger.

Ammonia-Treated Meat Fillers

One of the most controversial ingredients found in some fast food burgers is “pink slime,” a mechanically separated meat product treated with ammonia to kill bacteria. While some establishments have removed this filler from their products, it’s still present in many ground meat products used by restaurants.

The Multi-Cow Patty

Did you know that a single fast food hamburger patty can contain meat from hundreds of different cattle? This practice of combining meat from multiple sources increases the risk of contamination, as infected meat from just one cow can potentially affect numerous batches.

Beyond Just Beef

Many consumers assume their burger patty is pure beef, but the reality can be quite different. Studies have shown that fast food burgers can contain a significant amount of water and various animal by-products, including bone, cartilage, connective tissue, and nerve tissue.

The Nutritional Pitfalls of Restaurant Burgers

While the hidden ingredients in fast food burgers are concerning, the nutritional content of restaurant burgers also poses significant health risks. Let’s break down some of the key nutritional issues associated with these popular menu items.

Calorie Overload

How many calories are in a typical restaurant burger? Some popular chain restaurants serve burgers containing upwards of 1,000 calories – more than half of the recommended daily calorie intake for many people. And that’s often without sides like fries or a drink.

Fat Content Concerns

Burgers are often high in fat, particularly trans fat, which is naturally found in meat. Trans fat is known to raise cholesterol levels and has been linked to heart disease. While many fast food chains keep their trans fat content under 0.5 grams (allowing them to label it as “trans fat-free”), some restaurant burgers can contain up to 2.5 grams.

Moreover, some food chains pack almost 50 grams of total fat into each burger. This far exceeds the healthy range of 18 to 31 grams per day, depending on your calorie intake.

Sodium Overload

Excessive sodium intake is another concern with restaurant burgers. A typical fast food burger contains almost 500 milligrams of sodium, while burgers at dine-in food chains can pack a whopping 3,000 to 4,000 milligrams. This far surpasses the FDA’s daily recommendation of 1,500 milligrams and even exceeds the upper limit of 2,300 milligrams.

The Bun: More Than Just Bread

The burger bun itself can be a source of unhealthy ingredients. Many commercial burger buns contain over 20 ingredients, some of which might surprise you.

Unexpected Bun Ingredients

• Ammonium sulfate (also used in fertilizers)
• Ammonium chloride (found in explosives)
• High fructose corn syrup
• Azodicarbonamide (an ingredient also used to make yoga mats)

These additives serve various purposes, from preserving the bread to improving texture, but they’re far from natural ingredients you’d use in homemade bread.

Toppings: The Hidden Calorie Trap

For many burger enthusiasts, the toppings make the burger. However, common restaurant toppings can significantly increase the calorie, fat, and sugar content of your meal.

Condiment Concerns

Ketchup, the most popular burger condiment, often contains high fructose corn syrup. Other toppings can be equally problematic. For instance, a single slice of cheese can add up to 200 calories and 500 milligrams of sodium to your burger. Additionally, processed cheese often contains preservatives and artificial colors and flavors.

Portion Distortion: When Size Matters

Portion size is a significant factor contributing to the unhealthy nature of restaurant burgers. The recommended serving size for meat is 4 ounces, roughly the size of a deck of cards. However, typical restaurant burgers often weigh between 8 and 12 ounces – more than double the recommended portion.

This “portion distortion” not only increases calorie intake but also leads to overconsumption of fat, sodium, and other potentially harmful ingredients.

Building a Better Burger: Healthier Alternatives

Despite the potential health risks associated with restaurant and fast food burgers, you don’t have to give up burgers entirely. Making burgers at home allows you to control the ingredients and portion sizes, resulting in a healthier meal.

Tips for Healthier Homemade Burgers

1. Choose organic, locally-sourced meat to avoid additives and hormones.
2. Opt for lean turkey meat instead of beef. Turkey has about half the saturated fat of beef.
3. Use herbs and spices to add flavor without extra calories or sodium.
4. Experiment with whole grain buns or lettuce wraps as healthier alternatives to white buns.
5. Load up on vegetable toppings for added nutrients and fiber.
6. Control portion sizes by making smaller patties.

Increasing Moisture in Lean Burgers

When using lean meat for burgers, moisture can be a concern. How can you keep your lean burgers juicy? Try adding finely chopped vegetables like onions or mushrooms to the meat mixture. These not only add moisture but also boost the nutritional value of your burger.

The Impact of Regular Burger Consumption on Health

While an occasional burger is unlikely to cause significant health issues, regular consumption of high-fat, high-sodium burgers can have long-term health consequences.

Cardiovascular Health Risks

The high saturated fat content in many burgers can contribute to increased cholesterol levels, potentially leading to an increased risk of heart disease. Additionally, the high sodium content can contribute to high blood pressure, another risk factor for heart disease and stroke.

Weight Management Challenges

The high calorie content of many restaurant burgers can make weight management difficult. Consuming a 1,000-calorie burger regularly, especially when combined with sides and drinks, can lead to weight gain over time.

Digestive System Impact

The combination of high fat content and processed ingredients in many burgers can be challenging for the digestive system. This can lead to issues like indigestion, bloating, and discomfort, particularly when consumed frequently.

Navigating Restaurant Menus: Making Smarter Burger Choices

While homemade burgers are generally the healthiest option, there are ways to make smarter choices when dining out.

Tips for Healthier Restaurant Burger Orders

• Choose grilled options over fried burgers
• Ask for whole grain buns when available
• Request extra vegetable toppings
• Ask for condiments on the side to control portions
• Consider sharing a burger or saving half for later to control portion size
• Look for lean meat options like turkey or veggie burgers on the menu

By being mindful of these factors, you can still enjoy the occasional restaurant burger while minimizing potential health risks.

The Future of Burgers: Healthier Innovations

As consumers become more health-conscious, the food industry is responding with healthier burger options. Many restaurants now offer plant-based burgers, which can be lower in saturated fat and calories than traditional beef burgers.

Emerging Burger Trends

• Plant-based meat alternatives
• Grass-fed and organic beef options
• Burgers made with alternative proteins like quinoa or beans
• Low-carb options using lettuce wraps or portobello mushroom caps as buns

These innovations provide more options for health-conscious burger lovers, allowing them to enjoy the flavors they love with potentially fewer health risks.

In conclusion, while burgers can be a delicious treat, it’s important to be aware of their potential health impacts. By understanding what goes into restaurant and fast food burgers, making informed choices when dining out, and preparing healthier versions at home, you can continue to enjoy burgers as part of a balanced diet. Remember, moderation is key, and being mindful of ingredients and portion sizes can go a long way in maintaining your health while still savoring this American classic.

10 Unhealthy Things Lurking in Your Burger

Who doesn’t love biting into a thick, juicy burger? This American classic can be found at most restaurants and drive-thrus — but what you may not realize is that when chowing down on that beef patty, you could be ingesting much more than what’s listed on the menu. Here are 10 things to be aware of when ordering a burger — and the reasons you’re better off making your burger at home.

1. Ammonia: Pink slime — a mechanically separated meat product that is treated with ammonia to kill bacteria — is used as a low-cost ground beef filler. Though a handful of fast-food establishments ditched the ingredient after recent controversy, it’s still lurking in many ground meat products, including those used by restaurants.

2. Fat: Trans fat, which is naturally found in meat, is known to raise cholesterol levels and has been linked to heart disease; however, the FDA currently allows a food to be labeled trans fat-free if it has less than half a gram. While most fast-food chains get under this .5 limit, their burgers still contain the unhealthy fat — and restaurant varieties can have up to 2.5 grams. Plus, some food chains pack almost 50 grams of fat into each burger. That’s well over the healthy range, which is between 18 to 31 grams per day, depending on your calorie intake.

3. Calories: Burgers from popular food chains like TGI Fridays and Applebee’s have upwards of 1,000 calories — more than half a days’ worth for many people, in just one meal. (And that’s without the side of fries!)

4. Additives: Food establishments and manufacturers use a variety of additives (like sodium phosphate and nitrates) to serve various purposes like preserving and texturizing the meat. While most are deemed safe for consumption by the FDA, they’re still highly processed — and have even been linked to side effects in some people.

5. Hundreds of cows: A single fast-food hamburger can contain beef from hundreds of different cattle — as ground meat from all of a chains’ suppliers are often combined into a single batch of minced meat. This increases the risk of contamination, since infected meat from just one cow can show up in tons of batches.

6. More than just meat: Many consumers assume that their patty came straight from the muscle of a cow, but in actuality, the ground beef used to make many fast-food burgers contains other waste and by-products. One study went as far as to say that fast-food burgers aren’t made up of much “meat” at all and instead consist of almost 50 percent water in addition to by-products like bone, cartilage, connective tissue, and nerve tissue.

7. Sodium: A burger at your local fast-food joint contains almost 500 milligrams of sodium, while the patty at dine-in food chains could pack in between 3000 and 4000 milligrams — well over the FDA’s recommendation of 1,500 milligrams per day, and even surpassing the upper limit recommendation of no more than 2,300 milligrams daily.

8. The bun: When it comes to the bread sandwiching your burger, enriched flour (which is devoid of nutrients) is the least of your problems. Many breads contain over 20 ingredients, and included in the list is ammonium sulfate (also used in fertilizers), ammonium chloride (found in explosives), high fructose corn syrup, and azodicarbonamide (an ingredient also used to make yoga mats).

9. Toppings: For many, a burger isn’t complete without loading on the toppings. But the ones commonly ordered at restaurants are high in sugar, fat, and calories. The most popular condiment, ketchup, is filled with high fructose corn syrup, while a single slice of cheese can add up to 200 calories and 500 milligrams of sodium (not to mention, it’s highly processed with preservatives and artificial colors and flavors).

10. Portion size: The recommended serving size for meat is 4 ounces, or the size of a deck of cards. However, the typical serving size at restaurants is more than double that, weighing in between 8 and 12 ounces.

Build a Better Burger

So, the stats are pretty unappetizing, but that doesn’t mean you have to swear off burgers for good. When it comes to chowing down on this barbecue favorite, it’s always better to go homemade, where you have complete control over the ingredients going into your meal.

Follow these tips for a better-for-you burger:

•Go organic. To avoid additives and hormones, shop your local farmer’s market for locally-sourced, organic meat products.

• Opt for lean turkey meat over beef. “Beef burgers add up fast in the fat department — especially saturated fat, which is important to keep track of for cardiovascular health and your waistline,” says Keren Gilbert, MS, RD, founder and president of Decision Nutrition. “Lean turkey meat has half the saturated fat of beef; make sure the label says at least 93 percent lean.”

• Increase moisture. “Lean turkey burgers tend to be dry since the fat content is low,” says Gilbert. “To up the moisture of your burger, I suggest adding onions, shredded zucchini, shredded carrots, or spinach.” These veggies also up the fiber content, helping you to feel more satiated, Gilbert adds.

• Add a healthy binding agent. Breadcrumbs are the most popular ingredient for binding ground meat, but Gilbert suggests swapping them for fiber-rich oats. Another option: Chia seeds, which are a great binder that also ups the nutritional profile of your burger. She recommends using 1/2 cup of either ingredient to 1 pound of turkey.

• Season smart. Up the flavor of your patty with calorie-free flavorings. Gilbert suggests hot sauce, chili powder, garlic powder, cumin, or paprika.

• Condiment swap. “Even a lean, healthy burger can take a turn for the worse when topped with bacon, cheese, or creamy sauces,” says Gilbert. She suggests passing on the caloric add-ons in favor of salsa, mustard, or veggie toppings like peppers and onions.

The Bad Effects of Burgers | Healthy Eating

By Natalie Stein Updated December 12, 2018

A juicy burger can be an enticing treat for a quick lunch or casual dinner, and you can find a fast-food burger on what seems like every street corner. Despite their deliciousness, however, burgers can contribute to weight gain and have other harmful effects on your health. The healthiest approach is to save burgers for occasional treats and instead select more nutritious alternatives.

Watch for Weight Gain

You will gain weight if you consume more calories than you expend, and burgers can be high-calorie foods. A double hamburger with mayonnaise contains 942 calories, and your meal can be even higher in calories if you order onion rings or french fries, with 480 calories per large order, and a regular soft drink. A single-patty hamburger without mayo fits better into a diet for weight control, since it has only 232 calories. Another way to limit the calories in your burger is to skip the bun.

Guard Your Heart Health

Burgers can be high in dietary cholesterol and saturated fat. Dietary cholesterol and saturated fat can raise levels of cholesterol in your blood and increase your risk for heart disease. A double hamburger with mayo contains 22 grams of saturated fat, or 108 percent of the daily value, and 172 milligrams of cholesterol, or 57 percent of the daily value based on a 2,000-calorie diet. Reduce your consumption by choosing a single-patty burger without mayo, which has 4 grams of saturated fat and 26 milligrams of cholesterol. Cholesterol is only in animal-based foods, and a vegetarian burger is cholesterol-free.

Burgers and Blood Pressure

Burgers can be high in sodium, with a double hamburger with mayo containing 1,081 milligrams. A small one-patty burger without mayo has only 258 milligrams of sodium. A high-sodium diet can lead to high blood pressure and an increased risk for heart disease, stroke and kidney disease. Healthy adults should consume no more than 2,300 milligrams of sodium per day. Limit your sodium consumption by avoiding salty condiments, such as pickle relish, which has 164 milligrams of sodium per tablespoon.

Other Considerations

Burgers can displace healthier foods in your diet, and selecting burgers instead of more nutritious options can lead to poorer overall diet quality. A common healthier lunch option at fast-food restaurants is a green salad with skinless grilled chicken and pecans, almonds or walnuts. If you do order a burger, choose the smallest option and order a side salad or fresh fruit cup on the side instead of french fries or another fried item.

Impossible and Beyond: How healthy are these meatless burgers? – Harvard Health Blog

Plant-based burgers are not a novel concept. But new products designed to taste like meat are now being marketed to vegetarians and meat-eaters alike. Impossible Burger and Beyond Meat’s Beyond Burger are two such options. Eating these burgers is touted as a strategy to save the earth, casting meat as a prehistoric concept. Both brands also offer up their products as nutritious alternatives to animal protein.

But how do they stack up? It turns out the answer may depend on whether your priorities lie with your personal health or the health of the planet.

The good news: Meatless burgers are a good source of protein, vitamins, and minerals

The protein content of these newer plant-based burgers has been created to compete with beef and poultry gram for gram. Both the Impossible Burger and Beyond Burger have comparable amounts, the former deriving protein mainly from soy and the later from peas and mung beans.

Impossible Burger also adds vitamins and minerals found in animal proteins — like vitamin B₁₂ and zinc — in amounts equal to (and in some cases, greater than) both red meat and poultry. This is a plus for vegetarians, because these nutrients are typically harder to come by when relying solely on foods from the plant kingdom. Vitamin B₁₂, for instance, is found primarily in animal sources, and strict vegetarians and vegans must get their intake from fortified sources. What’s more, plant compounds such as phytic acid bind to minerals, which can increase requirements of zinc by 50% and may necessitate consuming about two times as much iron. For those who eat at least some animal protein, the vitamin and mineral fortification is less of a selling point.

This doesn’t mean a plant-focused diet is lacking in nutrients. Beans, for instance, are a good source of both zinc and iron. They are also an important protein resource. Black bean burgers are never going to be mistaken for hamburgers, but they are typically a solid choice when it comes to health.

The bad news: Meatless burgers are heavily processed and high in saturated fat

The same can’t necessarily be said of the aforementioned beef substitutes, which have been created to mimic what many people love about a burger — the red juicy center and meaty taste. Along with the ambition to replicate hamburgers comes a comparable amount of saturated fat. Since diets higher in saturated fat are associated with increased rates of both heart disease and premature death, they may not be the type to opt for if your ambitions are purely health-related. They are also a significant source of sodium, particularly for those on salt-restricted diets.

The following chart shows how the newer, meatless burgers stack up nutritionally against beef burgers, turkey burgers, and black bean burgers.

	Calories	Fat (g)	Sat fat (g)	Chol (mg)	Sodium (mg)	Carb (g)	Fiber (g)	Protein (g)
Impossible Burger (4 oz)	240	14	8	0	370	9	3	19
Beyond Burger (4 oz)	250	18	6	0	390	3	2	20
85% lean ground beef (4 oz)	240	17	6	80	80	0	0	21
Ground turkey (4 oz)	170	9	2	80	70	0	0	22
Black bean burger (Sunshine brand) (2. 7 oz)	260	16	1.5	0	190	19	8	10

Even though legumes are sourced for protein in the branded meatless options, their health benefits are somewhat blunted by the high degree of processing involved. For instance, moderate amounts of whole soy foods, like edamame (soybeans), have been linked to reduced rates of cancer. This protection is often attributed to isoflavones, a subgroup of plant compounds called flavonoids thought to provide health benefits. Unfortunately, in the case of the Impossible Burger, one serving contains less than 8% of the isoflavones found in one serving of whole soy foods (one serving is roughly a quarter of a block of tofu or 1 cup of soymilk).

Poultry-based burger alternatives, such as turkey burgers, also do not contain significant amounts of protective plant compounds. On the other hand, they offer less saturated fat.

If a lower risk of diseases like cancer and heart disease is your ultimate goal, aim for the kind of veggie burgers that showcase their beans, grains, and seeds front and center. Choose legume-based varieties studded with seeds and whole grains, like brown rice and quinoa.

The bottom line: Meatless burgers are good for the planet, but not always good for our health

If you love the taste of a burger, but find the sustainability of raising cattle hard to stomach, beefless alternatives that mimic the real thing are worth a try. Producing the newer, plant-based burgers requires considerably less water and generates substantially less greenhouse gas emissions compared with traditional beef burgers. This is certainly an important consideration for the well-being of our planet, but they may not be the best option for the health of our bodies.

Can Burgers Be Healthy? | Nutrition

Burgers are a classic summer cookout food, although their high-calorie, fast-food reputation causes many people to avoid them. The good news is burgers can be part of a healthy, well-balanced diet, especially when you try a variety of lean protein sources and nutritious add-ons.

One reason burgers get labeled “unhealthy” is because we often think of them as a fast-food option where they’re typically served with french fries and soda. These are notably lacking in nutrients, and while it might be slightly different today, it’s still not as common for burgers to be served with vegetables, water or other more health-promoting foods. What’s more, the introduction of double and even triple cheeseburgers goes beyond healthy portion sizes. Some research has also linked red meat and saturated fat to certain cancers and chronic diseases like heart disease and high cholesterol.

Hamburger nutrition varies based on size and how it’s eaten (think bun, condiments, cheese, etc.) Burgers can be a great source of protein and vitamins and minerals such as iron, B12 and zinc, which aids DNA synthesis and supports the immune system.

Depending on the leanness of the burger, some hamburgers may be higher in saturated fat than others, and if cholesterol is a concern, opting for leaner options (e.g., >90%) is a good idea. Adding a bun to a burger can add carbohydrates and fiber, as well as around 150 calories, and cheese and condiments may vary a bit depending on preference.

Nutrition-wise, protein content is similar in turkey, chicken or salmon burgers when compared to a beef burger of similar size. Turkey and chicken burgers may be slightly leaner depending on what type is used (e.g., 85% or 90%), and salmon burgers are higher in heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids. Veggie burgers made with grains, beans and various vegetables may be slightly lower in protein compared with their animal counterparts, but higher in fiber and carbohydrates.

Other alternative-meat burgers, like the Impossible Burger, consist of various plant proteins like pea, rice and bean, and though slightly more processed, they add another option for those trying to add more plant-based meals to their diet.

It’s helpful to deconstruct your burger to build a healthy and satisfying meal. Think about your protein source, where and how you’re going to get vegetables into the meal, and how you can add an additional fiber or complex carbohydrate source. A little fat, from a thin slice of cheese or avocado, can also enhance flavor and give your burger more satiating staying power. For example, if you’re cooking at home, try choosing a quality protein, like grass-fed beef or bison, and a whole-grain or sprouted-grain bun for a fiber and complex carb boost. Veggies can still be a mainstay in a burger meal, like fresh tomato, greens and cucumber on top, along with sides like grilled asparagus, squash and peppers or even baked sweet potato fries.

Depending on your hunger level, you may want to make your burger meal a bit less filling by using only half the bun (“open-faced”) or placing it over a bed of greens, or more filling by adding some cheese or avocado. Similar hacks can be made at restaurants if a burger is what sounds good to you.

Since condiments like ketchup and barbecue sauce can be high in added sugar, be mindful when adding them to your burger. You can also try other flavorful condiments like pickles or gut-friendly pickled onions.

Burgers in general can be a part of a healthy, plant-forward diet, even from fast-food restaurants once in a while. Similar to other foods such as pasta, bagels and ice cream, burgers do not have to be completely off-limits. As always, it’s important to look at the big picture of your diet as a whole, rather than putting any single food in a vacuum. Variety is key when it comes to eating a healthy diet.

Discover hundreds of healthy recipes — from high protein to low carb — via “Recipe Discovery” in the MyFitnessPal app. Save your favorites and log directly to your diary.

Can I Still Eat Burgers and Fries on a Diet – HealthyDiningFinder

These dietitian tips can help you order the best burger to accommodate your craving.

Q: I don’t want to give up my favorite burgers and fries.  What’s the best burger to order?

A: We hear lots of questions about burgers and fries, popular foods that many people enjoy. Traditional burgers and fries can be notoriously high in calories, fat and even sodium.  If you’re watching your weight or making healthier choices in your diet, you’ll want to be smart about how and how often you order burgers and fries. 

These dietitian tips can help you order the best burger to accommodate your craving:

1. Go with leaner burger choices – Leaner cuts of beef (such as sirloin), chicken/turkey and especially veggie burgers can be good choices. Get the inside scoop on veggie burgers here.
2. Rethink your burger bun – Opt for a whole grain bun or skip it altogether to cut calories.  Many restaurants now offer “low-carb” or “protein-style” lettuce wraps in place of traditional burger buns.
3. Choose extras wisely – Load up on the veggies like lettuce, tomatoes and onions to add nutrition and fiber, and go easy on the cheese and sauces to control calories and fat.
4. Skip or share the fries – Order a green or fruit salad with your burger whenever possible in place of fries.  These lower-fat and calorie choices make for a balanced meal without the guilt.  If you can’t resist the flavor of fries with your burger, share a small order with a friend.  Even sweet potato fries should be enjoyed in moderation.
5. Check the nutrition information – Having the facts in black and white can be a great motivator to help you make the best choices at restaurants.  Whatever your health goals, nutrition information can help you stay on track.  It’s now easier than ever to find detailed nutrition information at restaurants.  Many restaurants have already started posting this information and many more will start in the coming months as a result of menu labeling legislation.

Are you a fan of burgers and fries?  If so, what are your tips for ordering the best burger?

The backlash against Impossible and Beyond Meat burgers going mainstream

When the Impossible Burger launched quietly in upscale restaurants a few years ago, the coverage was mostly positive, with some reviewers even calling it the future of meat.

Now, Impossible products have hit Qdoba, Burger King, and supermarkets. Another plant-based meat company, Beyond Meat, is featured in Carl’s Jr, Subway, and now McDonald’s. It’s a sign that the new wave of meatless meat is approaching mainstream status — an encouraging development if you care about changing our meat-centric food system.

But if the emergence of meatless meat a few years ago was hailed unanimously as a good thing, the response to its mainstreaming has been tinged with skepticism. The adoption of Impossible Foods and Beyond Meat products by fast-food chains hasn’t exactly been welcomed in some quarters, even among those you would think would be more supportive of this development.

Call it the backlash against the fast rise of meatless meat.

For instance, the CEO of Whole Foods and the CEO of Chipotle both criticized Beyond and Impossible products, calling them too highly processed. Food writer and former New York Times columnist Mark Bittman, who has long called on Americans to eat less meat, criticized “the new higher-tech vegan meats” for not addressing “resource use and hyperprocessing” (though he has hailed them in the past). His website, Heated, has also given plant-based meats some favorable coverage, but recently wrote nostalgically that “not so long ago … Veggie burgers didn’t masquerade as something they weren’t.” Meanwhile, numerous articles have questioned the health impacts of the products.

To be sure, the new plant-based burgers have gotten a lot of positive coverage, too — and some pragmatic reviews more focused on describing their taste (pretty meaty, though some reviewers insist they can still tell the difference). But this is a nascent industry, and any pushback can have an impact.

There’s certainly some truth to the critiques. The Beyond and Impossible burgers aren’t exactly health food (something I’ve written about previously), though they’re not more unhealthy than the meat products they’re displacing. The Impossible Whopper might help save the planet, but it’s still high calorie, greasy, and probably not a good idea to eat everyday.

But the critiques go further than just observing that fast food isn’t health food. Often, critics end up voicing disdain for the whole process of producing food at scale in the way it has to be produced to feed hundreds of millions of people. In that way, as the Breakthrough Institute’s Alex Trembath has argued, the plant-based meat backlash reflects how much classism and elitism creep into our national conversations about our food system — and how they might stand in the way of fixing it.

Plant-based meat has the potential to be great for the world. It can end factory farming, be more sustainable, address global warming, and offer a way to feed a growing middle class its favorite foods without destroying the planet along the way. As it matures as an industry, its offerings can get cheaper, healthier, and more varied, too.

But for plant-based food to change the world requires producing huge quantities of it and selling it where consumers will want to buy it. And that, in turn, requires confronting the reality that consumers like fast food and that there’s real value in providing them with fast food that’s better for the world. The backlash to plant-based meat, when you look at it closely, is a backlash against our food system in general — mistakenly directed at one of the more promising efforts to make it a little bit better.

Plant-based meat myths, debunked

There have been many critiques leveled at plant-based foods. They all boil down to four broad criticisms: 1) they are highly processed; 2) they contain GMOs; 3) they’re not that healthy — or even hazardous to your health; and 4) they’re aesthetically objectionable as “fake” food.

Plant-based burgers, many critics argue, are “ultra-processed junk foods.” Whole Foods CEO John Mackey warned customers “they are super, highly processed foods.” Chipotle CEO Brian Niccol said, “We have spoken to those folks and unfortunately it wouldn’t fit in our ‘food with integrity’ principles because of the processing.”

What does “processed” even mean? There’s no perfectly agreed-upon meaning of processed foods, but the term can refer to any food that’s been modified — to preserve it, to enhance its flavor, to add nutrients, or to make plant proteins taste like a hamburger.

Both the Beyond Burger and the Impossible Burger are, to be sure, produced in a factory with lots of different plant ingredients. But that word — “processed” — can obscure more than it clarifies.

“There’s this really confusing nomenclature going around right now, with this idea that we can classify food as being good or bad based on its degree of processing,” Ruth MacDonald, a nutrition scientist at Iowa State University told Wired. “And it makes no sense from a nutritional perspective, and it really makes no sense from a food science perspective either.”

Pasteurization is a form of processing. Adding supplemental vitamins, which has been lifesaving, is a form of processing. Yogurt is a highly processed food. While processing can make food unhealthy, not all processed foods are unhealthy. You have to look at the ingredients and at which processes in particular the food went through.

When it comes to the ingredients, the dozens listed in the Beyond and Impossible burgers are frequently cited as proof the products can’t be healthy. But even a salad can have lots of ingredients, and ingredient lists on products are often more a product of labelling laws than an objective measure of how many things go into the food.

This point has been made elegantly by Impossible Foods’ Rachel Konrad:

If we had to list the ingredients of beef the way we list the ingredients of beef alternatives, it wouldn’t look so good. The takeaway isn’t that beef is bad for you (scientists are still fighting over that one) but that counting ingredients isn’t a way to find an answer.

Another commonly raised concern is the specter of GMOs. The anti-GMO Center for Food Safety has campaigned against the Impossible Burger and many figures in the anti-GMO community have joined in.

The Beyond Burger, to be clear, contains no GMOs. The Impossible Burger uses modified soy and a special ingredient that is derived from a genetically modified plant: the “heme” that makes the burgers “bleed” comes from soybean roots, but Impossible Foods manufactures it from yeast in order to produce the quantities they need. This has been cleared by the FDA.

The team at Impossible Foods explained their decision to use modified soy rather than importing GMO-free soy by pointing at the environmental impact: genetically modified soy is grown in the US while GMO-free soy would have needed carbon-intensive importation from Brazil.

Moreover, there’s no good evidence that GMOs pose any health hazards. Billions of people around the world have been eating genetically modified crops for decades, with no harmful effects yet detected. For thousands of years before that, humans were genetically modifying crops through the slower process of selection for their favorites. Some naturally occurring plants are unhealthy for humans, or even deadly; some GMOs are denser with nutrients, require fewer pesticides, or are otherwise better for us. But most are just neutral. After extensive testing, the FDA has agreed Impossible Foods’ heme is fine.

That the new plant-based burgers are so processed and are suspected of containing GMOs leads right into the main criticism: that they’re not that healthy. And certainly, one shouldn’t mistake eating an Impossible Burger for munching on a salad. Plant-based meats don’t work that way.

But nutritionists who have conducted analyses have largely found that the meatless meat burgers are, well, fine — not any better for you than a beef burger but not worse, with the specific details depending on which health priorities you have. (The Impossible Burger has more sodium than a beef burger, but beef burgers are usually salted during preparation; the Impossible Burger has less fat and slightly fewer calories, but if you have it slathered with mayonnaise on a Whopper, you add that fat and those calories right back in.)

“If you’re wanting a nutritious, heart-healthy meal, you can and should eat vegetables and whole grains and fruits and all the other stuff that everyone knows they should be eating,” Ryan Mendelbaum wrote in Gizmodo on the plant-based burger health controversy.

A more serious charge is that these products are actively hazardous to your health. A May press release by the advocacy group Moms Across America, for example, got attention by claiming that Impossible Burgers tested positive for an herbicide called glyphosate. Impossible Foods pointed out immediately that the “positive test” found rates “almost 1,000 times lower than the no-significant-risk level for glyphosate ingestion (1,100 micrograms per day) set by California Prop 65.” And California sets some of the most stringent guidelines in the world; guidelines from the World Health Organization and the EPA say that even higher daily rates are safe.

Importantly, the environmental benefits of the Beyond and Impossible Burgers have held up under the flurry of new scrutiny. Plant-based meats really do emit much less CO2 and other greenhouse gases than meat does, use less water, and use less land. The fact is that lots of people want, well, a burger. So why not offer them a burger that’s good for the environment, good for animals, and positioned to address huge problems with our food system?

The fakeness of fake meat

Another component of the backlash isn’t about health at all. Instead, it’s about a vague sense that there’s something noble about eating dead animals that’s simply absent when eating plant-based, factory-assembled inventions.

In a Heated piece, Danielle LaPrise tells the story of how her community came together to slaughter a pig: “With every animal dispatched, every crop harvested,” she writes, “I realized that our time on earth is temporary, and everything on it is a gift. I could plant seeds or raise animals from birth, care for them, feed them, and then later I would depend on them to nourish and sustain me.” Of meatless meat, she writes, “these foods will never succeed in mimicking the humbling intimacy from meals where the animal’s death is deeply felt.”

But that is not how most Americans eat meat. Over 99 percent of meat produced for consumption in the United States comes from animals raised on factory farms, where they often never see daylight and don’t have enough space to turn around. Most pigs are not shot at the end of a long life by a happy collection of neighbors, but killed on an assembly line that can kill hundreds of pigs per minute. (And the situation is about to get even worse for pigs.)

Our food system isn’t natural. It hasn’t been natural for a very long time. Critiques that plant-based meat fails to promote the joy, gratitude, and connectedness of raising your own pig and then communally slaughtering it with your neighbors aren’t wrong, exactly — but they have very little to say to the typical American.

When niche goes mainstream

The Impossible Burger started out as a niche product in upscale restaurants. Coverage was almost entirely positive: commentators hailed that a Michelin-starred restaurant in Manhattan was adding it to the menu. When it came to Silicon Valley, local papers eagerly reported that it’d be served in Palo Alto “with sun-dried tomatoes, cavolo nero (or lacinato kale) and a sun-dried tomatoes mayonnaise on a poppy seed bun. ”

But the Impossible Burger is now in Burger King. And that’s a lot less appealing for its past boosters.

As the Breakthrough Institute’s Trembath argues, the mainstreaming of meatless meat coincided with when the food world turned on the burger. Food critics who’d praised it now complained about it.

“I can’t help but notice,” Trembath wrote in an analysis of the plant-based meat backlash, “that when fake meat was the purview of food utopians and visionary chefs, thought leaders were enthusiastically in favor of it. But as soon as fake meat hit the plastic trays at Burger King, they were fretting about how over-processed it was.”

Did the Impossible Burger get more processed? Hardly. If anything, it looks better now that Impossible Foods has secured the FDA’s stamp of approval on the signature ingredient, heme.

But what the burger did become was mass produced. From one restaurant in 2016, the Impossible Burger is now available in more than 10,000 locations worldwide.

Food historian Rachel Laudan argues, “It is easy for ultra-processed to mean ‘industrially processed,’ ‘low class,’ or ‘not to my taste.’ Soft drinks are ultra-processed, wine not. Snack cakes are ultra-processed, home made cakes not.” And the Impossible Burger, for a time, was not considered ultra-processed, enjoying, we could say, the “wine exception.”

There’s a lot wrong with our food system and there’s nothing wrong with saying so. But opposing all mass-market, mass-produced food is elitist and classist — and in this particular case, it’s silly, too.

Three of the biggest harms caused by our current food system are the harms to the environment, to public health through antibiotic resistance, and to animals through factory farming. In order to address all of those, plant-based or lab-produced alternatives to meat must be mass-produced. And if we’re uncomfortable with the fact of mass-production itself then we can’t fix any of the problems it’s currently causing.

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Here’s How Fast Food Can Affect Your Body – Health Essentials from Cleveland Clinic

When 5 p.m. rolls around and you haven’t given a single thought to what’s for dinner, the glowing sign in front of the burger joint down the street might be calling your name.

Cleveland Clinic is a non-profit academic medical center. Advertising on our site helps support our mission. We do not endorse non-Cleveland Clinic products or services. Policy

A quick swing through the drive-thru can seem like a great option, but there’s a definite downside. In order to serve up food so quickly, cheaply and consistently, many fast food restaurants focus on process and efficiency instead of on serving quality, nutritious foods.

An occasional fast food meal isn’t anything to fret about, says dietitian Nancy Geib, RD, LDN. Sometimes, it might be your only option.

“If you do your research and you look for the best options, you can definitely still go to a fast food restaurant if that’s all you have,” she says.

But if burgers, French fries and greasy breakfast sandwiches become centerpieces of your diet, they could take a serious toll on your health. Unhealthy diets increase your chances of developing depression, cancer, type 2 diabetes, heart disease and other chronic conditions.

What is considered fast food?

The history of fast food dates back almost a century, but the concept — and some of America’s most well-known fast food eateries — really took off during the 1940s and 50s. Today, it’s become such a staple of culture that as many as one in three Americans eat fast food every day.

You know fast food when you see it: It’s highly processed, mass-produced food that’s prepared quickly — usually on a grill, in a fryer or in a microwave. Fast food restaurants follow very specific preparation methods to make sure you get the crispy, greasy fries you expect every time.

Why is fast food bad for you?

Different foods can affect everyone in different ways, but here are just some of the things that frequently eating fast food might do to your body:

Raise your blood pressure

Many fast food items are packed with sodium, which acts as a preservative and enhances taste. “Everything that’s processed, packaged or boxed is going to have sodium,” Geib says.

The problem is, high-sodium diets are known to increase blood pressure, which puts stress on your cardiovascular system. Over time, high blood pressure can stiffen or narrow your blood vessels, becoming a major risk factor for heart attack, stroke and heart failure.

Ideally, most adults should try to keep their salt intake under 1,500 milligrams per day, according to the American Heart Association — though its current recommendations allow for up to 2,300 milligrams daily. Because sodium is so prevalent in our diets, it can add up quickly.

For example, one bacon cheeseburger alone can get you pretty close to the daily recommended 1,500 milligrams of sodium. So can a large piece of fried chicken breast with mashed potatoes and gravy. Even seemingly healthier options, like an Italian-style sub sandwich, can contribute more than 1,000 milligrams to your daily intake.

Leave you bloated

Eating meals that are high in sodium, high in fat or heavy with refined carbohydrates (such as bread, buns or breading) can all leave you feeling bloated. And, if you add a soda to your meal, the carbonation could make it worse. Bloating should only be temporary, but it could cramp your style if you’re wearing pants that are tighter in the waist or if you’re trying to get rings on or off your fingers.

Drive up your cholesterol

Food that’s fried in oil is high in fat — and that includes saturated fat. Eating too much saturated fat can drive up your LDL, or “bad,” cholesterol, which puts you at risk for heart disease. The American Heart Association recommends that no more than 6% of your daily calories come from saturated fat. If you eat 2,000 calories a day, that’s about 13 grams, or the amount that’s in one bacon, egg and cheese breakfast sandwich.

Contribute to digestive problems

Bagels, muffins and anything breaded might be delicious, but they’re all processed carbohydrates that lack fiber. Eating adequate amounts of fiber (25 to 35 grams a day) helps keep things moving in your digestive tract. It lowers your risk for diverticulitis and other conditions associated with straining or constipation, such as hemorrhoids and hernias.

Dietary fiber also helps your good gut bacteria flourish and keeps you feeling full. If you rely heavily on fast food, you’ll struggle to get the recommended amount. For example, a coffee-shop blueberry muffin will give you nearly 20% of your daily carbohydrate needs but only a gram or two of fiber.

Lead to weight gain

If you go to the drive-thru and grab a value meal for dinner, chances are you’ll end up eating a bigger portion (and higher-calorie foods) than you would if you were cooking at home. If that becomes a regular thing, all those extra calories can add up to extra pounds. And when those calories are mostly from highly process carbohydrates, you might end up feeling hungry again within a few hours, which can lead to — you guessed it — even more extra calories.

Then there’s the sugar factor. Sugar is a major culprit in the obesity epidemic. It hides in a lot of foods, including drinks and sauces. Guess how much sugar is in your morning café mocha? Upwards of 25 grams. Or in that vanilla milkshake? More than 80 grams, if you make it a large. That’s nearly 20 teaspoons!

Drain your energy

A quick hit of refined carbohydrates and sugar causes a spike in your blood sugar, which prompts your body to produce a surge of insulin to quickly bring it down. This spike-and-crash cycle can leave you feeling tired and cranky.

Meanwhile, a balanced meal with protein, healthy fats and fiber-rich carbohydrates takes longer for your body to digest and absorb. This slows the release of sugar into your bloodstream, so you get sustained energy without a crash.

Affect your mood

When you eat a diet that’s high in saturated fat, sodium, sugar and refined carbs, you’re not only getting too much of those things, but you’re also missing out on a lot of other important nutrients. Fruits and vegetables — beyond the iceberg lettuce and tomato slices that come on fast food sandwiches — are rich with vitamins, minerals and antioxidants that nourish your body and improve your mood.

Eating a lot of processed foods may even increase your risk for depression.

Five of the most unhealthy fast food options

1. Pizza: The average slice of pepperoni pizza contains about 680 milligrams of sodium, 12 grams of fat (including 5 grams of saturated fat) and 300 calories. But who eats just one slice? Three slices from a large pie provide more than 2,000 mg of sodium — almost the daily limit for average Americans in just one meal.
2. Burger and fries: A typical double cheeseburger and large fries provides about 1,200 calories and up to 1,700 milligrams of sodium. Make it a combo with a large soda, and you’ll top 1,500 calories.
3. Cold-cut combo: Lunch meats tend to be loaded with sodium, saturated fat and carcinogenic agents called nitrates and nitrites, which are known to increase the risk of certain cancers. Three ounces of processed deli meat can pack up to 1,300 milligrams of sodium — even before you add cheese, condiments, bread and chips.
4. Hot dog: A typical frankfurter without condiments contains more than half of your daily recommended saturated fat intake and 33% of your sodium intake. If you usually eat two hot dogs, it would be close to your day’s allotment of saturated fat and sodium.
5. Fried chicken: Just one fried chicken breast from your favorite chicken place packs 500 or more calories, 34 grams of fat and 1,200-plus milligrams of sodium.

Making healthier fast food choices

It actually is possible to eat fast food without sabotaging your healthy diet, but it requires a little legwork.

Look for meals with lean proteins, veggies and fiber, and avoid anything supersized.

“You can make an informed choice by doing research to find out the nutritional content of a particular fast food item,” Geib says. “All of the major restaurants should have that information online or be able to hand it to you in the restaurant, if you ask.”

90,000 Burgers: harm and benefit – Burgerlie

• food for mind
• 11.07.2017

Burgers, which previously belonged exclusively to the fast food category, are becoming a real field for experimenting with quality products, the result of which is amazing taste and unusual combinations. Despite this, juicy cutlets in mouth-watering buns continue to surround many myths.What is true and what is not, let’s figure it out.

Deep fat, carcinogens VS grill

Burger patties are fried in a large amount of oil. Due to the flow of people in fast food, it rarely changes. Carcinogens accumulating in frying fats get into cutlets, causing irreparable harm to the body.

The number of growing gourmets and supporters of correct and healthy food dictate their terms. Burger patties have not been fried in a lot of oil for a long time. For this, a grill is used.It allows you to properly fry the cutlet, making it as juicy as possible.

High calorie = hit to the figure

Burgers are high-calorie dishes. Consuming them constantly, you run the risk of gaining more than a dozen extra pounds.

The essential ingredients of any burger are a meat cutlet and a bun. Depending on the recipe, they can be supplemented with fresh and pickled vegetables, cheese, bacon and eggs. This is really a high-calorie dish, but cooked correctly and using quality products, subject to an active lifestyle, it can replace a regular lunch a couple of times a week, and not be reflected in the form of excess deposits on the body.

Those who approach the issue with meticulous scrupulousness should try the proposals from modern burger and steak bars. The menu includes burgers with whole grain buns instead of regular ones. There are proposals for girls when the same burger is served on a plate, but without a roll. Its role is played by the leaves of different varieties of lettuce, in which the rest of the ingredients are wrapped.

Spices and flavor enhancers VS salt and pepper

Good old McDonald’s hamburgers and cheeseburgers have a special taste that cannot be obtained under normal conditions at home.Burger patties are regularly supplemented with flavor enhancers and numerous spices.

A cutlet in a modern burger house is a piece of excellent pulp with a small amount of fat, chopped into small pieces with a sharp knife. From spices – salt, pepper. Proper roasting and grilling bring the formed cutlet to perfection, making it tasty, juicy, aromatic and with an appetizing crust. No flavor enhancers and spices that clog the aroma of good meat are not used.

Preservatives and frozen patties VS fresh meat

Fast food burgers are stored and do not spoil for years

Our burgers are not stored for years – they are eaten right away.And these are no longer the packaged and frozen cutlets that were offered by the world chains. These are quality dishes prepared from freshly baked buns, farm vegetables and excellent fresh, not frozen meat, which is often chopped right before cooking.

Mayonnaise and ketchup VS designer sauce

For burgers, ready-made sauces are always served, which are prepared on the basis of powders, as well as fatty oil and mayonnaise.

The whole approach to sauces, as well as to burgers, has undergone tremendous changes.Restaurants that love their guests always offer fresh homemade sauces. This is not just ketchup squeezed onto a cutlet – it is a separately prepared component of the dish, which gives it spice and gives your receptors a real heaven of taste and mouth-watering aromas.

90,000 Found out if this is true – The Village Belarus

You know, I am generally opposed to dividing food into good or unhealthy, because any food is a set of micro- and macronutrients, a certain calorie content and a set of proteins, fats and carbohydrates.And any product, if divided into its components, cannot be called bad or good. Rather, the question is, what are your goals, the amount of food you consume, and how often you consume it. As for the burgers themselves, if you take them apart into a specific composition of ingredients, you can really ask yourself what is so harmful in it?

We are talking about the quality of this burger and the quality of the products used in it. If we are talking about fashionable craft burgers nowadays, then very often this is quite a good product for itself and can be consumed.Naturally, if you just have a desire to lose weight, then by eating such a burger you will simply get a large amount of calories, due to the fact that there are, as a rule, quite fatty and high-calorie sauces, high-calorie buns, high-calorie meat. But if you enter it into your calorie content of the day, nothing bad will come of it.

In general, the idea that you eat fries at McDonald’s or a hamburger and it immediately ends up with excess fat on your thighs or your waist is wrong. If that fits into your calorie intake, if you eat less than your daily calorie intake, even burgers won’t put you on weight.

As for the composition itself, the vegetables are okay, the buns that are used there, if they are baked on the spot, that is, in the restaurant where the burger is prepared, are also okay. If there is good meat, they cook the minced meat themselves, they know what it is made of, if it is beef, then this is generally wonderful. Now there are a million burgers with different compositions: there are fish burgers, falafel burgers, chicken burgers. There are a lot of options.

The only thing that may not be entirely useful here is the abundance of saturated fats, which are found both in the meat itself and in the oil in which this whole thing is fried.If this is some kind of deep fat processing, then it is important that the chef uses fresh oil every time, since rancid and used oil many times are the very trans fats that should be feared. And if this is a quick frying in fresh oil, then even that is okay.

It is important to pay attention to the sauce that is used there. If this is not some kind of purchased and chemical, then it has a right to exist. You should also pay attention to what you eat your burger with.To wash down this whole thing with a shock dose of sweet soda is not good. If this is a separate, thoughtful meal, then please eat burgers and don’t worry, just move more and spend more calories than you consume.

A good burger can be made at home too. You can turn around and replace the wheat bun with a whole grain one, you can find sourdough buns or rye buns. You can take quality meat and twist it into minced meat, take fresh vegetables, make homemade sauce. Experiment and do not think that if this is a burger, then a priori something harmful.

As for fast food, how is it harmful? We eat it quickly, consuming a large amount of calories in one meal. Moreover, it is not very nutritious food. After 2-3 hours, you will want to eat again and there is a risk of going over calories. And if you eat like this all the time, then you will gain excess weight. Everything is good in moderation.

90,000 Is a hamburger really bad? – WHY.RU answers to questions.

The fact that hamburgers, cheeseburgers and their other brethren are at least unhealthy, most likely everyone will tell you.It is still fashionable to hate the so-called fast food establishments headed by the well-known clown. In certain circles. Few will tell their colleagues at work without a shadow of embarrassment that they have dined on a burger and fries, but the queues at fast food restaurants are not decreasing. Why, if it’s so harmful? Because it’s delicious.

Is it so harmful?

What does a classic hamburger consist of? Bun, meat cutlet, pickled cucumber, fresh onions and ketchup. Agree, it doesn’t sound very scary.The public scares the consumer that the bun contains the most terrible preservatives, which is why it is so fragrant and soft and does not stale for a long time. Cutlet – with an incomprehensible composition, frozen-frozen, generously flavored with enhancers of taste and aroma. Cucumbers and onions are solid GMOs, and you generally need to run away from the ketchup composition and be saved. Supplement lunch with a portion of fried fries in butter – and everything, at least gastritis, is immediately provided to you.

But let’s look at the other side of the coin. A hamburger is definitely a satisfying thing. I ate it alone – and I don’t feel like eating for a long time. This is a big plus when you need a quick and tasty snack for little money. All fast food restaurants conduct daily checks and inspections, there is quality control, open days, maximum transparency. Is it possible that if you compare a hamburger cutlet with the sausage you ate at lunch, the composition of the cutlet suddenly turns out to be more natural than the sausages? Stereotypical thinking, forcing people for some reason to consider sausages more useful than fast food cutlets.Of course, any product entering the consumer market must undergo thorough checks and control, and there can be nothing fatal in the composition of the same sausage. But do you really need endless flavor enhancers and preservatives? But in sausages there is often no way without it.

Many parents, knowing the addiction of their children to hamburgers, cook them at home from home, the most natural products. And even an ardent hater of fast food will never say that such a burger is poison.That is why the point is not at all about the hamburger, but about the attitude towards it.

The main thing is to eat healthy, full and varied. If each of your breakfast, lunch and dinner takes place in food courts – yes, this will certainly not affect your body in the best way. However, occasionally indulging yourself with your favorite burger made from soft buns, grilled cutlets (and mind you, no butter!), Fresh vegetables and sauces is a perfectly acceptable option. Complete your lunch with a fresh vegetable salad, a glass of juice, or a cup of coffee, and on weekends, instead of lying on the couch in front of the TV, take a walk in the park.And no harmful effects on the body!

90,000 The most killer and harmful hamburgers in America

Have you ever eaten something that looks stunning and then regretted it? This happens often. Americans know a lot about making some of the biggest, juiciest, and tastiest burgers in the world, and some of these dishes can be maddening. After this salty bun with meat and vegetables, which literally melts in your mouth in minutes or even seconds, it’s easy to fall into a food coma! Nowadays, cafes and other establishments are more and more in need of attracting customers, and they do this also by inventing new dishes of the most incredible recipes designed to conquer countless hearts and stomachs.To make visiting a restaurant even more fun, many of these establishments organize contests for fast food eating. Rarely is a trip to a cafe killing, but looking at the hamburgers on this list, you may be worried about your health …

25. Hamburger King

Photo: Tripadvisor.com

This monstrous dish can be ordered at Boston Burger Company cafe in Boston, Massachusetts (Boston, Massachusetts), and it has everything you need to finish you off.A peanut butter topped bun, meatball, bacon, and fried bananas are generously sprinkled with sugar and cinnamon. By eating something like this, you will definitely shorten your life by 5 years!

24. Burger Sarge

Photo: Foodchallenges.com

This super-calorie burger will hardly surprise anyone. Here is an ordinary meat treat weighing 1.8 kilograms, covered with cheese, and the muffin in this dish weighs about 450 grams. It’s just a huge hamburger, which not everyone can eat at once!

23.Mount Olympus Burger

Photo: ibetyouwont.com

If you consider yourself to be as strong as Hercules himself, you have a direct road to the Clinton Station Diner in New Jersey (New Jersey). There, anyone is offered an unusual challenge – to eat an almost 23 kg signature hamburger in just 3 hours. Good luck, powerful hero!

22. Challenge 55 Challenge

Photo: Hwy55.com

If you have always dreamed of falling into the hands of a heart surgeon, the fast food chain Hwy 55 Burgers, Shakes, and Fries is here to help.Hamburger fans will certainly appreciate the local 55 Challenge, which aims to cram 1. 5 kilograms of beef, puffed buns and other ingredients in the company’s signature hamburger. If you can handle this challenge in 30 minutes, you won’t have to pay for a hamburger. Although the payback may be the expected health consequences …

21. Slopper Burger

Photo: Yelp

Colorado Springs has a cafe called Crave Real Burgers, and this is where this ugly disaster is served with a bun.Here is a real extravaganza of green chili, cheeseburger and grilled cheese rolls. It also includes coriander, guacamole, sour cream and cheddar cheese. You just can’t resist throwing your fingers into this juicy burger, disregarding all the rules of etiquette!

20. Speck Burger Challenge at the Specks Bar and Grill

Photo: couponsherpa.com

From the outside, Specks Bar and Grill may seem like an ordinary modest cafe from the American city of Topeka, Kansas (Topeka, Kansas), but this place will definitely surprise you with its signature challenge for the most voracious guests.This is just a huge 1.3 kg hamburger cut like a pizza. In addition, it comes with a traditional potato straw. If you can finish this dish in 45 minutes, the order will be free.

19. Eagle Challenge or Eagle’s Challenge

Photo: Yelp

This hamburger tower weighs a whopping 2.25 kilograms, includes 20 slices of bacon and 20 layers of American cheese, so after eating such a dish hardly anyone- or he can just get up from the table, and even more so soar like an eagle.However, you can probably get to the closest toilet …

18. Hot Fudge Sundae

Photo: Thedailymeal

There’s nothing more delicious than a serving of ice cream after a mouth-watering salty hamburger, but what about dessert right on top of your burger? This crazy idea was implemented in McGuire’s Irish pub in Pensacola, Florida. The beef cutlet itself weighs a good 340 grams, but the main part of this dish is ice cream, chocolate topping and a bun. Perhaps after such a dessert or dinner, you can completely rethink your whole life …

17. Waffle burger

Photo: Imgur.com

How about having a bite of waffle cakes for breakfast, eggs, bacon and beef cakes in one dish? Your body will hate you for it, but this extraordinary gustatory experience is worth it!

16. Ye Olde 96er Burger

Photo: Super Sized Meals

Served at Denny’s Beer Barrel Pub, this 2.7kg beast may not be the most impressive hamburger in this collection.However, do not jump to conclusions until you come across it personally! In this case, you will most likely change your mind.

15. Ultimate Slider Challenge

Photo: Pinterest.com

This unusual dish became quite popular among burger lovers after it conquered Adam Richman himself, the host of the popular TV show “Man vs. Food” (Adam Richman, Man v Food). Since then, many have tried and failed at eating the so-called 12 Jewish sliders (a type of sandwich or miniburger grilled with onions).However, the waiters working in the cafe where this original dish is served usually advise their customers not to take too much on themselves and order one bun each, rather than the whole portion of 12 miniburgers.

14. Beer Barrel Burgernator

Photo: Kimgiancaterino

You won’t be able to walk away so easily with unblemished dignity after eating this burgenator. This is simply not possible. Before you is a dish weighing as much as 11.3 kilograms of meat and cheese, just waiting to bring you to pancreatic cancer.

13. Ramen Bun Burger

Photo: Pinterest.com

This dish is just perfect for the typical poor students and those who forget to pack their regular buns in the store, because the ramen bun burger is a cutlet with vegetables hidden between 2 traditional Japanese instant wheat noodles.

12. Beast hamburger

Photo: bokampersnaples. com

The name alone is worth it, because the word beast is translated from English as a beast or a monster.The chefs at Bokampers Bar and Grill have created a real monster – a hamburger, which includes 1.8 kilograms of beef, 6 pieces of bacon and 4 fried eggs. Under the terms of the call, if you eat this gastronomic piece in an hour, you will not have to pay for it. Although in this case the reckoning may come a little later …

11. Quadruple Coronary Bypass Burger

Photo: Reddit.com

The warning appears right in the name of this dish, because it translates as “fourfold coronary artery bypass grafting”, which means major heart surgery.Now you know exactly what awaits those who are addicted to such a killer treat. One such serving of the incredible union of protein, fat and carbohydrates contains a whopping 9606 kilocalories!

10. Reese PBC Burger, The Works Gourmet Burger Bistro

Photo: Facebook

This incredible combination of milk chocolate with Reese’s peanut butter and an almost ordinary hamburger seems like some kind of joke, but in fact you have one from the menu at The Works Gourmet Burger Bistro.In addition to pieces of chocolate with peanut butter, sprinkle the meat cutlet with other sweets. In addition, the hamburger is served with onion rings, bacon and cheese. If you still prefer to feast on Reese’s chocolate desserts without any additives, run away from this gastronomic magic!

9. Burger Krispy Kreme

Photo: veronicas cornucopia

If your goal in life is to get type 2 diabetes when you are young, just a few burgers from this photo will be enough for you, because this is not just some then another cutlet with vegetables, resting between a couple of buns, and glazed donuts with beef, cheese and bacon.Now you know a way to say goodbye to health for sure. Do whatever you want with this information …

8. Burger Fried in 100 Year Old Oil

Photo: Yelp

Dyer’s Burgers is said to have beef burger patties fried in 100 year old oil. This is more of a hellish cauldron than an ordinary kitchen, to judge. In general, if you intend to clog your arteries in a retro style and “take up the old”, then go to Memphis and look for a local cafe there, which serves hamburgers, the preparation of which is associated with the use of an ingredient that began to be used here back in 1912 year, that is, more than a century ago.

7. Burger Douche

Photo: Yelp

The 666 Burger mobile chain from New York surprised everyone with its signature dish for 666 dollars. Such an expensive treat includes fish caviar, lobsters and traditional Swiss Gruyere cheese, as well as a few other very rare and expensive ingredients. Few would dare to order such an exclusive burger as it is incredibly expensive to take out.

6. Extravagant burger or Le Burger Extravagant

Photo: Yelp

This unusual dish includes expensive Japanese wagyu beef, white truffle sauce with 10 herbs, 18-month-old cheddar cheese, black truffles, smoked Pacific salt, quail egg, and a few other very rare ingredients.As you may have guessed, this burger costs a lot more than the average fast food lover can afford.

5. Main Event Burger or Main Event

Photo: supersizedmeals

At Denny’s Beer Barrel Pub you can order a killer hamburger that weighs under 56 kilograms and costs a whopping $ 379! If you manage to eat the Main Event, you can immediately say goodbye to a quality and trust-based relationship with your own colon.And this is at its best …

4. Double Cheeseburger with Fried Bacon and Egg

Photo: Yelp

Au Cheval is one of the most prestigious restaurants in Chicago and is where these cheeseburgers are served. It may not look like such an outstanding dish to you, but it will certainly become love from the first bite, you just have to try it.

3. Eight Bypass Burger or Octuple Bypass

Photo: Facebook

This hamburger can be ordered at a diner with a very symbolic name Heart Attack Grill (heart attack). The name of the sandwich itself is also quite controversial, as you have already noticed. At the sight of such a dish, few people have a heart beat faster. In general, it all fits – Octuple Bypass is definitely dangerous for your heart health. Such an unusual hamburger consists of 8 beef patties, and in fact it is almost 6.5 kilograms of ground beef and about 20 thousand kilocalories! Perhaps such a dish is easy to compare with weapons of mass destruction and should be completely banned by law.

2. The Deep-Fried Twinkie Burger

Photo: Larry D.Moore

What the hell is this? This burger has something in common with the 9-point treat (Krispy Kreme, donuts), as the mouth-watering filling is hidden in the traditional twinky dessert (American golden biscuit, usually sold with a cream filling). Sometimes it just takes horror from the ease and ingenuity with which we come up with all the new ways of self-destruction.

1. Absolutely Ridiculous Burger

Photo: ibetyouwont.com

This imposing burger is likely to kill you. Available from the Mallie’s Sports Grill & Bar, it contains 6.8 kilograms of lettuce, 13.6 kilograms of bacon and 16.3 kilograms of cheese. The weight of one such hamburger is a phenomenal 68 kilograms of deliciousness that threatens you with cardiac arrest. Naturally, no one has ever coped with this dish alone, and they order it for whole companies.

chips hamburgers – benefits or harms of an essay

2.not substances, affects immunity, growth and development of mental abilities, on the growth of tumors.

Why is fast food still popular?

All these reasons were written earlier, but still it is worth making a general conclusion, why, knowing about the dangers of fast food, we continue to use it?

The first reason nevertheless “fast food” was laid by the “frantic” pace of life of a modern person. For full breakfasts, lunches and dinners, many people simply do not have enough time.

The next reason fast foods are so popular is because they are all delicious food.Of course, the “deliciousness” of fast foods is ensured by the addition of various food additives, flavors, thanks to which our body so quickly gets used to “fast food”.

Yes, and the “fast food” is packaged beautifully, and is well sold in restaurant shops. And this is an important condition for the distribution of fast foods – competent marketing. It should be noted here that marketers promoting fast food skillfully put pressure on human weaknesses. Including on the child’s psyche, advertising fast food outlets as entertainment centers with many interesting contests and gifts.

In many countries, the obesity problem caused by the consumption of fast foods is recognized as a national threat. The dangers of fast food are discussed in numerous publications and speeches of experts. Advertising of fast foods is prohibited in the media. But all these measures will remain just a call to a healthy lifestyle, if a person does not decide for himself whether his health and the health of future children is important to him or not.

Fast food itself was among the ancient Romans, Slavs, and other peoples.These “quick” dishes naturally had different names. But our ancestors used these snacks as an addition to our normal diet. Either fast food was used during various military or trade campaigns. For modern people, fast foods have replaced regular meals, and not only office meals, but also often homemade ones. After all, many of us replace it with a wholesome healthy breakfast.

3. Survey

Survey

In order to find out how often people eat fast food and whether they do it at all, we decided to conduct a survey among college students.The survey was conducted through an oral questionnaire.

The respondents were asked the following questions:

1. How many times a week do you buy fast food?

2. Which instant food products do you like best?

3. Do you know what harm is caused by eating fast food in any quantity?

And here are the results:

1. About 70% of students eat fast food every day several times a day, explaining that there is not enough time to cook by themselves, and buns can be easily bought in a store, 25% of students eat fast food less often, 1-2 days a week, and 5% practically do not eat this junk food.

2.

Myths and facts about McDonald’s

The concept of “fast food” entered our life not so long ago – even in Soviet times, we did not hear anything about it. The main characteristics of fast food are cheap, satisfying, convenient, quick to prepare and quickly eaten. In addition, it is always appetizing, although not always tasty. Typical Fast Food – burgers, cheeseburgers, hot dogs, pizza, french fries . We all know that it is harmful for the stomach and for the figure, but sometimes we ourselves are tempted or succumb to the persuasion of children.

For most of us, the very idea of ​​fast food is strongly associated with the American fast food chain McDonald’s. However, the birthplace of fast food is not McDonald’s or even America! Only the modern fast food culture was born in America, and the idea itself is much older.

The prototype of today’s fast food is the so-called “ street kitchen ”, it originated in ancient Rome. There were a lot of street bazaars eateries selling ready-made meals that were quickly made right on the street – hot bread, meat, tortillas, peas, and even dishes that strongly resemble today’s hamburgers and pizza.The ancient Romans even enjoyed home delivery of ready meals! These comrades, in contrast to the same ancient Greeks, did not particularly bother with cooking at all – in many Roman houses there were not even kitchens, they ate exclusively purchased ready-made food. The only difference is that the ancient Roman fast food was much more useful than the current one – after all, the products were used fresh, and the spices and sauces were natural. Fast food was also respected in other countries: in China, hot instant noodles were actively traded on the streets, and in India – tortillas with a spicy sauce.

And only in America they took fast food seriously and turned it into a thoughtful industry. But the first here was not McDonald’s at all, but the company White Castle , which opened in 1921. The signature dish of the White Castle was hamburgers , and they were sold very cheaply, at only 5 cents, and the company kept that price for 25 years. At first, many visitors doubted the health benefits of such food, but the owner of the chain found a very original way to convince them.He hired many people who wore white coats every day and visited his establishments during peak hours, actively ordering hamburgers. You understand that among the people, the level of trust in the dish, which is “popular” with so many “doctors”, has increased dramatically.

And it was only in 1940 that McDonald’s appeared and competed with the “White Castle” for hamburgers. At the same time, other fast food companies appeared, but McDonald’s captured the world not with the quality of its sandwiches with ketchup and cutlets, but with a thoughtful development concept.

One of the most important points of this concept is child orientation . McDonald’s ideologists have long understood a simple truth – children strive for unhealthy “snacks” much more actively than their parents, because they still do not understand their unhelpfulness, and eternally busy modern parents often succumb to the whims of their children. It is not parents who bring their children to fast food restaurants, but children bring their parents, and one child is able to bring a whole crowd of people: both mom and dad, and grandfather and grandmother.Therefore, there is everything here to attract children: children’s rooms, happy cute toys, toys that can be endlessly collectible, bright packaging, a clown as the face of the brand, children’s birthdays at affordable prices. McDonald’s isn’t just selling Coca-Cola fries, it’s selling kids a holiday. And whether the parents like to be dependent on the cunning American business is up to the parents to decide.

How scary are the dishes themselves at McDonald’s? There are several myths and facts on this score.

French fries at McDonald’s are fried on an incomprehensible, but clearly very unhealthy fat, which is why they are so delicious.

Originally, the fries were actually fried there with a mixture of 93% beef fat and 7% cottonseed oil. However, in the 90s of the 20th century, when the worldwide fight against cholesterol began, they began to fry it in 100% vegetable oil. But do not rush to rejoice at this news – after all, in order to preserve the taste, a lot of flavors had to be used.

The hamburger cutlets are not made from beef, but from cheap meat waste washed in ammonium hydroxide

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It is difficult to argue with this fact – McDonald’s has already admitted that it really used ammonium hydroxide in the manufacture of minced meat for its dishes. “ Pink slime ” – this is the unofficial name for a paste made from cheap meat waste, which, when treated with ammonium hydroxide, turns into a nice homogeneous mass, which will then be used to make hamburger patties. The famous English TV presenter and chef Jamie Oliver not only told and showed it in his program, but also won a lawsuit against McDonald’s, who tried to refute what was said.This was in 2013. But there is good news, two of them. First: ammonium hydroxide is an officially approved food additive, acidity regulator E527, so it is not fatal. And the second – after the revelations, McDonald’s said that this chemical will no longer be used in the production of ground beef from August 2013. So – bon appetit.

McDonald’s adds sugar to all of its dishes.

Well, not all, just the majority: all the burger buns, all the sauces, some meat patties, grilled chicken, and seasonal fries. It is easy to be convinced of this by reading the composition of the dishes of the Russian McDonald’s. Not to mention the drinks.

Finally, a few facts:

• 90,087 breed of chickens with huge breasts, “Mister MD” , was bred especially for McDonald’s. The popular Chicken McNuggets dish is made from chicken breasts.

• The average American eats 3 hamburgers and 4 servings of potatoes a week.

• Cows destined for McDonald’s are herded into special areas three months before slaughter, where they are fed with grain and anabolic steroids.They gain a lot of fat from such food, because for delicious hamburgers it is the fatty mince that is needed, otherwise they will turn out to be dry.

• At McDonald’s, 1% of the world’s population eats every day.

• The first McDonald’s in the USSR was opened in Moscow in 1990, in Ufa in 2004.

And in general, of course, McDonald’s is no more harmful and no worse than any other fast food. How harmful and scary fast food is – we’ll talk next time.

The harm of sugar: we will kill you sweetly

Sugar is a legal drug that is part of almost all products.It is found in ketchup, mustard, sausage, chips, hamburgers, alcoholic drinks, and cheeses. The society is accustomed to this and does not see anything wrong with the compositions. The harm of sugar to the human body is not fully understood, but further there will be only reliable facts.

Harm of sweets from the point of view of science

People are not even aware of the health dangers of sugar. Although it is he who is the culprit of many diseases.

Completeness

The reason for weight gain from the point of view of science has already been identified:

first, all carbohydrates are converted into sugar → glucose is in the bloodstream → its level in the blood rises sharply → insulin production begins → thanks to it, glucose enters the cell → the cell receives energy.

If there is too much glucose in the body, then the cells will not be able to use all of it and the rest will turn into fat. This is why people gain weight, and not just from fatty foods. But nutritionists often change accents: they only talk about the dangers of fatty foods, completely forgetting about sweets.

Depression

Glucose briefly increases serotonin levels in the blood, including the corresponding areas in the brain.The person begins to feel more energetic and more fun. Cool, but not for long. As soon as the blood sugar drops, the mood changes dramatically to the opposite. Such surges can lead to insulin resistance or diabetes.

And due to the fact that girls love to seize stress with cakes, it turns out that this is an endless process. It is worth remembering that sugar will not relieve depression, but, on the contrary, will aggravate it. Compulsive overeating and other pleasures are guaranteed.

Skin diseases

If you have acne, the first step is to remove the sugar and go on an elimination diet.You should remove: dairy products, gluten, grains, soy products, sugar, eggs, nightshades, red meat, corn, coffee, alcohol, tea, chocolate. There is hidden glucose everywhere!

Only after a month is it allowed to introduce one product per day and observe the reaction. If inflammation appears, you should forget about it forever.

GIT

Digestion directly depends on the microbiome (all microorganisms that live in the digestive tract).If too much sugars are supplied, pathogens, harmful microorganisms begin to develop. Fewer and fewer beneficial bacteria do not have time to digest the protein Roc (regulator of colonization), which is needed for their own proliferation. High intestinal permeability appears (leaky gut syndrome), and, as a result, nutrients cease to be absorbed – there is simply no one to do it.

The whole truth about how sugar is killing us

There are no statistics of deaths from sugar just because it is one of the causes of many diseases, for example, oncology.

Mitochondria are directly related to the development of oncology. In our body, sugar is burned “dirty” – more reactive oxygen appears. The more a person eats sweets, the more free radicals are in his body, which damage the cell membrane, protein and mitochondria themselves.

Attention! Cancer cells absorb all types of sugar 50 times faster than healthy cells. With the help of it, they grow and spread. It is important to completely revise the diet!

Note! When any type of sugar enters the body, immune cells begin to work 2 times slower.It paralyzes the immune system for up to 5 hours.

Sugar: what is the norm per day

On the Internet, many sites say that 50 GRAMS OF SUGAR is the norm. But this is outdated information. A person MAXIMUM should consume 15 GRAMS per day. Do not forget about fruits and berries: fructose is present there. The harm of sugar to the body does not stop there. To know how much of it is in different fruits, here is a table with data.

And in order to better understand what products contain sugar, you can go to the ANTISAKHAR marathon of Alexandra Borzykh.They will also help you understand the types of sugar addiction and how to get rid of the sweet threat.

Defeat the enemy! How to cut back on your sugar intake?

Just forgetting about chocolates, pastries, sweets and cakes will not be enough. You need to read the compositions. It often happens that a person thinks that he is not eating glucose, but in fact it is everywhere. Manufacturers add it to products in order to “hook” the buyer on their products.

This is not an easy process. At the first stage, the body will experience “withdrawal” and ask for a new “dose”. The main thing here is not to break loose, but, on the contrary, to show willpower. Then the body will be cleansed of harmful substances: unpleasant sensations or rashes may appear. And only then can a person feel lightness and freedom. To make all stages easy, it is worth doing it under the supervision of a professional according to a clear program. The specialist will give you the necessary practices, diet and recommendations. But you need to understand that it takes time to remove sugar.

Doctors do not recommend getting carried away with sugar substitutes.They retain trace elements, but it’s still glucose. They differ in their glycemic index and calorie content per 100 grams. For refined sugar, these values ​​are 70 and 396, respectively. The harm of sugar on the human body when it enters the bloodstream is colossal.

Here are the healthiest sweeteners with characteristics.

The glycemic index is a measure of the rate at which glucose enters the bloodstream.The higher this indicator, the larger the insulin jump will be. Carbohydrates from such food are quickly converted into energy, which is then converted into fat.

Important! Caloric content does not depend on GI. Foods can be dietary, but high in glucose.

To give up sugar or not is everyone’s choice. But the fact that the harm of sugar to the body is enormous has been proven. Before eating another chocolate bar or cookie, ask yourself 5 times why you want it, what is it for, do you really want something sweet or simply lacks calmness and warmth, and perhaps the body lacks several important microelements.

Be healthy. Until next time!

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