8 tips for a healthier hamburger
Of course, if you really want to be healthy, you’re not going to sit down and stuff your face with a hamburger. Then you’ll choose a crunchy cashew salad or a Thai pumpkin soup, also delicious. And we’ll never tell you that you have to give anything up (for example, stuffing your face with that hamburger). But if you’re looking for hacks that give that juicy beast a little twist that makes you feel like you’re being a bit healthier, we’ve got them, of course!
Because if you devour these guys with any regularity, you may be ready for a little variety. And if you also make the whole thing a tiny bit healthier in the process, that’s just an added bonus! So with these tips, you can pimp your hamburger the healthier way:
Load up on vegetables
You can always stack some extra vegetables in a burger like this. Grilled bell pepper, alfalfa, fried zucchini or slices of eggplant; one step closer to that recommended daily intake! As we already mentioned in the list of underrated toppings for your hamburger: kimchi! Incredibly healthy and a truly brilliant addition to a burger: win-win!
Less sweet condiments
Ketchup may seem indispensable on a hamburger, but most brands are also packed with sugar. Mustard already gives you a lower sugar content, and if you look around, you can also find unsweetened mayonnaise at most supermarkets. Personally, I find it creamier and tastier too.
Lean meat
If you’re trying to lower the fat content of your burger a little, you could choose leaner meat than beef. Ground chicken generally contains less fat, and at specialty shops such as De Lindenhoff, you can buy or order ground turkey. It’s incredibly tasty for making an Asian- or Mexican-inspired burger.
Swap the fries for a salad
That may sound like a cliché, but it really doesn’t have to be! A big, fresh salad—for example, a Greek one with good feta, tasty tomato, onion rings and black olives—may not make you forget those fries entirely, but you can certainly see it as a very delicious substitute.
Avocado
Not just for the avocado lovers who whisper “I’m the good kind of fat too” to their green friend, but for anyone who appreciates a few thick slices of this creamy vitamin bomb. Creamy, with the added benefit of being filling too. Bring it on!
Lettuce bun
If you prefer to adjust different things and make trade-offs, and you do want fries but don’t really care about the bun, you can order the hamburger without a bun and use lettuce as its ‘wrapping’. It may not win any beauty contests, but at least you’ll know for sure that you won’t incur the wrath of our Adeline—which you might well do with:
A half bun
When you start rebuilding your hamburger so that you use the top of the bun (because let’s admit it, it’s tastier) as the bottom, and then start transferring all the layers until you have an ‘open’ burger. And then eat only half the bun. What a hassle.
A high-fiber bun
After you’ve got FavorFlav’s Adeline riled up, next time you could also try it with former colleague Emma, although she mainly hates hard hamburger buns. We doubt a soft whole-wheat roll would get past her, but if you’d rather get some fiber in with your bun, you can make this switch.
Also read:
- Recipe: Juicy Lucy hamburger
- You can eat the best hamburger ever here:
- How to make the very best burgers in 5 steps
Image: Kimchief burger from The Beef Chief
