Once out of curiosity, I searched Google for healthy burger recipes. I saw tonnes of options there, but left disappointed. You know why ? They all missed the point !
What makes a burger unhealthy ?
People have a lot of opinions on what makes a burger unhealthy – from the meat to the sauces. They’re mistaken in most cases. There are just two things that make burgers unhealthy –
1) Processed Carbs – The burger buns are huge ! You know why restaurants make them so huge ? Because flour is cheap and filling. If they thin out the bun and increase the meat and veggies, their costs will double, and the customer might not feel full !
2) Processed Oil – Burger patties in restaurants are generally fried. And fried in processed oil.
What are the alternatives ?
For the patty – The meat is not bad for your health (Go for a chickpea (chana) patty if you’re a veggie. DO NOT go for potato). Just do not use oil. Either grill it (healthier), or deep fry it in butter. Butter has this amazing quality – combine it with a little bit of meat and it will keep you full for hours and hours.
For the bun – replace the bottom bun by a thin slice of brown bread. Do not use a top bun – let the burger be open. However, if you really want to use a top covering, either use a thin cheese slice, or a thin slice of brown bread.
And yes – if you like veggies, use as many as possible. They’re all good for you !
Making these changes will increase the nutritional value of the burger, and actually make it a healthy meal !
Summary
There are just three things you need to follow –
Use as less bread as possible, and where needed, replace the bun by either brown bread or cheese.
DO NOT fry the patty in processed oil. Use butter or grill it.
Use as many veggies as possible.
Just to end this post, here’s a picture of what my perfect burger would look like. I’m happy that someone on the internet finally got it right !