Summers are perfect for grilling out on the back porch, but that doesn’t mean you should ditch your health goals altogether. We’ve shared a few healthy grilling tips, and a few ways to make your cookout a bit more healthy plate compliant, so now let’s focus on a special summertime classic: hamburgers. Every now and then, a good burger craving comes along, especially like today on the 4th of July! Here are 7 ideas we rounded up from some of our favorite bloggers to help you make a healthier burger.
01 Think Outside the Bun
Burgers don’t have to be eaten with your classic hamburger bun. In fact, sometimes the buns are so big, it can be hard to find the actual burger. Have you ever considered ways to enjoy a burger while ditching some calories? One tried-and-true tasty alternative is to try a burger in a lettuce wrap, which adds both additional vegetables and a tasty crunch.
02 Spice it Up
Did you know that adding spices to your foods can make you feel full faster and decrease the amount you eat? Spicing it up can be a great way to achieve portion control and not go overboard on your favorite summer treat. The best thing about spices is that it gives you the ability to let your creativity shine and take your burger from bland to bold.
03 Ditch the Meat
Meatless burgers seem to be the real buzz lately. In fact, many companies are coming out with meatless burgers that you can find in any grocery store. However, who says you can’t make them yourself? Meatless burgers can be made with black beans, quinoa, sweet potatoes, and most any vegetable. Give a meatless burger a try to decrease calories and increase nutritional content.
04 Cut Down on Saturated Fat and Calories with a Chicken or Turkey Burger
Typical burgers can contain loads of saturated fat, sodium, and calories, which can have some strong negative impacts on your health goals. Next time you are thinking about breaking the rules, try a burger made from lean chicken or turkey, which contain less fat, sodium, and calories overall. This is a great way to enjoy a burger and stay within the limits of your daily needs.
05 Quinoa Burger
Quinoa is a grain that is good for side dishes, as part of salads, and can be eaten for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Have you ever thought as quinoa as a burger? A quinoa burger would supply essential vitamins and minerals from the whole grains, protein, and fiber. Not only is it rich in many of the necessary nutrients, but it is also very filling and versatile.
06 Perfect Portions
Summer is a time where meals are a great time for social gatherings. We all know that controlling portions is hard to do when eating out, but portion control can easily be monitored from the comfort of your own home. As a reference, a proper burger would be about the size of the palm of your hand. Next time you want a burger, do it at home where you can control the portion size and not cause a nutritional set-back.
07 Top it Off
One of the best things about hamburgers is that no hamburger is created the same, and we are able to design our burger however we want. Whether is beef, chicken, turkey, black bean, or quinoa and veggie burger, we are at liberty of what we add to it. To make eating vegetables easier, try adding peppers, onions, cabbage, lettuce, and tomato to the top. Not only does it make the hamburger look pretty, but adds vitamins, minerals, and makes it become more filling.
