The Case Against the Hamburger

admin | 10:17 am | November 19, 2009 | Uncategorized

It’s the quintessential take-out food and the hamburger has definitely stood the test of time. Human desperation for convenience is what first sparked off the fast food movement in the 1940’s. A few take-out spots scattered throughout has mushroomed over the past 2 decades to the point that we rarely need to drive more than a few kilometres to our favourite fast-food hamburger haven. Even third world countries serve hamburgers.

For the most part, a hamburger is not a healthy meal and in fact, the healthiest part of your burger is probably the sesame seeds sitting atop the bun. A saturated-fat laden beef mince patty and some processed yellow cheese sandwiched between two thick slices of white bread and served with pre-cut potatoes deep fried in re-used vegetable oil is a kilojoule bomb of a meal, almost devoid of nutrition.

Nutritional data on the South African Mc Donald’s website is currently being updated. According to American data, the Big Mac weighs in at 2268 kilojoules and 29g fat (10g of which is saturated) and the Quarter Pounder with cheese comes in lower at 2142 and 26g fat (12 saturated). A chicken burger is not necessarily a healthier option though. According to Kentucky Fried Chicken International data, a traditional Zinger packs 2800 kilojoules and 33g fat (6g saturated). Because it’s a chicken burger, the Zinger has less saturated fat than beef burgers, but it’s deep-fried, so it will contain a high amount of damaged oils. In comparison, a Nandos chicken burger (which is skinless and not deep fried) will give you 1804 kilojoules and only 7.7g fat (1.9g saturated), so it does represent a much healthier choice.

Then we have to take the side orders into account. Because they are fried in oil, French fries tend be kilojoule and fat dense. The smaller the French-fry, the higher the fat content, because there is an increased surface area for oil absorption. A portion of chips will cost you anywhere between 650 and 1900 kilojoules and 7-18g fat, depending on the size of your order. Mc Donald’s extra large fries will cost you 1833 kilojoules and 18g fat, for example.

Then to wash that all down, fizzy cold drinks are not your healthiest choice either. High in sugar and caffeine and low in nutrients, they have absolutely no health benefits. An extra large Coke contains about 1300 kilojoules. “Diet” or “Light” varieties are also options, but the safety of taking in large amounts of artificial sweeteners is questionable.

Putting it into perspective

The daily kilojoule requirements for weight maintenance for a 56kg moderately active woman would work out to about 8500 kilojoules and for a 72kg moderately active male about 10100 kilojoules.

For health, fat intake should be kept at below 30% of total kilojoule intake, so that’s a maximum of 67g fat per day for a women and 80g for a man. Saturated fat intake should be kept as low as possible and should not exceed one-third of the total daily fat intake.

Cholesterol is an independent risk factor for heart disease. It is recommended that for good health dietary cholesterol intake should be less than 300 milligrams/day. If you have heart disease, limit your daily intake to less than 200 milligrams.

High sodium intake is a major risk factor for hypertension (high blood pressure). The Estimated Safe and Adequate Daily Intake (ESADDI) for sodium is approximately 1,100-3,300 mg per day.