By Kerri-Ann Jennings, M.S., R.D. Associate Nutrition Editor for EatingWell Magazine
It's grilling season and chances are you'll be making that ever-important cookout decision: hot dog or hamburger? Some people, no doubt, are cheering "Both!" But if you're trying to make a healthier choice, then the registered dietitian in me knows that "both" is not the answer. So which one is the healthier pick? See how a hamburger compares nutritionally to a hot dog before you tell the grill master your order.
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Hamburger
What You Get In A Typical Burger
There are a lot of factors to consider when it comes to burgers: How big is it? What kind of beef is it? What are you putting on it? A typical burger is in the 1/3 to 1/2; pound range (about 6 to 8 ounces) and made from 85 percent lean ground beef.
Served with a bun, it can pack as much as 620 calories and 9 grams of saturated fat (that's nearly half your daily limit) -- before toppings. A slice of cheese adds another 110 calories and 6 grams of saturated fat. On the positive side, burgers deliver iron and zinc.
Must-Read: 6 Tips for Cooking a Better Burger
How To Have A Healthier Burger
But a USDA-approved (and EatingWell recommended) serving size for meat is a much smaller 3 ounces cooked (that's starting with 4 ounces of meat before cooking, which will shrink down to the perfect portion). A quarter-pounder gives you 11 percent of your daily value of iron and 32 percent of your daily value for zinc. You can make your burger with lean ground beef -- at EatingWell Magazine we recommend you look for 90 percent lean or leaner. What will those choices save you? About 200 calories and 5 grams of saturated fat.
If you're eating out and not forming the patties yourself, you can cut a typical-size burger in half and load it with healthy toppings: lettuce and tomato or some grilled vegetables to add flavor without piling on the calories. You can also shave off another 121 calories by swapping a standard bun for an English muffin, bringing the total calorie count for burger and bun -- er, muffin -- to 300.
How to Cut 400 Calories From Your Burger
Hot Dog
What You Get In A Typical Hot Dog
Hot dogs and hot dog buns are typically smaller than burgers and their diminutive size gives them a calorie advantage. An all-beef hot dog and white-bread bun will cost you a mere 270 calories. As a dinner entree, that's a pretty moderate amount (although the saturated fat is a bit high at 6 grams). There are some downsides to hot dogs, though. First, many are sodium bombs, packing 500 milligrams or more per dog (a 3-ounce hamburger, in contrast, delivers around 375 milligrams -- and if you're making it yourself you can add even less salt). Second, many hot dogs contain sodium nitrite or nitrate (additives that help extend shelf life), which are linked by some (but not all) experts to increased cancer risk. Lastly, because hot dogs are on the smaller side, you might be inclined to have more than one.
How To Have A Healthier Hot Dog
There are a few ways to find the healthiest hot dog: 1) Choose one with 370 milligrams of sodium or less. 2) Skip the white bun and opt for a 100 percent whole-wheat bun -- you'll get more fiber, as well as more immune-supporting selenium and bone-strengthening magnesium. Better flavor too. 3) For a heart-healthier choice, look for a dog with less than 3 grams of saturated fat. Poultry dogs tend to be leaner, veggie dogs leanest of all.
The Verdict
From a health perspective, I'd say the hamburger (a quarter-pounder made of 90 percent lean ground beef) is the hands-down healthier option -- it has four times the protein and iron, five times the zinc and a quarter of the sodium. And with a proper portion, the calories are comparable (300 calories for the 3-ounce patty on an English muffin versus 270 for the hot dog and bun). Just know that when you start to size up that burger, you're getting more of everything, including calories.
What's your pick: hot dog or hamburger?
By Kerri-Ann Jennings
Kerri-Ann Jennings, a registered dietitian, is the associate nutrition editor of EatingWell Magazine, where she wields her master's degree in nutrition from Columbia University writing and editing news about nutrition, health and food trends. In her free time, Kerri-Ann likes to practice yoga, hike, bake and paint.
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http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/chicken-patties-recipe/index.html
Take a bite. Yeah, it's heaven.
I live outside of the box, sweetie.
I have them with a white bun (I'm alergic to whole wheat) which has 120 calories. Add the hot dog, and you're up to 160 calories. Add all the goodies (mayo, mustard, pickle relish), including a piece of fat-free American cheese (25 calories), and you total out at around 250 calories. Less than the bare-bun dog she talks about, and still pretty yummy!
My first job was when I was 14 and I worked in a drug store in South Philly from 6pm to 10pm at night.
If two people came into the store to get Rx's that was a lot.
Today I have a delivery service and we deliver meds to shut ins and the senior citizens mostly and we deliver about 900 Rx's per weeik.
There are more people overweight than ever before and some of us are taking 20-30 pills a day for what ails us. All I can say is that there are so many contradictiory reports about what we eat.....so eat and drink in moderation.
As for hot dogs, I like the deli ones with the lambskins still on. All-beef. Once you try them, you won't go back to the packaged supermarket ones.
Use common sense and enjoy life..