Healthy Alternatives for Burgers and Dogs

Hot dogs and hamburgers are a barbecue basic and an easy and delicious food to serve at your backyard BBQ. The problem is that the typical burger and dog go-to’s are a surefire way to ruin your summer diet. The best advice is just to be aware of the type of meat you are putting into your body and try to eliminate fatty toppings.

Better Burgers

You don’t have to limit yourself to veggies to eat a healthy burger. In fact, a 4 oz veggie burger is actually more calories than a 4 oz turkey burger. Turkey burgers are by the far the superior choice for burger patties because they have the best calorie/fat ratio. Each turkey burger has about 9 grams of fat and is only 160 calories. Compare that to the 290 calories and 22 grams of fat in a standard hamburger patty and the choice should be a no brainer.

Better Burger Winner: The Turkey Burger

Better Dogs

A standard beef hot dog is about 2 oz and 180 calories which doesn’t sound too bad until you look at the 17 grams of fat. Now compare that to your typical 4 oz bratwurst (which is double the size) that weighs in at 300 calories and 25 grams of fat. If you double up on hot dogs to make the size portions the same, all beef hot dogs are not only more calories but also come to a whopping total of 34 grams of fat. Gross. Once again, Turkey dogs give you less of everything. You can even eat two of them for under 100 calories and less than 10 grams of fat, combined.

Better Hot Dog Winner: The Turkey Dog

Does anyone else notice a pattern?

Better Buns

Start by using a whole wheat bun instead of white. It averages out to be about 50 calories less with a much lower fat content of 1.5 grams. If you’re looking for no added carbs or fat content you can even try wrapping your hot dog or hamburger in a leaf of lettuce. It’s crisp and delicious, has 0 grams of fat and only adds an additional 5 calories to your meal.

Better Buns Winner: A Lettuce Wrap

Better Toppings

Don’t waste your calories on toppings. They can quickly add up and completely waste all the efforts of your low calorie meal. For example, swiss cheese and mushrooms doesn’t sound like a whole lot but these two topping alone can add 150 calories and 13 grams of fat to your meal. If you must have cheese, try to only use slices that are made with skim milk to help reduce the amount of the fat content. The best advice I can give you is that if you want to eat healthy, just forget that mayo exists. At such a high fat content, it’s just not worth it for the taste. The best toppings are fat free and low calories. Stick to veggies like lettuce and tomatos and add kechup or mustard if your feeling a little saucy. A burger topped with Lettuce, tomato, ketchup, pickles, and mustard only adds 25 calories and 0 grams of fat.

The winner of the better toppings round is a five way tie: Lettuce, tomato, ketchup, pickles, and mustard