THE 5 HEALTHIEST BURGERS AT

* OR HOW TO NOT FEEL COMPLETELY TERRIBLE ABOUT EATING AT BURGER KING *

Determining the five healthiest burgers at Burger King is a bit of an odd task. While McDonald's and other fast-food chains have scrambled to fill their menus with less fattening meals, Burger King has stayed the course, thumbing its nose at health trends and serving up more and more ridiculous amounts of greasy goodness. BK is comfortable with itself. It has no qualms about fattening up middle-class heifers and inflating dead-eyed suburbanites with cholesterol and saturated fats. That is Burger King’s function.

But if we are to peruse the menu and decide which BK treat is the healthiest, we are merely deciding which items are the least unhealthy – a somewhat absurd task. If you’re really concerned about eating right, you won’t eat at Burger King.

So to pretend that this entire notion is not absurd, let us imagine that we just woke up in an alternate universe. In this universe, Burger King has taken over our country and has installed a literal Burger monarchy. In this new fascist state, Burger King has become the only purveyor of food, forcing you and your fellow nutritionally impoverished citizens to perpetually choose between Whoppers, Stackers and Spicy Chicken Crisp Sandwiches. With the threat of scurvy, gout and diabetes, you have decided to eat only the healthiest burgers that your King will provide.

So what is the healthiest burger? Why is it the healthiest?

Gillian Salmon – a dietitian and President Elect of the New Brunswick Association of Dietitians – says that we should be “looking for a burger that's reasonably low in fats, higher in protein and higher in fiber, while moderately low in calories.”

It goes without saying (but we’re saying it anyway) that all of these burgers are healthier without cheese and mayo. A slice of cheese will typically add 40 calories and four more grams of fat, while a normal dollop of mayo – 12 grams per serving – adds 80 more calories and nine grams of fat. And don’t even think about adding another patty of beef. Each patty adds another 110 calories and eight more grams of fat. For the sake of your waistline, remove excess beef, cheese and mayo from the equation. It’s not rocket science. This junk will make you chubby.

Bar-chart for all burgers: http://manyeyes.alphaworks.ibm.com/manyeyes/visualizations/new/bar-chart/burger-kings-five-healthiest-burge/3

BK’s Veggie Burger is the obvious choice for a health nut. Higher in fiber (3g), lower in sodium (640g) and calories (270) and vastly lower in fat (6g), the Veggie Burger is your clear-cut choice for eating “right”. It is also a very friendly option for your vegetarian friend who was coerced into dining with you. Realistically, a vegetarian shouldn’t even set foot in a Burger King. They should throw a Molotov Cocktail through the window instead.

While the Flame Broiled Hamburger is the most meagre of BK’s treats, it is also the least damaging beef burger. It has the lowest sodium content (500mg) and respectable calorie (260) and cholesterol (40mg) counts. But here’s the thing: the regular burger is only OK because it is the smallest that Burger King has to offer. At 111g per serving, will it fill you up? Maybe. Will it fill this guy up? No.

The first chicken burger on our list is this fashionable dandy. The Tender Grill Chicken Sandwich is a relic of past diet crazes, when people finally realized that the grill is much better than the deep fryer. When you compare this burger to its cousin, The Tender Crisp Chicken Sandwich, you’ll probably opt for the grill. The TGC has 270 less calories, 20mg less cholesterol and 20g less fat.

On the other hand, if we take Gill’s advice - remember our dietitian friend Gill? - and consider fiber and protein content, the TCC looks a little more appealing. With 7g more protein and 1g more fibre, it might be good for someone with a more active lifestyle, needs the protein and can burn off the fat.

Wait, did we just say that a BK burger would be good for someone with an active lifestyle? Wow. Moving on...

The Whopper Jr. is a decent option for someone who MUST have a Whopper, but is also wary of their protruding pot belly. With all of the wonderful ingredients of its big daddy, the Whopper, but at half the size (148g/serving vs. 290g/serving), the Whopper Jr. ain’t so bad. With a comparatively low amount of calories (340 vs. 670), cholesterol (45mg vs. 80mg) and fat (19g vs. 40), the Whopper Jr. does almost literally half the damage of a Whopper. Take out the mayo you reduce your fat content by 9g more. That’s not a bad looking burger, to be honest. Just don’t screw things up by up-sizing your fries and coke because you don’t think the W-Jr. will fill you up.

The Spicy Chik’n Crisp Sandwich shouldn’t even be mentioned, but if we didn’t talk about it this would be a top four list as opposed to a top five list and that would just be weird. With 460 calories, 30g of fat and 5g of saturated fats, it is the fattiest burger so far. Add in the fact that its serving size is only 138g - making it the second smallest burger on our list - and you’ll realize that this little fellah packs a punch. What’s worse is that Burger King has 16 more burgers, each one greasier and more fattening than the last.

While BK and other fast food joints offer us “deals” by providing much larger portions for only a couple extra cents, research has shown that the more we have in front of us the more likely we are to eat it - duh. Here’s the rule; double the size = double the calories. So instead of taking the large coke and fries to accompany your triple whopper, think small! Opt for the small coke and fries and choose the regular flame broiled hamburger. If you’re really a bargain hunter and can’t refuse a good deal, then take the large but just split it with a friend. The best choice in terms of calorie size and price would be the kids meal. The portions are all smaller AND YOU GET A TOY!

- example of getting a toy with your meal:

If a toy isn't enough to make you settle for a happy meal, then at least be cautious when choosing your sides. STAY AWAY from empty calories. A medium coke has 230 calories, that's 10 calories more then an order of french fries. Not only are all those calories empty and not even that tasty, they also contain about a third of a cup of sugar, ya that's a cavity waiting to happen. Obviously the smartest thing to do is stick to water ALWAYS. If you really can’t be satisfied with water, your weird, but try a Minute Maid Orange Juice, 150 calories, 0g of fat and at least you get 2g of protein and some good old vitamin C - or you can always choose milk, yummy calcium to keep your bones happy and healthy.

Instead of choosing the ever-so-tempting french fries (220 calories, 11g of fat and 500 mg of sodium), stick to the garden salad. It’s the healthiest side available at BK with only 120 calories and 7g of fat. Plus, those scrumptious greens are filled with protein, fibre and vitamins. But beware of salad dressing, some can have as much calories and fat as a deep fried chicken sandwich. The dressing of choice is balsamic vinegar and oil.

Surprisingly (read: ridiculously inexplicable), the onion rings are less damaging than the french fries with 150 calories, 8g of fat and 290mg of sodium. While those stats aren’t all too impressive, the 2g of protein and 2g of fiber make the onion rings pretty passable.

DING! fries are done:


Ultimately, it’s best to stay away from french fries and coke. As for desert, you don't need it, especially these apple fries. If you’re trying to eat healthy don’t go to Burger King and if you have to stuff your face with BK then at least say no to the sweets.
source

Perhaps the most damning evidence against Burger King is the sodium content of all its burgers. The Dietitians of Canada website states that in order to prevent high blood pressure, heart disease and stroke, a typical serving should contain no more than 200mg of sodium. We determined that the BK Veggie Burger was healthiest, but it contains more than three times the suggested amount of sodium per serving with 640mg. The Flame Broiled Hamburger contains the lowest amount of sodium, but it still has 500mg. Even the side salad has 500mg of sodium, for crying out loud!

In conclusion, most of the food we mentioned isn’t all that unhealthy if enjoyed in moderation. Though it pains us to admit, you could probably eat somewhat healthily if Burger King was your only option.

But it isn’t your only option.

So go eat some celery or something.