EXTRA SKINNY BURGERS PLEASE!

Hmmm….  a juicy burger is a for sure All American favorite food for many including myself at one time or another. From the time I was 6 years old to 14 years old I have vivid memories of my anticipated excitement running out after skating lessons every Saturday afternoon  and Tuesday night to McDonalds to get my hands on a mouthwatering junior cheeseburger with small fries. However, fast forward 20 years later and I am no longer addicted to the Golden Arches. Over the years I have changed my mindset to one that no longer craves heavy burgers, but instead I crave the skinny version!  If your struggling to lose weight or just need to find a balanced diet without strict limits then you have come to the right place.  Tell yourself that you deserve the lighter versions of burgers and meals and that you are  worth it!  Just reprogram your thoughts that every time you bite into a skinny burger that your transforming your life into one of bliss where mind and body are one.  With this idea in mind ,you can now apply the SIMPLY DELISH GUIDELINE TO CREATING AN EXTRA SKINNY BURGER . Whether you’re  craving a hamburger, turkey burger, chicken burger, or even if your a vegetarian and love the veggie or vegan burgers the hidden truth is that it’s super easy to fall into the trap of adding thousands of calories through the intake of any burger dish. The good news is I want you to forget everything you know about burgers, and listen to an easy guideline for you to follow every time you eat a burger dish. Therefore, you don’t have to stress about the calories but instead focus on the principals that I talk about.

• START OFF EXTRA LEAN: If you don’t go for a veggie or tofu burger this concept applies primarily to the meat burger which usually is turkey, bison, chicken, and beef. The leaner the meat the better it is for you.  The USDA defines ‘lean’ as meat containing less than 10 grams of total fat, 4.5 grams or less of saturated fat and less than 95 milligrams of cholesterol per 100 grams cooked serving. You can also opt for extra lean for further reductions. Turkey, and Chicken, are the leanest meat choices. However ,you can still do a beef burger but make sure you go for the leanest cut, and Bison is a great alternative to beef because it’s even leaner.

• INGREDIENTS AND SODIUM LEVELS: If your cooking burgers at home this is a lot easier to follow than when you are out at a restaurant. With prepackaged burgers like veggie, tofu, portabella, and even turkey look at ingredients and make sure to go with natural brands that focus on real ingredients. When burgers are  packaged they are more prone  to have  artificial ingredients or fillers within the meat.  Also, note it’s better to make burgers of any kind especially this pertains to veggie and vegan burgers from raw ingredients than in the frozen section. This is because typically frozen food burgers are higher in sodium, rather than the ground meat.  Also, when cooking stick to  a non-fat cooking spray or a natural olive oil spray.

• PORTION SIZE: Portions are super important to keep in mind with any meal.  Go for  one serving only and the standard size meat by the USDA is 3 ounces and should be the size of a hockey puck. Most restaurants serve slightly larger when it comes to burgers-turkey, beef, and veggie and  that’s usually 4 ounces which is referred to as a quarter pound of meat. 4 ounces is fine but remember only one burger at a time. Don't help yourself to seconds because that's too much food for an everyday active person, unless your working out like Olympian Michael Phelps! 

• BREAD: When it comes to the bun or the bread section forget anything white.  Any white carbohydrate will just turn into sugar in the blood stream. Think whole grain bread because it contains all parts of the grain kernel, which is filled with  more protein, fiber and nutrients than most other breads. Read the ingredients on any package of bread making sure it’s a grain  bread, or even a bread that is full of high protein and fiber, and these are often fitness breads.  If you do go for bread I recommend one piece, however if your really hungry, or have a taller frame two pieces is fine too. For those who really want a low carbohydrate burger you can opt for lettuce as a wrap

•  CUT OUT THE CHEESE: To make your burger extra lean forget any cheese especially when eating meat.  Cheese is often high in fat and can add up to extra calories. Cheese is fine with other foods, but it’s best to stay away from especially with meat burgers. If you still want to a cheese burger go for low fat cheeses in the grocery store and if your out at a restaurant stick to white cheese over yellow cheese, and tell the server light on the cheese or one piece. Typically, white cheeses like swiss, and mozzarella are lighter and lower in fat than yellow cheeses like American or Cheddar. 

• LOAD UP WITH HEALTHY OPTIONS: A Typical burger can be hundreds of  extra calories by what you load on top of it. Stay away from heavy fats, cheese, white carbohydrates, fried food, and go for greens like tomatoes, mushrooms, cucumbers, lettuce and even half of an avocado is healthy.
  
  
  

• AVOID OR MINIMIZE CONDIMENTS: Condiments are those sneaky calories that often times we don’t take it account.  Mayo is loaded with tons of fat, and Ketchup and barbeque sauce on the other hand is loaded with lots of sugar. The good news is you can still add zest to your burger through the guacamole, salsa, hummus, tomatoes, olives, lowfat yogurt based dressing, or even mangos. Remember when adding guacomole, hummus, or yogurt based dressing since these contain healthy fats just add enought so it's covering the whole burger but's it's not overflowing, by doing this it keeps proportions in check, but no calorie counting is needed!
  
  

• ADD HEALTHY SIDES THAT HAVE FIBER:Forget the French fries, potatoes, onion rings, or chips.  Focus on side dishes like green salads, roasted vegetables, grilled asparagus, small cup of veggie soup, or a plate of high fiber fruit like melon, cantaloupe, or even sliced apples.

• FORGET HEAVY DESSERT:With this meal don’t have any heavy dessert. If your craving something sweet go for a piece of fruit like a banana, apple, cup of grapes, slices of watermelon, a peach. small flavored greek yogurt, or two small pieces of dark chocolate.

•  WATER: Always drink water, and stay away from any sodas even diet or sugary juices. If water is not your thing then add a sugar free crystal light mix to your water or go for a flavored water that has no calories or sugar.  Another idea is to add lemon and some Truvia sugar to your water to make a calorie and sugar free version of lemonade

After this reading I hope the next time your tempted to eat a heavy burger whether it's a loaded veggie burger with truffle fries and cheese or just a regular cheeseburger topped with heavy condiments like mayo on white bread  you will reprogram your thoughts to know you deserve to treat your body and mind better and thats by ordering an  extra skinny burger! 

DISCLAIMER: The nutritional, fitness, and well-being information on this site is not intended to be a substitute for professional nutritional or  medical advice. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. 

 For more information go to www.simplydelish4u.com