High cholesterol is a risk factor for heart disease, and one way to lower your cholesterol is by improving your diet. A heart-healthy diet is high in dietary fiber, antioxidant vitamins and unsaturated fats, and hamburgers can be high in cholesterol-raising components. You may be able to eat hamburgers if you have high cholesterol, but make sure to eat them only in moderation as part of a balanced diet.
Portion Size
Portion size is a critical factor in whether you can eat a hamburger, because if you are overweight, losing even a small amount of weight can lower your cholesterol levels, notes MayoClinic.com. A hamburger from a fast food restaurant, with a single, regular-sized patty weighs about 4 oz.. including the bun and dressings, and has 294 calories, 11 g fat and 33 mg cholesterol. A triple hamburger from a fast food restaurant weighs 9 oz. and has 692 calories, 42 g total fat and 142 mg cholesterol. Keep the calories lower by avoiding high-fat condiments, such as mayonnaise or creamy sauce.
Saturated Fat
Saturated fat raises your cholesterol levels, and you should limit your intake to no more than 7 percent of your total calories, or 15 g saturated fat per day on a 2,000-calorie diet. You can lower the total and saturated fat by making your hamburger patties with extra lean ground beef instead of higher-fat beef. A 2-oz. portion of raw 95 percent lean ground beef has 3 g total fat and 1 g saturated fat, while the same amount of 75 percent lean beef has 14 g total fat and 5 g saturated fat.
Cholesterol
Cholesterol from your food can raise your blood cholesterol levels, and if you have high cholesterol, you should have no more than 200 mg per day, according to the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Extra lean ground beef and fatty ground beef both have about 35 to 43 mg cholesterol in a serving size of 2 oz., and if you are craving hamburger, compensate for the rest of the day by limiting your cholesterol intake from other foods.
Alternatives
A healthier option for hamburgers, if you have high cholesterol, is to eat alternatives without beef, such as fat-free ground turkey. All vegetarian options are cholesterol-free, and a small, 2-oz. veggie burger patty has only 1 g saturated fat. It also has 2.7 g dietary fiber, which can help lower your cholesterol levels. Limit your calories and saturated fat by eating your hamburger without butter or cheese, and increase your dietary fiber and vitamin intake by having your burger on a whole-wheat bun with vegetables to garnish it.
References
- MayoClinic.com; Top 5 Lifestyle Changes to Reduce Cholesterol; May 2010
- U.S. Department of Agriculture: Fast Foods
- U.S. Department of Agriculture: Beef Products
- U.S. Department of Agriculture: Legumes and Legume Products
- U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2010; January 2010
