Animal products contain dietary cholesterol and saturated fat, two substances that can raise your blood cholesterol levels and put you at risk for developing cardiovascular disease. Hamburgers contain relatively high amounts of both cholesterol and saturated fat. You can include hamburgers in a healthy diet if you severely restrict other sources of fat in your eating plan.
Saturated Fat and Cholesterol
You should include no more than 16 g to 22 g of saturated fat and no more than 200 mg to 300 mg of cholesterol in your daily diet. Follow the lower recommendations if your low-density lipoprotein -- LDL or "bad" cholesterol -- measures more than 160 mg/dl or your triglycerides, a type of fat in your bloodstream, measures more than 200 mg/dl -- milligrams per deciliter of blood. You should also follow the lower limits if you face any of these additional risk factors for heart disease: smoking, drinking more than one or two drinks a day, diabetes, high blood pressure or a family history of heart disease. If you're overweight, older than 50 and get little exercise, you also face higher risk for suffering a heart attack or stroke.
Fat and Cholesterol in Hamburger
A ¼ lb. hamburger made with lean ground beef contains 89 mg of cholesterol and 8 g of saturated fat. If you top your burger with cheddar cheese, you gain 30 mg of cholesterol and 6 g of saturated fat. This gives you a total of 119 mg of cholesterol and 14 g of saturated fat -- more than one-third of the maximum amount of cholesterol you should eat in a day and nearly all of the saturated fat. If your hamburger included two slices of cheese, you would exceed your saturated fat quota for the day.
Planning for Hamburgers in Your Menu
If you plan to eat a hamburger for lunch or dinner, make accommodations for its high cholesterol and saturated fat content in the rest of your menu choices for the day. If you eat a ¼ lb. hamburger, you only need 1 oz. or 2 oz. additional protein for the day. Choose protein very low in cholesterol and saturated fat. Good choices include pinto beans, halibut, water-packed tuna and salmon. The cheese provides some calcium. Get your additional one to two servings from non-fat milk or plain non-fat yogurt. Avoid butter, eggs, shrimp and organ meats.
Healthier Options
Make your hamburger more heart-friendly by choosing a smaller patty and omitting the cheese. Load it up with vegetables such as tomato, leaf lettuce, spinach and sprouts. Don't top it with mayonnaise. Use mustard instead. Add flax seed to the mustard for extra fiber and omega-3 fatty acids to protect your heart health. Opt for a multi-grain bun instead of white hamburger bun. Also, don't order fries or a regular soda with your hamburger. Fruit and water make better choices.
