Why You Should Skip the Fries and Order a Second Burger (2024)
You wouldn't expect a registered dietitian to advocate for eating multiple hamburgers in a day, let alone a single meal, but Emily Field advises to do exactly that in a recent Business Insider story.
It's surprising for sure, but the reasoning makes sense. Most people will order a side of fries with their burger as the sandwich alone may not be enough. However, an order of fries adds a hefty number of calories without delivering nutrients to help keep you full and regulate blood sugar. The additional burger will tack on roughly the same amount of calories, but with much more protein.
A regular hamburger from McDonald's, for example, has 250 calories, 8 grams of fat and 13 grams of protein. A small order of French fries has 230 calories, 11 grams of fat but only 3 grams of protein.
As Business Insider reports, Field believes this approach is healthier because it balances, fat, carbohydrates and protein, the three building blocks of every food item, rather than just ingesting empty calories.
The two-burger-no-fries benefit comes down to the additional protein. Carbohydrates provide most of the energy that fuels our daily activities and allows us to go for that jog. But choosing simple carbs, like fried white potatoes, don't do a lot for you nutritionally. Proteins, which seem to be a bodybuilder's best friend, is often recommended by fitness enthusiast following some heavy lifting because they repair and build tissue.They're also important to our overall wellness, helping to ward off infections and keep us satiated throughout the day.
Dr. Michelle Hauser, chef and nutrition educator explained in a post on the Harvard Health blog, that this is why low-carb diets are so successful in weight loss. "Protein takes more energy for you to digest than refined carbohydrates, and also gives your body a feeling of satiety," said Hauser.
Although fats tend to get a bad reputation, our bodies need some to work properly. According to LiveScience, they protect our organs and help proteins work properly. And they help keep us full, too.
By choosing a second burger, you're essentially making the most of your calories as the burger and protein will provide more nutrition and likely extend the amount of time that you'll need to eat again.
While many dietitians likely wouldn't say that American diets lack protein, getting enough has been shown to keep weight down. A study from 2013 showed that in a two-year period, 43 percent of the women participants, who were between 40 and 60 years old, lost weight from consciously eating more protein.
Admittedly it's hard to skip the fries. After all, we've been trained to eat spuds with our burger as a standard match made in heaven. But Field believes people will be swayed after implementing her technique. "Try it out and see how you feel," she said.
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"By swapping the fries for a second burger, you're nearly doubling your protein intake while reducing the amount of fat and carbs you're eating", she explained to the publication. "Since fast-food is already high in fat and carbs and pretty low in protein, this simple switch could help steady your blood sugar levels."
An order of French fries is often equivalent to the calories in a single cheeseburger, but contains none of the protein. So, if you're going to eat fast food, you may as well order two burgers in lieu of a burger and fries and get a lot more protein for the same caloric consumption.
That's right. Ditch the fries and pick up a second burger for a better approach to health. The simple reason? By upping your protein intake — thanks to each burger's meat content — you'll be kept satiated for longer, your blood sugar levels will remain in-check and your daily calorie goal will be easier to meet.
Nutritionist Emily Field, explains that the protein in a burger keeps you full, while carbohydrates give you energy, and fat helps you absorb vitamins and minerals. So, if you eat two burgers, you're getting more amounts of these, which will keep you fuller for longer, and also stop you binging later in the day.
In fact, the burger-first method is one of the ways I try to enhance my fry-eating experience. Especially with a particularly messy burger, you're losing a lot of sauces and toppings that drip out with each bite. Eat the burger over your fries and you've got some ready-to-go loaded potatoes to finish up the meal.
The high sodium content in burgers is also a concern, as consuming too much sodium can have negative effects on health . Overall, the combination of high saturated fat, potential trans-fatty acids, and high sodium content makes burgers an unhealthy food choice.
While the chips are delicious and the milkshake is arguably a must, dietician Emily Field says having two burgers will offer more protein and balance your blood sugar, while reducing the amount of fat and carbs you'd be consuming if you had the fries.
As we've seen, French fries are high in calories. This comes from the carbohydrates in the potatoes and the oil absorbed during frying. Taking in high-calorie foods like French fries leads to weight gain and obesity. Over time, this may rise your risk of chronic diseases like heart disease and type 2 diabetes.
A double-cheeseburger with large fries and a large soda can easily add up for your calorie intake for a whole day in just one meal. And that doesn't take into account other negative components like sodium and saturated fats.
If you are trying to lose weight or improve your health, you may want to limit your burger intake to once every two weeks or so. And if you have a specific medical condition that requires you to watch your fat or cholesterol intake, you'll need to be even more careful about how often you eat burgers.
Generally speaking, foods that are high in protein, fiber and/or water keep you full longer as those substances literally fill your stomach up, and mass is important here. Boiled or baked potatoes kept people feeling full longer (323%) than anything else, while french fries ranked relatively low at 116%.
If it is refrigerated promptly (within two hours at room temperature; or one hour if surrounding temperature is above 90 °F), it can be safely kept for about three or four days stored in the refrigerator (40 F or less). If frozen, it should keep its quality for about four months.
"Eating fast food once a week should not affect anyone as long as they have a balanced diet rich in whole foods besides that one time," he says. "Fast food should be limited as much as possible but one time a week is usually the recommendation since many people are eating fast-food at least three times per week."
For many people following low calorie diets, ``cheat meals'' are a must. A cheat meal is essentially one planned meal (or meal deviation) a week where you can eat anything you want that you wouldn't normally eat as part of your diet -- pizza, burger and fries, tacos, whatever you have a hankering for.
Even if you're watching your waistline, you don't have to rule out burgers. The high protein content found in burgers is just one reason that the American menu staple can be incorporated into a healthy lifestyle and diet.
By emphasizing balance and overall health, there is room to eat the things you enjoy – yes, even burgers – and still lose weight. “I believe the healthiest you is the one where you feel comfortable being yourself, and that includes making choices without guilt.
Hamburgers should always be consumed responsibly as part of an overall balanced diet. Overindulging in burgers can lead to weight gain and other negative health effects, so it's important to practice portion control and opt for lean cuts of beef when possible.
Klodas said even though it varies from person to person, overall, red meat once a week at most is a good benchmark for most people. And one serving of meat is 3 ounces, according to the American Heart Association.
Introduction: My name is Edwin Metz, I am a fair, energetic, helpful, brave, outstanding, nice, helpful person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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