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Sunday, February 3, 2008

Risky Burger Business

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Well, once again the American classic, the hamburger, is under fire from the medical community. In an article from CBSnews.com, researchers have found that eating that good 'ole hamburger, fries, and soda boosts the risk of getting heart disease and diabetes. Surprised? I think not.

The studies show that eating just two hamburger patties and one diet soda per day substantially increases the risk for heart disease and diabetes, especially if combined with other risk factors such as a large waistline, elevated blood pressure, and elevated blood glucose.

Study participants who ate more fried foods, red meat, refined grains, and soda (with less fruits, vegetables and whole-grains) were more likely to develop diabetes and heart disease. This diet was named the “Western” diet by researchers. According to the article,“The development of metabolic syndrome was linked overall with eating the Western diet, even after...adjusted for such variables as smoking, calorie intake, and physical activity.”


I take this study as a second (or third, or fourth) warning for all those fast food lovers out there. It's even more important for our health to make better choices, and that age old adage “everything in moderation” is still true!


You can check out the article here.


Nicole RD,LD/N
Nutrition Specialist


“A healthy body is a good body”

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February 16, 2008 2:05 PM  

dibeties -i have been told by a dr. most dibeties is inheritied threw our family genes and a person who has a parent with it is at risk to get it but if you have two parents that have a histroy you have a very high risk of getting it! but diet can play apart in it also but the family gene thing ranks higher.

February 20, 2008 8:09 AM  

For those of us who follow a low-carb diet, we absolutely DO believe it's the REFINED carbs and STARCHES (buns and fries from that fast food meal) that cause the insulin spikes that make us not only STORE fat (insulin is our fat storage hormone), but it also causes our TRIG to rise and therefore THAT is the TRUE cause of the bad cholesterol problems and even the diabetes (as the TRIG are certainly tied into the sugars in our blood).

If it weren't so, than why does following a low carb diet cause such DRAMATIC differences in blood cholesterols and blood sugars??? My husband has gone OFF of his Lipitor and my 16 year old daughter has lost 60lbs and gone OFF of her diabetic meds following this diet (with the doctors approval of course). It's a miracle! Not really - it's just a natural course of "treatment".

February 20, 2008 9:33 AM  

DUH! Show me the person what doesn't know eating red meat, fried foods, refined grains and soda will give them heart disease and diabetes... Everything said in this article is common sense. If you eat 2 hamburger patties and soda EVERYDAY of course you're going to increase your risk of heart disease and diabetes!

February 20, 2008 11:01 AM  

I have a question, more than a comment. Everyone knows that soda pop is not good for you, also fries. What I want to know is if you eat just a burger you know like a big mac, two all beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickle, onion, on a seasame seed bun. Then take an apple and some water and call that lunch. How would that change the equation. Other words what makes the hamburger so bad, or is it all the stuff we usually eat with it?

February 20, 2008 11:23 AM  

The problem is not the BURGER (or even the bun, fries and drink). The problem is a steady diet of all of the above. Depriving oneself of all less than healthy yet pleasureable foods is not the answer either. Many people can sustain that for a period of time, but not indefinitely, which give way to yo-yo dieting.

I eat very little red mean (in truth I don't care for it much, so that helps) but every once in a while, I want a good burger. There's a nearby restaurant that gets fresh ground beef daily, serves their burgers on whole grain english muffins and they can be ordered with either fries or a side salad. I endulge two, maybe three times per year and that satisfies me. A marathoner, I am a lean 120 lbs with fairly low cholesterol.

Everyone has their drug of choice, though, and my sympathies go out to those for whom it is Mickey D's.

February 20, 2008 12:09 PM  

After I found out I had diabetes and high cholesterol I immediately changed my diet. It did take a year because you are given a bunch of phamplets and told to read and do. Well, did that and my A1C level is a 6.4 and my cholesterol levels are so low the doctor can't believe it. They are at almost lower than normal levels. I was the chip and dip person and that was my downfall. Also looking at the history of my family's eating habits did not help either. You are all right on everything you've posted and it is common sense after a while. You can't just blame genes and family. If you are an adult you have to take some responsibility and thank God I did!

February 20, 2008 5:06 PM  

Let's see; the study says, ". . . eating just two hamburger patties and one diet soda a day. . ." Well, DUH!!! I guess there are some dunderheads who eat like this, but I tend to think that the vast majority of us folks who subscribe to these kind of emails and blogs are some pretty common sense folks who are wise to the risks. How about putting out some NEW info and quit preaching to the choir.

February 21, 2008 2:23 PM  

A ground sirloin burger on a whole grain roll with lots of veggies is actually a pretty healthy alternative to the fast food varieties. And just as delicious cuz I really don't like greasy burgers. I eat these pretty frequently and have a low to healthy bmi.

February 29, 2008 12:11 AM  

Why is it meat gets grouped in with fries, cooked in "franken-fat" hydro oils, diet soda another "franken-food" and refined grains. I agree with Low Carb Band-it completely. When are we going to stop villifying meat? I don't agree with the way meat is raised now, but at least it's real. Most of the food in the American diet isn't. Everything is so adulterated and altered from hydrogenation to microwaving to chemically enhancing, our bodies are bound to show the effects. Human beings have survived and grown stronger eating meat for centuries and centuries. Only very small cultures shunned meat. Probably because it wasn't available to them and they lost the ability to produce the enzymes needed to digest meat. Something that happened to me years ago when I thought it hip to be vegetarian, I also became anemic and sickly. I eat red meat, butter, whole milk and cream and have normal cholesterol. It's all the sugars and grains in the SAD (standard American diet) that's causing all the diabetes, high cholesterol and heart disease. Look at how the rates have skyrocketed although average meat consumption has declined. My mother died at fify seven of raging heart disease and diabetes, she never liked meat and ate a diet very high in starches, sugars and grains and little or no meats. My grandmother on the other hand ate pork fat, red meat, eggs, butter and lard every day and lived to be ninety seven. Go figure.

February 29, 2008 5:54 PM  

We are told day after day in many ways and as bluntly as possible, it's not safe to eat the "western diet" ~ first time I've heard it called that though ~ so even if genetics plays a role, we can not avoid responsibility for our decisions and actions, day after day, nor discount the validity of such studies. It is my life I am thinking about when I decide what kind of food to eat. I have to leave off or get help, like here with you. Ultimately this is the body that holds my life and my passion is dependent on daily diet choices. Thanks for the help. EAB

March 2, 2008 3:34 AM  

Knowing the quality of the meat that makes up the burger is paramount. Here's a little chef's secret, use only the freshest ground sirloin or ground round and mix the meat with some crushed ice before making the patties; lighty brush both sides with a good non hydrogenated, plant based, oil - Do not overcook them! Then treat them like a roast by placing them on a plate and covering loosely with foil for about 5 minutes before serving-m-m; can anyone say juicy? Serve it on a whole grain bun or omit it altogether. Make sure to have a side of healthy salad with lots of dark green leaves and fresh veggies of your choice; then spray with lite EVOE & organic Apple Cider vinegar (you can buy that online). Fries can be made in the oven by placing the cut spuds on a lightly sprayed cookie sheet(lined with foil to facilitate easy clean up). Don't forget to lightly spray the spuds too. As for the soda pop, why not try one of the flavored seltzers? I make a kicker egg cream with vanilla flavored soy milk and plain seltzer. Don't overlook the negative effects of a glass of whatever that's loaded with ice that impedes the digestive process. I'm willing to do the work to enjoy the classic American fave.

March 2, 2008 3:22 PM  

Nothing new in this article. Almost everyone knows that a steady diet of burgers, fries and soft drink is unhealthy; but it is quick and easy, which is what many people are looking for. My husband had 7 heart by-passes at age 67, although he had been on a low fat diet for more than 40 years because I have a very low tolerance for dietary fat. He was not overweight, did not have high cholestrol or high blood pressure. His father died of sudden heart attack at age 47, so maybe a good diet was beneficial.

March 26, 2008 9:44 PM  

I think that it will be hard for Americans to stop eating burgers. I think for some people health isn't important enough to stop eating them. This is important: A burger will taste good for 10 minutes, but your health is forever.


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