Already know that fast food is bad for health, but the budget is only enough to eat at fast food restaurants? You are not alone. This is a dilemma that many people often face. Finding a healthy fast food menu is indeed very difficult. You usually only have two filling options between burgers and fried chicken. Of these two foods, have you ever thought about their nutritional content? Which is healthier between burgers or fried chicken?
Comparison of the nutritional value of burgers and fried chicken in fast food restaurants
At first glance, both are equally unhealthy. Burgers and friend chicken are both high in saturated fat, which can increase your risk of heart disease and obesity if you eat too much of it. However, both still have differences in nutritional content that you should consider.
Fast food burger nutrition
Per one serving of fast food beef burger on average contains:
Calories: 267 kcal
Fat: 10 grams
Protein: 11 grams
Carbohydrates: 33 grams
Fried chicken nutritional content
Per one serving of fried chicken fast food restaurant on average contains:
Calories: 298 kcal
Fat: 16.8 grams
Protein: 34.2 grams
Carbohydrates: 0.1 grams
From the nutritional value it is clear that fried chicken contains more calories and fat than burgers. This is also influenced by how to cook it: baked and fried.
Which is healthier between burgers and fried chicken?
The hot temperature when frying chicken and grilling burgers makes the water and protein content of the meat disappear and is replaced by trans fat from vegetable oil. This absorbed fat causes your food that was low in calories to become high in calories. In fact, it is known that the increase in calories that occurs can reach 64% of the previous calories.
The extra calories obtained from this cooking technique do not take into account the additional carbohydrates from the fine flour mixture on the skin of the fried chicken and a cup of burger buns. What’s more, most people can’t get enough of just a restaurants burger or friend chicken without extra fries or rice. These two companion menus also play a role in increasing the excessive supply of carbohydrates.
The more carbohydrates you eat, the more calories that enter the body and are stored as fat deposits. The more fat in your body, the more you are at risk of being overweight, overweight (obese), and diabetes.
So, which is healthier between burgers and fried chicken? According to Kristin Kirkpatrick, a nutritionist from the Cleveland Clinic, if you’re stuck on a serving of cheese burger with vegetable toppings (without the additional menu of French fries, OK!) it’s still better than fried chicken. Even so, there is concern about the content of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) which have the potential to cause cancer in meat cooked by grilling or grilling.
Make healthier burgers and fried chicken
A serving of burger is generally healthier than fried chicken. But if you really have a craving for restaurants junk food, you better make it yourself in a healthier way. Come on, follow the easy way below.
Remove the skin. The crispy skin is the best part to eat. However, you are better off separating the skin to reduce the fat and calorie content of your homemade fried chicken.
Soak the chicken in buttermilk. Why? Because this aims to break down the protein in the meat so that it makes it soft when cooked. This can also make the spices that you put in more pervasive.
Avoid the deep fry method. For a healthier one, you can use the oven. Eits, make no mistake. Using this oven can still make your fried chicken delicious and crunchy, you know! Preheat the oven to 200 degrees celsius at the start, add the chicken, and start the oven.
Well, for the burger itself, you can also make a healthy burger in the following way:
Use lean beef. If you can’t eat meat, you can use other ingredients instead of meat, such as mushrooms, eggs, tofu, tempeh, and so on.
Cook the burgers over medium heat and make sure they cook evenly. This aims to reduce the risk of carcinogens resulting from high temperatures.
Stuff the burgers with healthy ingredients, like tomatoes, lettuce, onions, eggs, cheese, mayonnaise and sauces.