# Burger and fast food alternatives.



## Hruberen (Jan 2, 2012)

I recently finished Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser, which has me really turned off from eating burgers, my favorite food. I was wondering if instead of say, going to Wendy's and ordering a Baconator, if there was a less gross and healthier way to acquire my favorite food.


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## Devin87 (May 15, 2011)

It takes longer and is more expensive, but make it yourself with local, grassfed meat? No need to give up delicious, bacony burgers if you control the quality of the ingredients.


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## Hruberen (Jan 2, 2012)

Where can I buy grassfed meat? There aren't any cattle ranchers nearby that I know of.

Are there any restaurants that serve grassfed beef? Can they prove it?


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## Antipode (Jul 8, 2012)

Fast Food is so gross yet soooooo good :/ it's tough.

But I do go to stores and buy a bag of salad which south western grilled chicken and cucumbers and make a large salad that I can make a bowl from for a few days. It tastes great. Little ranch on top.


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## PowerShell (Feb 3, 2013)

Since I live in a more rural area, a local burger joint only serves meat from a local meat processing plant (well beef at least). I know the majority of cows are allowed to graze and eat grass around here since I can see it when I drive by. Not sure if they're full grass-fed but most are from what I can see. I'd say find a more local place because they are most likely sourcing their food from another local source vs a fast food chain that is sourcing their food some who knows where (and doing who knows what to make it economical to ship it that far).


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## Mr. Meepers (May 31, 2012)

Some alternatives I've tried was to try different veggie burgers. ... Some veggie burgers try to have their own taste, while others come close to the taste of a hamburger (note: note all these burgers are vegan, some of them contain egg whites and milk). ... I'll list a few that taste more like hamburgers that I have had

Boca Burgers:
Original grillers (very low fat 70 calories ... I think this one is vegan ... If that matters to you, you should check the label/ingredients ... If I want to have a double cheeseburger, I like to use this as one of the patties)
American Flame Grilled (120 calories ... has a small amount of cholesterol, while the others are cholesterol free)

Morning Star:
Original grillers (130 calories ... I think it is the tastiest ... and has the most vitamins of the ones I am going to list)
Prime grillers (170 calories)

Cheese:
Galaxy Cheese makes a few "cheeses" (some vegan and some not), but, for the most part, only the not vegan line is available in my area (but that is the cheese filled with the most vitamins in their line, according to their website, and I'm just eating this for taste and to fight genetics , so no complaints from me)
Go Veggie (line) American Cheese is pretty good (the cheddar slices are okay ... the shredded cheddar and mozzarella slices I would only use in cooking) ... I could eat it by itself and enjoy it a lot (Not Land O'Lakes good, but good enough not to miss it)
I should add that other companies make veggie cheese as well (so far, my favorite cheddar comes from a company that makes almond cheese)

Go Veggie: American Cheese Slices (40 calories each) ... I like to use two slices because I love cheese 

Bacon:
I know this is heresy to say, but I don't like bacon (but I love salami ... go figure ) ... but both Morning Star and Lightlife make veggie "bacon" (I think all lightlife product are vegan, I'd have to check though). The Light life bacon is fat free, while Morning Star's bacon has some fat. So, try them both and see if you like either.


As far as other toppings, just put whatever else you want on your bacon cheeseburger (personally, I like switching lettuce out for spinach leaves)


I'll be honest ... None of these burgers will probably taste as good as a Wendy's patty, but they are good enough where you won't miss a Wendy's Patty ... especially when you put all the things together ... And if it is not good enough, maybe you can put in a topping that makes it good enough, such as sauted onions or something ... although I think it tastes good with spinach, pickles, ketchup, and tomatoes


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## PowerShell (Feb 3, 2013)

You could always buy a gun and obtain another form of fast food  My favorite is whitetail deer venison


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## Snakecharmer (Oct 26, 2010)

I love burgers (esp with cheese and bacon), so I have them about 2x/month. I don't eat the bun, though. No grains here.

Trader Joe's and Whole Foods sell grass-fed beef. If you don't have those stores in your area, you can probably find it in other grocery stores or maybe even from a local farmer.


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## android654 (Jan 19, 2010)

I agree with the others, grassfed beef patties and cheese are a good alternative but can be a little pricey and hard to find depending on where you live. Personally I worry more about cals, protein, and fat content when buying meat as its the best indicator of its quality. I think somewhere around 200:26 is the average calorie to protein ratio for 5oz of beef patties. If you can't fund grass fed look for something in that range and keep an eye on the saturated fats and you should be ok. As for fries, learn about roots other than potatoes. Sweet potatoes, yams, yuca root, plantains and a whole bunch of others can be stripped to make fries. Just bake them rather than frying and add some coconut or olive oil before you shove them in the oven and you'll never want a potato again.


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## Snakecharmer (Oct 26, 2010)

android654 said:


> As for fries, learn about roots other than potatoes. Sweet potatoes, yams, yuca root, plantains and a whole bunch of others can be stripped to make fries. Just bake them rather than frying and add some coconut or olive oil before you shove them in the oven and you'll never want a potato again.


Sweet potato fries are delicious. I buy Alexa brand with the chipotle seasoning. Super yum!

I've also made homemade sweet potato "chips" too - just slice sweet potatoes into circles, mix in a bowl with olive oil and salt and pepper, and bake them until they are crispy. 

Gosh, I really want a burger now. With bacon, of course. And cheese. Yep.


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## Hruberen (Jan 2, 2012)

Thank you for all the responses!


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## Greenfeldspar (Nov 3, 2009)

Middle Eastern fast food is both healthy and delicious. Falafel wraps with pickled beets... Those kick ass. Also, Indian fast food can be pretty healthy if you avoid the richer dishes and go for chick pea and vegetable-based ones. 

Strangely, the salads at fast food places are among the highest in fat and calories, and are just generally really bad for you (unless you order a side salad with only dressing). Ugh... That one salad I ate and McDonald's last summer made me SO sick. NEVER AGAIN.


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## rosegeranium (Apr 1, 2013)

Japanese fast food is very good and you can make it very quickly! It isn't the same as what your favorite fast food, but they are very good and can be veganized or made healthier if you want!


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## Conk (Mar 26, 2013)

If you love fast food and don't want to give it up, then you are in luck!!!!


There is a documentary (no longer on Netflix, but is on Amazon Instant Video) called "Fat Head." A middle-aged guy eats nothing but fast food for 30 days and loses weight. And he did it mostly eating chicken and burgers, not just the traditional "healthy" stuff like salads. 

The movie has three basic sections:

The first is about debunking "Super Size Me." Mostly about how Morgan Spurlock lied quite often during his film to gain as much weight as he did, and how he constantly blames fast food for the obesity epidemic.

The second section is the politics and history of the current USDA food pyramid and how inaccurate it actually is to representing actual healthy human nutrition requirements. The protein to fat to carbohydrate ratio the food pyramid uses to "slim down" humans is the same percentages farmers use to fatten livestock before slaughter.

Thefinal and most important section is about the biochemistry behind fat gain/fat loss, and how you can be healthy while eating fast food.

At the end of the film, the main guy loses 12 lbs, lowers his cholesterol, and lowers his b ody fat percentage by 3% only eating fast food.


If you really love burgers, you should check it out.

Fat Head (2009) - IMDb


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## Devin87 (May 15, 2011)

If you go to Tom (The Fat Head guy)'s blog, you'll see he no longer eats that junk at all. He started out proving that fast food isn't the demon everyone makes it out to be, but now he eats strictly primal-- local, organic, vegetables and fruits and grassfed meats, eggs from his own chickens, etc. He even moved his family from LA where they were in the movie to a farm in Tennessee. So when you watch that movie (and everyone should), take the greater message away (fat good, refined grains and oils bad), but don't see it as "fast food is good for you". It's still not-- it's just not the cause of all our problems like a huge number of people make it out to be.

Here's an updated ending to the video with an update and some more information:


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## Cher Zee (Feb 15, 2012)

Hmmm, that Fat Head thing looks interesting. When I get a chance I'm going to watch it (it's online.)


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## android654 (Jan 19, 2010)

Devin87 said:


> (fat good, refined grains and oils bad)


Just to clarify, some oils are essential fats (coconut oil, avocado oil, olive oil, etc.)

People complicate the issue of food way too much. To quote Stallone "For every meal, eat something green and something with a face on it. Lift something heavy and you'll be around forever." You don't have to complicate it more than that.


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## Snakecharmer (Oct 26, 2010)

android654 said:


> Just to clarify, some oils are essential fats (coconut oil, avocado oil, olive oil, etc.)
> 
> People complicate the issue of food way too much. To quote Stallone "For every meal, eat something green and something with a face on it. Lift something heavy and you'll be around forever." You don't have to complicate it more than that.


This is exactly the philosophy I've been working on adopting.

I'm tired of obsessing over every little thing, diet-wise. I'm eating real food, nothing processed, and not worrying too much about every little calorie.

Funny thing...my lifts have gone up significantly and I look a hell of a lot better.


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## Proteus (Mar 5, 2010)

I really like the Morningstar Tomato and Basil Veggie Burgers. 










Black bean burgers are really good too. Lots of restaurants offer these as a vegetarian alternative. Don't eat these with the idea that they're going to emulate the taste of beef burgers, but as a similar meal with its own unique taste. You can also put whatever on them to help add to the flavor (I put bacon on them sometimes).

Avocado is also a great additive to a sandwich to get some more protein in a healthy way.


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## android654 (Jan 19, 2010)

Snakecharmer said:


> This is exactly the philosophy I've been working on adopting.
> 
> I'm tired of obsessing over every little thing, diet-wise. I'm eating real food, nothing processed, and not worrying too much about every little calorie.
> 
> Funny thing...my lifts have gone up significantly and I look a hell of a lot better.



Well, you know how it is. I mean, you've done this for a living and you know when you get into bodybuilding there's a need to be educated on what you're doing which in essence is a good thing. I know I would've gotten results faster, sooner if I had learned about Paleo from the beginning rather than experimenting with my body over the years. However, you'll come to a point where you realize it's the easiest thing in the world to do. Meat, veggies, nuts, fruit. Eat that in that order and its impossible not to reach whatever goal you set yourself up for in this or any other sport.


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## FlightsOfFancy (Dec 30, 2012)

I am quite surprised how good tofu burgers can be, and exceedinly quick to make.

Firm tofu 
+ 2 eggs
+ breadcrumbs
+ your own seasonings 
= delicious.

Almost neglibile fat content. Of course, you need to gauge your sensitivity to legumes.


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## rosegeranium (Apr 1, 2013)

Take mashed potatoes and add whatever you want to them, then form into thin patties and fry them up.

I'm a veg so I add scallions, shredded carrots, tofurky sausages...but if you are a meat eater you can add bacon, chopped chicken, cheese, etc...Just form patties as if they were burger patties and fry them in oil til they are browned on both sides. Really good!


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## Philosophaser Song Boy (Jan 16, 2011)

Cook your own food, and leave enough for leftovers... then it is even faster to prepare than sitting and paying in a drive-thru.


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## Allocen (Apr 15, 2013)

Buy the following
boneless chicken breast.
wheat bread
basil leaves
tomatoes
lettuce
olive oil
mixed peppers


sear the chicken breast on olive oil and put some pepper

toast the wheat bread and put some cheese if you wish.

cut tomatoes and lettuce

put basil leaves in blender with olive oil and blend = pesto sauce

and make a healthy chicken pesto sandwich

or boil some pastas and put pesto sauce and cut chicken breasts = chicken pasta with pesto sauce.


this is very healthy.

strictly no salt or soy sauce no salty spices.


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## searcheagle (Sep 4, 2011)

Hruberen said:


> I recently finished Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser, which has me really turned off from eating burgers, my favorite food. I was wondering if instead of say, going to Wendy's and ordering a Baconator, if there was a less gross and healthier way to acquire my favorite food.


Well, you could skip the baconator and get another option from Wendy's. lol

Burger's aren't actually that unhealthy just don't get the massive Baconators and Big Macs. 

Baconator: 840 Calories
Wendy's Burger: 280 Calories

Wendy's also makes some healthy Grilled Chicken Sandwiches too.


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