Low Fat Burgers - Plus Cheese, Please!

Why not add the cheese on your burger? We can eat low fat versions and still enjoy them!

Cheeseburgers are an American tradition. We serve them at barbecues and picnics. We eat them at fast food restaurants, and we serve them from our grill in the backyard. We devour them, and happily. Health professionals frown at us. "They have too much fat content" our nutritionist tells us. "Bad for the heart", our cardiologist says. Should we just eliminate them from our diet? "It's propaganda!" We yell. Take our ice cream, our donuts, but don't take away our cheeseburgers. Finally, we ask the feared question, "do we have to eliminate cheeseburgers from our diet forever?" That is a dramatic option, but let's not be hasty. We have another option. If we can learn how to cook low fat, we can still have our favorite burger!

One way is to buy lean beef. To make it leaner than that, mix ground turkey with it.

Grilling the burger helps drain the fat off rather than pan frying, not to mention helping the taste.

We can still have cheese on on our burgers! The key is buying a low fat cheese. Many low fat cheese options are available. Mozzarella is known for this.

Finally, as with most things, moderation is the key. Cheese is an important part of getting enough calcium in our diets. Calcium keeps our bones and teeth healthy.

Here are two delicious recipes you can make in the comfort of your home or backyard, that are joyfully low in fat. Vegans will appreciate the second one.

Low Fat Cheeseburgers

One pound lean ground chuck. The leaner the meat is the less fat there is. You can also mix a half pound ground chuck with a half pound of ground turkey for even less fat intake.

One egg white

2 pieces of low fat dried out bread. Whole wheat is a good choice. Just leave the bread out for a day and it will be nicely dried the next day.

1/4 cup A-1 sauce. Worcestershire is also an option but A-1 adds more flavor. The sauce also adds moisture to your meat.

Seasoning Salt

One piece low fat cheese

1/2 cup onion (optional)