Bunless burgers, anyone?
March 9, 2004 | 12:00am
Nope, America is not banning the bun, but there seems to be a low-carb craze sweeping the US, where obesity is one of the biggest health problems. There’s Burger King, which has come up with breadless (bunless) whoppers in a bid to curb the carb. Its full-page ad in USA Today shows a giant whopper with dotted lines to mark the outlines where a bun should have been. The Miami-based chain now sells its burgers in plastic salad bowls with knife and fork.
For those counting their carbs, here’s the score: A bunless whopper only has 3 grams of carbohydrates while a whopper with bun has 52 grams.
Even smaller burger chains like Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s are taking out the dreaded bread from some of their hamburgers and wrapping them instead in lettuce. TGI Friday’s has gone semi-breadless, too, serving its cheeseburger without the bun.
Pretty soon, when you order a burger, the attendant at the counter will probably ask, "Do you want a bun with that?"
Surely, breadmakers are finding the low-carb Atkins diet rage rather hard to swallow.
"A burger without bread? That’s crazy! That’s not a burger," says one burger lover who opts to order a regular burger over a bunless one at a Burger King in downtown Chicago.
Says a passionate bread lover, "Don’t blame the bread. Don’t blame the pasta. Blame yourself. Don’t eat so damn much."
Dietitian Connie Diekman says that the real meat of the issue is this: "We need to burn more carbohydrates – more physical activity – and eat less. The better option would be a smaller burger, maybe less often, and still have it on a bun so you control the calories and the fat."
Big burger chains like McDonald’s and Wendy’s have not bitten into the bunless craze but are nevertheless reinventing themselves. Both have beefed up their meaty offerings with entree salads. Our salad days are here again!
Whether they’re going bunless or not, burger buffs across America probably relish the fact that the burger war has taken a turn for the healthy. For instance, Burger King’s whopper meals are substituting salads for french fries and bottled water for soft drinks. BK is also coming up with a refreshing new line of salads.
Yup, for a healthy change, we want salad with our burger.
A health-conscious mom tells us why it’s not easy being healthy these days:
Dear Consumerline,
I’m a mother of almost three (one on the way). I just read your article about aspartame/saccharine. You’re right about how detrimental it is to our health. I’ve read a lot of issues concerning the side effects of these products with long-term use, as you’ve mentioned in your article. If I have to use sugar (and I do have a sweet tooth), I prefer brown sugar or muscovado since it’s more natural than refined sugar. But how about people with diabetes? Are sugar substitutes like saccharine and aspartame the only choice they have to soothe their sugar cravings?
I’m very health-conscious. But it’s not easy being "healthy" when a lot of the products around contain ingredients that are harmful to humans, especially children. For example, nitrites (found in almost all canned foods), hydrogenated oils (cookies or biscuits and even my favorite peanut butter), monosodium glutamate, preservatives. When you read product labels, there are ingredients that you haven’t even heard of. What about vegetable and fruit fertilizers? Organic veggies and fruits are hard to find. Is there anything out there that still has natural stuff in it?
It really bothers me how we can have such products on the market containing all these "poisons" that are approved by health authorities like the FDA. I guess the problem is they need hard evidence as to whether these artificial food supplements really cause such side effects. The scary part is you will only know that after long-term use.
I think that anything that is "artificial" won’t do us any good. I make sure to read all the ingredients before I buy any product. And, believe me, the choices are quite limited.
– Susan Ritter-Sangil
A reader shares a mouthful:
For four months now, I’ve been suffering from foul breath. One day, it just came out and I think even my saliva has developed a foul taste.
I have tried using various types of mouthwash but to no avail. My teeth are also clean. I don’t know where the problem is coming from.
I’ve been thinking of seeking medical advice, but I honestly do not know what type of doctor I should visit.
– HENRY
This answer comes straight from the mouth of Dr. Jeepy Perez who’s in public health and can be reached at tel. no. 687-7135: "The bacteria in your mouth react with the food particles left there. If you’re suffering from foul breath, the primary course of action is oral hygiene, for which you may go to a dentist. Outside of any problem in the mouth and for persistent, unrelieved symptoms, go to a GP (general practitioner) or an internist. Your foul breath could be related to your food intake. Some kinds of food taken in come out as foul air, like garlic and spicy food."
If there’s something bugging you and you think we can help, e-mail us at ching_alano@yahoo.com.
For those counting their carbs, here’s the score: A bunless whopper only has 3 grams of carbohydrates while a whopper with bun has 52 grams.
Even smaller burger chains like Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s are taking out the dreaded bread from some of their hamburgers and wrapping them instead in lettuce. TGI Friday’s has gone semi-breadless, too, serving its cheeseburger without the bun.
Pretty soon, when you order a burger, the attendant at the counter will probably ask, "Do you want a bun with that?"
Surely, breadmakers are finding the low-carb Atkins diet rage rather hard to swallow.
"A burger without bread? That’s crazy! That’s not a burger," says one burger lover who opts to order a regular burger over a bunless one at a Burger King in downtown Chicago.
Says a passionate bread lover, "Don’t blame the bread. Don’t blame the pasta. Blame yourself. Don’t eat so damn much."
Dietitian Connie Diekman says that the real meat of the issue is this: "We need to burn more carbohydrates – more physical activity – and eat less. The better option would be a smaller burger, maybe less often, and still have it on a bun so you control the calories and the fat."
Big burger chains like McDonald’s and Wendy’s have not bitten into the bunless craze but are nevertheless reinventing themselves. Both have beefed up their meaty offerings with entree salads. Our salad days are here again!
Whether they’re going bunless or not, burger buffs across America probably relish the fact that the burger war has taken a turn for the healthy. For instance, Burger King’s whopper meals are substituting salads for french fries and bottled water for soft drinks. BK is also coming up with a refreshing new line of salads.
Yup, for a healthy change, we want salad with our burger.
Dear Consumerline,
I’m a mother of almost three (one on the way). I just read your article about aspartame/saccharine. You’re right about how detrimental it is to our health. I’ve read a lot of issues concerning the side effects of these products with long-term use, as you’ve mentioned in your article. If I have to use sugar (and I do have a sweet tooth), I prefer brown sugar or muscovado since it’s more natural than refined sugar. But how about people with diabetes? Are sugar substitutes like saccharine and aspartame the only choice they have to soothe their sugar cravings?
I’m very health-conscious. But it’s not easy being "healthy" when a lot of the products around contain ingredients that are harmful to humans, especially children. For example, nitrites (found in almost all canned foods), hydrogenated oils (cookies or biscuits and even my favorite peanut butter), monosodium glutamate, preservatives. When you read product labels, there are ingredients that you haven’t even heard of. What about vegetable and fruit fertilizers? Organic veggies and fruits are hard to find. Is there anything out there that still has natural stuff in it?
It really bothers me how we can have such products on the market containing all these "poisons" that are approved by health authorities like the FDA. I guess the problem is they need hard evidence as to whether these artificial food supplements really cause such side effects. The scary part is you will only know that after long-term use.
I think that anything that is "artificial" won’t do us any good. I make sure to read all the ingredients before I buy any product. And, believe me, the choices are quite limited.
– Susan Ritter-Sangil
For four months now, I’ve been suffering from foul breath. One day, it just came out and I think even my saliva has developed a foul taste.
I have tried using various types of mouthwash but to no avail. My teeth are also clean. I don’t know where the problem is coming from.
I’ve been thinking of seeking medical advice, but I honestly do not know what type of doctor I should visit.
– HENRY
This answer comes straight from the mouth of Dr. Jeepy Perez who’s in public health and can be reached at tel. no. 687-7135: "The bacteria in your mouth react with the food particles left there. If you’re suffering from foul breath, the primary course of action is oral hygiene, for which you may go to a dentist. Outside of any problem in the mouth and for persistent, unrelieved symptoms, go to a GP (general practitioner) or an internist. Your foul breath could be related to your food intake. Some kinds of food taken in come out as foul air, like garlic and spicy food."
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