Healthy Aussie Burgers

A healthy twist on a tasty Aussie classic, By Nutritionists from Daley Nutrition

Aussie Burgers

When I think of Aussie Burgers, I think about a greasy back alley burger loaded with cheese, pickles, with a lot of tomato sauce. Then you spend the afternoon bloated out like a balloon and feeling yuck! Also if you ate a traditional Aussie Burger every day your body would certainly know about it after a month with the extra kilo’s of weight gain. Our Healthy Aussie Burgers are a little different but still pack a massive amount of taste and enjoyment. The key ingredients are lean beef, weetbix (yes weebix), onion, garlic, BBQ sauce, wholemeal bun (more fibre) and low-fat cheese.

How much red meat can I eat in a week?

This question we have been asked a lot in our cooking demonstrations. The research on red meat consumption has changed over the years, the current advice is to keep under 455g of red meat a week according to the Australian Dietary Guidelines. That’s approximately one pack of Coles lean beef mince a week per person. Higher amounts of red meat consumption have been linked to several cancers in particular colon cancer, the risk factors are even higher when you starting consuming processed red meats such as salami and sausage. However it is good to enjoy a few serves of red meat a week as they contain a massive amount of iron and vitamin B12 that helps to keep our blood health and reduce a nasty protein from building up in our bodies called homocysteine.

Are brown rolls better for you than white rolls?

Absolutely! This is a no brainer. Brown rolls contain more of the whole grain, which means it has a higher protein, fibre and B-Vitamin content. Protein and fibre help us to feel fuller for longer and b-vitamins help with energy metabolism in our cells, enabling us to have more energy throughout the day. In white rolls a lot of the b-vitamins are lost due to the milling process and high temperatures used to process, add this to the low fibre content and you have a high glycemic index food item that can spike insulin levels and encourage weight gain. If you are looking for the king of burger buns then trying using a large grilled mushroom as a hat and bottom, then you’re ticking off a veggie serving also.

Top Tip for cooking our Aussie burgers:

Don’t use large patties as they can be broken easily, aim for a burger that fits the palm of your hand.
Never wash the meat before cooking as this can increase the spread of food borne pathogens.

Ingredients (serves 4 people)

For the Patty

500g extra lean beef or kangaroo mince
1 medium diced red onion
2 finely chopped garlic cloves
2 crushed weetbix
1 tbsp of stevia BBQ sauce (no added sugar) by Celebrate Health
1 tsp of cracked pepper
1 tsps of paprika
1 egg, beaten
Drizzle of extra virgin olive oil to cook

The Bun

Seeded wholemeal bun (the higher the fibre, the better the bun)

The Topping

3 tsps of avocado to spread on the bun
2 lettuce leaves or a handful of spinach
2 slices of tomato
1 slice of low-fat cheese
1 tsps of tomato sauce (reduced sugar and salt)

Method

Dice the onion and garlic
Crush the weetbix in a bowl and add the mince meat, onion, garlic, BBQ sauce and egg. Use hands to mix and squish it together!
Shape the ingredients into medium patties a bit bigger than the palm of your hand (will shrink slightly when cooked)
Heat the pan with drizzle of oil and add the burgers
Turn when the burgers go brown (for a healthier cooking method pop them in the oven for 20mins on 180degrees.)
Serve with toppings in a seeded wholemeal bun.

Also try serving with Sweet Potato Wedges (see Fish and Chip recipe)

Aussie Burgers Nutrition (per person)

11g of fat
42 of protein
5g of sugar
192 of sodium
430 kcal

Healthy Aussie Burgers
Posted by Daley Nutrition

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A little about us….Daley Nutrition is a community nutrition team based in Melbourne Victoria, we run a range of nutrition based programs such as corporate wellness programs and cooking demonstrations in Australia to raise people’s awareness of what they are eating and empower them to change certain eating habits. We work with not for profit organisations such as local councils, Diabetes Australia & Nutrition Australia to create a healthy eating environment for children and adults.

To find out more about our Nutrition Services below images