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More than just a burger

Written by Staff Reporter

Thursday, 21 October 2010

I find that the one thing I keep saying to people in my clinic and in my seminars and talks is... variety! A healthy sustainable diet is one which contains a wide variety of fresh and whole foods, spread out over the course of a week. It can be that easy!

The question I get asked most is: Is this healthy? Is that healthy? However, it is often not about one individual food item being healthy or not healthy, it’s about balancing everything so that you keep the see-saw of your health in check. For example, there is nothing wrong with potatoes, but having potatoes every day for your dinner means that you are leaving out all of the other kinds of carbohydrates out there, such as brown rice, quinoa and whole wheat pasta.

I also think it’s about changing the usual standard Irish recipes for something a little different. For example, although homemade burgers made from ground beef and lamb are tasty, what about making a different kind of burger made from beans? Looking at these two types of burgers, it’s interesting to show that the bean burger has much less saturated fat, little cholesterol, 15 times more fibre and many times more iron, folic acid and magnesium... phew!

So you can make the switch, not just to try something a little different (are you getting bored with the same old meals?) but also getting the added benefit of many more nutrients in a meal. I made these the other night with some sweet potato chips and a fresh salad: perfect!

Bean burgers

I tin of black or adzuki beans, drained and rinsed
1 egg
1 small diced red onion
1/2 diced red bell pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon cumin powder
1/2 fresh medium red chilli – chopped
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1/2 teaspoon dry oregano
1/4 cup breadcrumbs
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil

Combine beans, onion, bell pepper, garlic, lime juice, spices and breadcrumbs in a food processor and pulse until combined but still with texture.

Transfer to a large bowl and portion into 8 burgers.
Place some baking paper on an oven tray and place the burgers on the tray.
Place in oven 180 oc oven for 20 mins.

If you would like to find out how a nutrition consultation will help you, check out www.foodforliving.ie

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