Hamburger vs Hotdog: The Grilling Debate

Fresh off the grill in the backyard, at a summer cookout, while camping, hanging out at the beach, or at a baseball game, the classic hamburger or hotdog question arises. Most of us have a favorite and are on autopilot when the choice presents itself. These two items make BBQ season a year-round occasion. From a nutritional standpoint, neither one does any favors for the belt buckle, but it takes willpower to opt for the salad. The hamburger and hotdog are iconic American foods, inexpensive, typically bought in bulk, and are easy to prepare. When it comes down to the choice between these two processed meats, is the hamburger or hotdog the better nutritional choice??

Hamburger

A burger patty ALONE is about 300 calories. This depends on the cut of the meat, meaning how lean the beef is. That is just for a 4-ounce patty, which in the American world of portion distortion, stacks up to a pretty small burger. If we add the 200-calorie bun, a slice (or two) of cheese, and then condiments, we can easily exceed 500 calories for one burger. We try to justify the choice by choosing a whole wheat bun, low fat cheese, and low sodium ketchup, but that doesn’t fully negate the fat and cholesterol content. Packages can be misleading, telling us that the leaner meat is “low-fat.” There is a ratio between lean and fat meat. The range is 96/4 as leanest to 73/27 as fattiest. This is found by diving the grams of fat per serving by the total grams of fat and multiplying by 100. Let’s say that the beef had 40 grams of fat per serving and the total of fat grams was 160. This cut of beef would be 75/25 lean to fat ratio. Lean beef ranges between 92/8 and 96/4. One should keep in mind that beef is a good source of protein, iron, zinc, and vitamin B12. That 4-ounce patty has about 22 grams of protein. Still, some health experts debate red meat consumption.

Hot Dog

A hot dog ALONE is about 150 calories per frank. When we add a 150-calorie bun and some condiments, we get to be about 300-350 calories. Variables include bun size, type, and how much relish or other toppings are added. The biggest downfall regarding hot dogs is the fact that they are a very highly processed meat. We know that processed meats have been linked to cancer. There isn’t much that is natural about these links and most contain high quantities of sodium and nitrates. We can opt for low sodium or nitrate-free, but most sporting events aren’t too concerned with serving organic hot dogs. Hot dogs are also high in fat, up to 18 grams per link. When it comes to protein, they only have about 9 grams.

Winner, winner

Hamburger. A burger has twice the protein, half the fat, and much less sodium. The hot dog is not as satiating because of it is nutrient dense and basically not doing much to fuel our tank. When the grill master at the BBQ asks, “hamburger or hot dog?” if your decision is based on your nutrition, reply “hamburger.” Otherwise, the freedom of taste bud choice is yours.

https://www.nih.gov/news-events/nih-research-matters/risk-red-meat

http://www.aicr.org/enews/2014/08-august/faq-processed-meat-and.html

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3238465/

https://www.nbcnews.com/better/health/what-better-choice-hot-dog-or-hamburger-ncna864021