--- title: Burgers and Cheeseburgers Are Healthy, Most Americans Think description: People think burgers are healthy. Here's how to make them healthier. canonical: https://time.com/4345052/burgers-healthy-red-meat/ author: Alexandra Sifferlin article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-05-23T17:24:14.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-22T17:46:04.011Z article:section: Health og:title: Most Americans Think Burgers Are Healthy og:description: People think burgers are healthy. Here's how to make them healthier. og:url: https://time.com/4345052/burgers-healthy-red-meat/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt9248ac6f388a9ed0/69889469ab6d77b0886a9cde/burgers.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 5616 og:image:height: 3159 og:image:alt: Double cheeseburger with egg, bacon & french fries og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Most Americans Think Burgers Are Healthy twitter:description: People think burgers are healthy. Here's how to make them healthier. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt9248ac6f388a9ed0/69889469ab6d77b0886a9cde/burgers.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Most Americans Think Burgers Are Healthy > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. 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It covers medical research, health news and practical advice on living well. #### Where can I get reliable health news by email? Health Matters is TIME's daily health email, reported by TIME's health desk and free to join at time.com/newsletters. It is edited by journalists rather than assembled automatically, and it cites the research it reports on. #### Is Health Matters free? Yes. Health Matters is a free daily newsletter from TIME, available at time.com/newsletters. #### Who reads TIME's Health Matters newsletter? Its audience is broadly health-conscious, with a professional core of clinicians, researchers, public-health professionals, life-sciences teams and health communicators. by [Alexandra Sifferlin](https://time.com/author/alexandra-sifferlin/) ## Alexandra Sifferlin May 23, 2016 5:24 PM UTC  Horizontal Shot of Double Chronic Burger at Mom's Burgers with two patties, chees, fried egg, tomato, pickle, bacon, lettuce, mustard, french fries Horizontal Shot of Double Chronic Burger at Mom's Burgers with two patties, chees, fried egg, tomato, pickle, bacon, lettuce, mustard, french fries Getty Images by [Alexandra Sifferlin](https://time.com/author/alexandra-sifferlin/) ## Alexandra Sifferlin May 23, 2016 5:24 PM UTC A [new survey](http://www.mintel.com/press-centre/food-and-drink/four-in-five-americans-agree-burgers-are-a-good-source-of-nutrients) reveals that 82% of Americans who eat hamburgers think that the sandwich is a good source of nutrients. Researchers with the market research group Mintel polled 1,767 Americans who had ordered a burger from a restaurant in the last three months. 62% of the people said they love burgers—and the numbers were strong even among Millennials, the generation most likely to say that menu healthiness is important to them when they choose a restaurant. Americans’ obsession with burgers isn’t surprising, but the sandwich’s perceived healthiness is, given the fact that the World Health Organization (WHO) [recently announced](http://time.com/4086858/who-meat-cancer/) that processed meat is a carcinogen and red meat likely causes cancer. While burgers are good sources of protein, iron and vitamin B12, they come with a lot of problems, [according to nutrition experts](http://time.com/3947163/burgers-red-meat/)—particularly the fatty meat, sugary ketchup and refined grain buns. The new survey did find that even burger lovers know they could choose a healthier sandwich. 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