--- 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: 2026-10-06T09:18:01.663Z 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 video:duration: 02:02 video:published: 2015-07-08 section: health topics: burgers, nutrition, saturated fat, beef production, environmental impact, greenhouse gas emissions, lean ground beef, grass-fed beef, portion sizes, livestock and climate change genre: explainer, expert discussion tones: informative, casual, cautionary, balanced emotions: curiosity (medium), concern (medium), reassurance (low) sentiment: neutral audience: health-conscious consumers, meat eaters, environmentally aware viewers, general news audiences people: David Katz, Julia Zumpano, Kristi King, Erica Frank, Rebecca Shaw organizations: FDA, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations products: burgers, ground beef, ground turkey, ketchup, cheeseburger content_suitability: health controversy [00:03-00:14] transcript_source: publisher captions transcript_reviewed: not applicable ---  # Most Americans Think Burgers Are Healthy > Sponsored content. 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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 weekday 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 weekday 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. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-health-2026q3/newsletters?i=cb401287-0b2e-48ec-a186-1ff0256cc069&cr=time-nl-health-2026q3-v1) ## Video: Should I Eat Burgers? [Watch (HLS stream): Should I Eat Burgers?](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/G7EXHLsP.m3u8) (2:02)  _Published 2015-07-08. It may be stating the obvious, but burgers, as we know them, are not a health food, according to most of our experts. Here's why 3 out of 5 experts gave burgers the thumbs down._ Description, summary, key points, chapters, key quotes, questions and transcript, where present, were produced automatically from the video or its captions and were not reviewed. ## Summary The video examines whether burgers are a healthy food, drawing on several experts who give differing verdicts. It covers the risks of fatty beef and refined buns, the role of lean meat and portion moderation, and saturated fat content of fast food cheeseburgers. It also discusses the environmental impact of beef production, including water use and livestock's share of greenhouse gas emissions, and suggests alternatives such as grass-fed beef or turkey and lentil burgers. ## Key points - Experts say burgers, as commonly known, are not a health food, with three of five experts giving burgers the thumbs down. (00:03) - David Katz says fatty beef from dubiously fed cattle, sugary ketchup and refined flour buns are not acceptable. (00:21) - Julia Zumpano says beef burgers not made with 90 to 95 percent lean ground beef are not recommended. (00:31) - Kristi King gives a thumbs up to burgers in moderation and proper portion sizes, citing protein, vitamin B12 and iron. (00:36) - Erica Frank says beef burgers are loaded with saturated fat, and an ungarnished fast food cheeseburger has 29 percent of the daily FDA recommended limit. (00:51) - Frank says beef is not the most sustainable meat to produce, since raising a cow takes a huge amount of water and livestock contributes to climate change. (01:06) - The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations says livestock production is responsible for 18 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions. (01:16) - Rebecca Shaw says changing how corn, a primary source of cow feed, is grown could make burgers better for the earth. (01:33) ## Chapters - [00:00 to 00:14] Introduction to burger health debate. The narrator introduces the question and notes that three of five experts give burgers the thumbs down. - [00:14 to 00:36] Ingredients that make burgers unhealthy. Experts describe fatty beef, sugary ketchup and refined buns as problems, and say lean meat is needed. - [00:36 to 01:03] Moderation and saturated fat concerns. Kristi King supports moderate burger eating, while Erica Frank highlights the saturated fat content of cheeseburgers. - [01:03 to 01:33] Environmental impact of beef. Frank and the FAO cite water use and livestock's share of greenhouse gas emissions, and Shaw discusses rising meat demand and corn production. - [01:33 to 02:02] Better burger choices. Grass-fed beef and a turkey and lentil burger are presented as better options. ## Key quotes - [00:21] David Katz: "No, thanks" - [00:36] Kristi King: "Burgers are high in protein, vitamin B12, and iron" - [00:51] Erica Frank: "Beef burgers are loaded with saturated fat" - [01:06] Erica Frank: "Raising a cow takes a huge amount of water" - [01:33] Rebecca Shaw: "Local demand for meat is increasing nearly two percent a year" ## Questions this video answers - Are burgers a health food? [00:03] - Which burger ingredients make a burger unhealthy? [00:14] - Is it acceptable to eat burgers in moderation? [00:36] - How much saturated fat is in a fast food cheeseburger? [00:51] - Why is beef considered an unsustainable meat? [01:06] - What alternatives to traditional beef burgers do the experts suggest? [01:50] ## Content suitability - health controversy [00:03-00:14]: Experts give conflicting verdicts on whether burgers are healthy. by [Alexandra Sifferlin](https://time.com/author/alexandra-sifferlin/) ## Alexandra Sifferlin May 23, 2016 5:24 PM UTC It may be stating the obvious, but burgers, as we know them, are not a health food, according to most of our experts. Here's why 3 out of 5 experts gave burgers the thumbs down. 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. People want more chicken and turkey burgers, the survey found, which are considered healthier options. ## Transcript [00:00] [ MUSIC ] It might be stating the obvious, but burgers, as we [00:03] know them, just aren't a health food, according to most of [00:07] our experts. Here's why three out of five of them give [00:09] burgers the thumbs down. [ MUSIC ] [00:14] But there might be some wiggle room there. Depending on [00:17] what's in your patty. Fatty beef from dubiously- fed cattle, [00:21] slathered in sugary ketchup and placed between two [00:23] halves of a refined flour bun? No, thanks, says David [00:27] Katz. Same for any beef burger not made with 90 to 95 % [00:31] lean ground beef, says Julia Zumpano. Kristi [00:36] King, however, gives a thumbs up to burgers in moderation [00:40] and in proper portion sizes. Burgers are high in protein, [00:44] vitamin B12, and iron, she says. Moderation, of course, [00:48] is the key word. Eating beef burgers regularly isn't a good [00:51] idea for a few reasons, says Erica Frank. Beef burgers are [00:55] loaded with saturated fat, she points out. An ungarnished [00:58] fast food cheeseburger has 29 % of your daily FDA [01:03] recommended limit. Certain burgers can come with a large [01:06] side of environmental issues. Beef just isn't the most [01:09] sustainable meat to produce. Raising a cow takes a huge [01:13] amount of water, and livestock production is a large [01:16] contributor to climate change, Frank says In fact, raising [01:20] and producing livestock is responsible for 18 % of global [01:23] greenhouse gas emissions worldwide according to the [01:26] Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. [01:29] Local demand for meat is increasing nearly two percent a [01:33] year, says Rebecca Shaw. One way to make burgers better [01:36] for the earth is to change the way we grow corn, a primary [01:39] source of cow feeds, she said. [ MUSIC ] choosing grass [01:42] fed, instead of corn fed beef is one way to earn burgers a [01:46] slightly higher rating in Katz's opinion. But when it comes [01:50] to his wife's special burgers, made from lean, free range [01:53] ground turkey and lentils, Katz gives a definite yes. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4345052/burgers-healthy-red-meat/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4345052/burgers-healthy-red-meat/"},"headline":"Most Americans Think Burgers Are Healthy","datePublished":"2016-05-23T17:24:14.000Z","dateModified":"2026-10-06T09:18:01.663Z","description":"Health experts may disagree","url":"https://time.com/4345052/burgers-healthy-red-meat/","keywords":["Diet & Nutrition","burgers","red meat"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt9248ac6f388a9ed0/69889469ab6d77b0886a9cde/burgers.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Alexandra Sifferlin","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/alexandra-sifferlin/"}],"articleSection":"Health","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt9248ac6f388a9ed0/69889469ab6d77b0886a9cde/burgers.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Double cheeseburger with egg, bacon & french fries","caption":"Double cheeseburger with egg, bacon & french fries","creditText":"Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/section/health/","name":"Health"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/tag/dietnutrition/","name":"Diet & Nutrition"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4345052/burgers-healthy-red-meat/","name":"Most Americans Think Burgers Are Healthy"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Should I Eat Burgers?","description":"It may be stating the obvious, but burgers, as we know them, are not a health food, according to most of our experts. 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