Make Turkey Instead: A Healthy Option for Beef

Hamburgers are an American tradition. We serve them at barbecues, and picnics. We eat them at fast food restaurants, and we serve them from our grill in the backyard. We devour them, and happily. Health professionals frown at us. "They have too much fat content" our nutritionist says. "Bad for the heart", our cardiologist says. Should we just eliminate them from our diet? With so much emphasis on low fat foods , it's important to know how we can change our eating habits to have a healthier, longer life.

Meat and potatoes was a staple for most of us, gravy included. Not to mention, finishing our plates was not just assumed, it was required. Having grown up this way, it may seem overwhelming to change our diets. Changing one thing at a time, instead of all at one time, will help us achieve the low fat, healthy eating habits we desire and need. Making progress is more important than tackling all the ideas at once.

One way is to substitute turkey for beef in our recipes. When hearing the word turkey most of us will immediately think about Thanksgiving holiday and all the fixings to go with. It's much more than just a holiday meal and this one change in our eating habits will have us feeling optimistic about our choices, and willing to make more healthy choices for ourselves and our families when cooking.

Turkey is high in protein, tasty on salads and a delightful sandwich. Some new recipes to try are turkey lasagna, turkey and grape salad, and turkey burgers.

An outstanding substitute for beef, here is a healthier rendition of our usual hamburgers: a delectable recipe for turkey burgers.

Here's what you will need:

1 pound ground turkey

One egg white

2 pieces of low fat dried out bread. Whole wheat is a good choice. Just leave the bread out for a day and it will be nicely dried the next day.

1/4 cup A-1 sauce. Worcestershire is also an option but A-1 adds more flavor. The sauce also adds moisture to your meat.

Seasoning Salt

1/2 cup onion (optional)

In medium size bowl put all of your ground turkey. Add crumbled up bread, A-1, egg white and 2-3 shakes of Seasoning Salt. If you are also watching your sodium intake you can use Mrs. Dash instead.

Mix ingredients well and put into patties. One pound of meat will make about 4 patties depending on the size you like. Grilling will give them that delectable smoky flavor but you can also pan fry these with low fat cooking spray. This will make sure you end up with healthy, low fat turkey burgers. Cook burgers until done. Serve with your favorite beverage, a side of sliced fruit or salad and enjoy!

Staying healthy is more than just a goal; it's a lifestyle we can all achieve.