As senior program manager with Honeywell Aerospace, Chad Kluemper evaluates the use of the company’s diverse intellectual property and ensures that it falls within agreement terms and conditions. An avid home cook, Chad Kluemper enjoys trying out healthy recipes with his family in his free time.
One food item not often associated with a nutritious diet, the hamburger, can be surprisingly healthy when cooked in a heart-conscious way. One essential is purchasing lean ground chuck (ideally 90 to 95 percent lean), which helps avoid the high levels of saturated fat found in most ground meat products on the supermarket shelves.
With carb-laden bread crumbs common as a binding agent for patties, its possible to use fiber-rich alternatives such as oats, flax eggs, or chia seeds. Not only do these help avoid empty calories, but the latter two ingredients contain abundant omega-3 fatty acids. The key with chia and flax eggs is to allow them to sit and gelatinize for a few minutes after mixing with water, which optimizes their ability to bind.
It’s also important to select whole grain buns high in fiber (or even use bun alternatives such as lettuce). With these basic elements in place, the body is primed to effectively utilize the abundant protein the hamburger provides and make full use of the B vitamins that assist in converting carbs, protein, and fats into the fuel that muscles need to perform everyday tasks.
