Is eating a dollar burger from burger king and a cup of water healthier then not eating?

September 30, 2008 12:03 PM

Is eating a dollar burger from burger king and a cup of water healthier then not eating?

I've heard the best way to eat is by having 6 small meals a day. Sometimes I eat an apple, a yogurt, some carrots, maybe snack on a bag of chips. When I was coming home yesterday, I thought about getting a whopper junior and a cup of water. I usually have one if I'm going to be going out for a bit, just to tide me over, but this time I would be home in an hour and maybe eating again within another.

But I wonder, is it healthier to eat a dollar burger [it is protein with a dash of vegetables and bread] and maintain the 6 meal a day ideal, or is it that unhealthy. I don't usually eat fast food, but for a quick fix, is it healthier?

posted by Nighthawk3729 to food & drink (23 comments total)

Make it a cheeseburger and cut out the excess fat of the mayo and it's really not that bad to just go ahead and have the burger.

But the idea behind the 6 small meals, to my understanding, is so that you never get so hungry that you over-eat at one seating. So, if you aren't starving, wait until you get home and then eat something healthier (less carbs, more veggies).

Or, if you are really having a craving, just eat the burger and don't bean-plate it. ; )
posted by misha at 12:12 PM on September 30, 2008

While there are healthier snacks, I don't think anything you eat only once in a blue moon can do too much damage. The crux of the argument is what your definition of "once in a blue moon" actually is, though.

Not the best thing, but it also won't kill you either, so eh.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 12:13 PM on September 30, 2008

6 meals myth google search
posted by Pollomacho at 12:16 PM on September 30, 2008

I'm of the opinion that if you have a craving for an unhealthy food now and then, it's probably best to indulge it a little bit. Otherwise it gets bigger and you end up overindulging. Eat a square of dark chocolate now and you won't eat an entire row of Oreos tomorrow.

Besides, fat keeps you satiated!

On the 6-meals-a-day metabolism myth, I agree with misha -- I thought it was to prevent overeating and help you (re)learn appropriate portion sizes.
posted by giraffe at 12:21 PM on September 30, 2008

While a Whopper junior is delicious, if you're going to be home to eat, I would skip it. A Whopper Junior with cheese is even more delicious, but I wouldn't get the cheese as misha has recommended. It's processed cheese. It's extra fat and calories and has little nutritional value. It is a good idea to skip the mayo.

The occasional burger isn't going to kill you. It's definitely healthier if you won't have a meal for a long time, but if you're going home anyway, and can wait, skip it.

The optimal thing to do is to keep an apple and a Lite Mini BabyBel on your person for times like these. Not necessarily to meet the six meal goal, but to tide you over.
posted by Fairchild at 12:26 PM on September 30, 2008

Well, its not so much fat as artery clogging ;). What about eating it say once or twice a week? I'm in college and a rush to get something to eat is always there. By the way, bean plating?
posted by Nighthawk3729 at 12:28 PM on September 30, 2008

"bean-plating" means overthinking something. The metafilter inside joke is that lots of people can over-analyze a plate of beans (something boring). Just to be clear, beans have nothing to do with your food question.
posted by cowbellemoo at 12:38 PM on September 30, 2008 [1 favorite]

Burger King has a host of healthier options--veggie burgers, salads, even plain hamburgers (not whoppers). In fact, I'd probably sooner get a hamburger kid's meal with milk and apples than a whopper--much more satiating on account of the fruit, and you'd get a toy! If you're eating fast food twice a week, that doesn't really qualify as "once in a blue moon."
posted by PhoBWanKenobi at 12:48 PM on September 30, 2008

I'm just thinking how much can I bump this thing up? how unhealthy is it? It's only a whopper junier and a cup of water.....
I imagine that kids meal runs 3 times as expensive.

Btw- since burger king doesn't have beans, I didn't get a mix up ;). That would be kind of funny though if someone did get mixed up, " They have beans at burger king? I never knew that....."

lol :)
posted by Nighthawk3729 at 12:51 PM on September 30, 2008

Are you sedentary or are you a regular exerciser? Intense exercise will cover a multitude of dietary sins.
posted by Barry B. Palindromer at 12:58 PM on September 30, 2008

I recommend drinking a bottle of water rather than a cup, in order to help process all that protein.
posted by goethean at 1:35 PM on September 30, 2008

If you excercise or run, at least you will be getting some fuel by eating. And you can burn off one of those little burgers in less than 10 minutes of running.

That 12 year old McDonald's cheeseburger is a hoax.

There's Omega 6 in mayo. Don't sub it for cheese. Mayo is less harmful to you than cheese.
posted by Zambrano at 1:54 PM on September 30, 2008

There's a book out there for people like you who resort to fast food because of distance/travel/schedule/monetary restraints that's actually pretty helpful, called, Eat This, Not That!

Ideally, of course, you shouldn't eat much fast food, but if you are going to eat at, say, Burger King, this book will let you know what your best choices are for maintaining your current weight, etc.
posted by misha at 2:21 PM on September 30, 2008 [1 favorite]

This is why I always carry around at least a granola bar, sometimes two (or a granola bar and a piece of fruit/fruit snack/some cookies/whatever, if I need the variety, in descending order of healthiness), along with some water. That said, I sometimes do get a dollar burger at Wendy's when I haven't had time to pack lunch, but I mean every month or two, not twice a week.
posted by bettafish at 2:38 PM on September 30, 2008

I imagine that kids meal runs 3 times as expensive.

Ok, then, you could also order just the hamburger (usually around 89 cents) and the apple slices (which might be a dollar? I'm not sure). The burger has less saturated fat and calories than the whopper jr and is cheaper, and the apple slices will give you some fiber.

I think all of this stuff is relative, and I eat intuitively myself, so if I was feeling hungry I might just eat the whopper. But if your concern is "health", most people are going to equate that with things like saturated fat, calories from fat, sodium, and calories, generally. In which case, the regular burger would be the healthier choice as well as the cheaper choice. Of course, no, a whopper jr. isn't evil. You wouldn't be a bad person for eating one. But there are healthier, more filling, and more satisfying choices at burger king.
posted by PhoBWanKenobi at 3:27 PM on September 30, 2008

Burger King also has a veggie burger option, FWIW.
posted by Aquaman at 4:26 PM on September 30, 2008

In my book, a small cup of Wendy's chili rocks as far as healthyish, filling and cheap fast food options go.

(And don't worry about fingers, for real)
posted by Stewriffic at 8:28 PM on September 30, 2008

Chili takes time, veggie burgers suck, I eat an apple or 2 a day, maybe a thing of yogurt, maybe some carrots[not latelty] I carry a bottle of water on me at all times that I am constantly refilling, easily 3-4 times a day, easy. Like I was saying betafish, I usually keep food on me. As far as eating one of these burgers, I do eat them pretty blue moony, I had one last week, and another a few weeks before, I'm wondering if they can be eaten as a snack more often. I usually am running around, but I have bad knees, so as far as running for 10 minutes, hah! Thats going to hurt. I usually try and opt for a healthier meal, but eat the occasional pizza slice, usually once or twice a week, this semester,[starting last month] I've only had one or 2. Managed to burn my mouth and mistake the garlic powder for grated cheese, and I really like grated cheese so I put alot on, yikes! On top of that, my school manages to charge alot for school pizza, 2.50 for cheese :(. I pay 5:50 and get a grilled chicken sandwich instead.

I guess this goes back to, is it better to keep your food levels up and fill up a bit on burger king to hold off for 2 hours, or is it better to not eat the jr whopper? The message I've gotten is it's just to teach portion, I've heard its healthier though.

As far as mayo not being bad, thanks :), I wasn't thinking about taking out that little bit of mayo, and that made me feel better :).

Going to check out that book, sounds interesting!

No, not a regular exerciser.

As far as spending the dollar or 2 on apples slices, I'm sorry, but I can't condon spending that when I can get a whole apple for 40 cents out of pathmark down the road, I guess thats one of my dads old habits I've acquired. He would see a gas price and insist on driving down to another gas station out of the way to save an extra penny, even though he probably spend the extra gas just to get there :) hah.

Thanks everyone again :).
posted by Nighthawk3729 at 12:00 AM on October 1, 2008

BTw- What do you guys think about drinking soda? I've cut alot of that out of my life, I only have juices and things like Iced tea at my house, milk too of course. I usually drink water, alot. I know I drink alot because I pee more nowadays, I'm 20, so I don't think its my prostate. I've heard drinking too much water lately is bad for you, thoughts?
posted by Nighthawk3729 at 12:08 AM on October 1, 2008

The only thing I've heard about drinking too much water is if you drink, say, ten gallons a day it's not the best of ideas.

In all honesty, though, I really don't think about food as much as this; I just try to generally stick to "don't forget to get some vegetables in there, and let's try not to eat an entire bag of Cheetos in one sitting and otherwise it's all good". If you overthink this you could make yourself nuts, and who needs that?
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 4:55 AM on October 1, 2008

Chili takes time, veggie burgers suck,

Buying a chili from Wendy's takes time?

As far as eating one of these burgers, I do eat them pretty blue moony,

Ok, but you asked what we thought about eating them once or twice a week. Eating anything once or twice a week qualifies as "regularly." If you don't want to spend the money on apple slices, because they're cheaper at the supermarket, then do so. But, I mean, it's also cheaper to just make yourself a sandwich and bring it with you. You weren't asking us about cheaperalternatives to fast food, though. You were asking us about whether it's healthier to stop and get a whopper jr. specifically--in which case, I'd reiterate that it's still a healthier decision, and a cheaper decision, to get a plain hamburger. Your responses to people make me think that you just want us to tell you it's okay.

Really, I'm not even sure what you're asking people here, anymore . . .
posted by PhoBWanKenobi at 7:42 AM on October 1, 2008

To your soda question- any beverage with excessive calories (i.e. soda, sugary juices, beer, etc.) seems like a bad idea if you care about your health.. a single can of mountain dew has nearly 300 calories! Thats quite a bit to drink (especially if you get in the habit of subbing it for water...) in 12 oz of substance, not to mention the multiplier if you are a multi-can drinker.
posted by zennoshinjou at 11:16 AM on October 1, 2008

A whopper jr no cheese has 30% of your daily saturated fat allowance. It has 1g trans fats, which are satanic. I would consider that unacceptable.

Since fasting is not actually bad for you, no, it would not be healthier to eat the whopper. The obesity/nibbling relationship is tenuous at best. It's like waxing your car for better MPG.
posted by a robot made out of meat at 6:01 PM on October 1, 2008