When You Eat A Hamburger Every Day, This Is What Happens To Your Body
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to eat the same food every single day? At first thought, it could be pretty awesome. Who wouldn't want to drink one vanilla shake every day or be able to anticipate their favorite sandwich would be waiting for them at lunchtime every single day? We know that Victoria Beckham eats salmon every day (via Healthline), and it seems to be working out OK for her. But what if your favorite food is a nice juicy hamburger? That sounds less healthy to eat on a daily basis than the salmon.
It's worth noting that the average, condiment-free beef patty on a hamburger bun has about 266 calories and 10 grams of fat (via Very Well Fit). The target for daily fat intake for an adult is between 44 and 77 grams a day with just 10 percent of those grams originating from the dreaded saturated fats (via Cleveland Clinic). Ground beef is, sadly, a food that exudes saturated fat, with a typical hamburger containing anywhere between 6.7 to 10 grams of saturated fat (via Very Well Fit). We've all heard the reports about how eating processed red meat frequently is bad for your heart (via American Heart Association). So what would happen if you did eat a hamburger every day? Luckily, one pioneering soul did some research for us, and what he learned about eating his daily burger might surprise you.
A surprising outcome of eating a daily burger
With all those caloric and fat stats looming over us, things don't look good for the daily burger. But this is where things get interesting. A Toronto man identified as Reza took one for the team and set out to eat a burger every day for a year. About 330 burgers in, he had an interview with Narcity, in which Reza said, "I feel better than I did last year! Eating a burger a day has forced me to change my lifestyle. I walk on average 6km a day, eat healthier meals when I am not eating a burger, and I stay active playing volleyball in the summer and ice hockey throughout the year." According to him, he even lost weight.
We know, he had you at "lost weight." There may be some logic to this outcome. Healthline noted that eating the same thing every day makes tracking your caloric intake fairly easy; it keeps us disciplined in our eating choices; and it's one less decision we have to make, which ultimately helps us to make and eat healthier choices throughout the day. However, in many cases, frequently eating burgers – especially ones loaded with extra patties and high-calorie toppings – can pack on the pounds (via SFGate).
A burger a day keeps weight gain at bay?
This might get you thinking that a burger a day is not such a bad idea. But it's not the burger that deserves the credit. Apparently, having variety in our diet can contribute to weight gain. That seems counter-intuitive, right? But as Reuters reports, the American Heart Association's Behavioral Change for Improving Health Factors Committee found that emphasizing variety in one's diet may actually encourage the inclusion of too many unhealthy foods. As one committee member put it, "While selecting a wide range of healthy foods remains important for good nutrition, expanding food choices to include less-healthy foods such as donuts, chips, fries and cheeseburgers, even in moderation, may translate into eating too much of too many unhealthy things far too often."
Sticking strictly to hamburgers seemed to work for Reza, who told Narcity he lost 7 Kilos (or about 15.4 pounds). However, before you jump on the daily burger bandwagon, remember we can't independently verify his claims. He also said he changed his lifestyle. He became more active and participated in more outdoor activities, which seems like the more likely explanation for his weight loss. Presumably, he would be even healthier if he did those things without the daily burger. Still not sold on eating a hamburger every day? Us neither.
Heart health and hamburgers
Having a burger every day seems like it could really do some damage to your arteries, which Reza's experiment did not offer any insight into. And Heart Disease is a real concern. The CDC says that heart disease claims the lives of about 647,000 Americans each year. According to the National Institutes of Health, daily consumption of red meat can really take its toll on your body. When we eat hamburgers our body creates a build-up of a chemical called Trimethylamine N-oxide during the digestive process which leads to a greater cholesterol build-up along our artery walls, potentially contributing to heart disease.
While eating a burger every day seemed to have worked out for one person, it doesn't mean it will work for everyone. Without knowing the long-term effects of this experiment and given the scientific evidence about the health risks of regular red meat consumption, you are better off keeping this as a sometimes food.