Recently I attended a potluck get together. Each of us made some very tasty side dishes and one friend said she would make homemade cheeseburgers. Who doesn’t love those?
All of the sides contained fresh veggies, whole grains, legumes, and fresh herbs – not only were they healthy, but delicious! However, when I saw the package that the burgers came in, I became suspicious. Every time I make homemade burgers, I purchase ground sirloin or ground beef and add some onions, salt, pepper, garlic or even some other fun things like olives, jalapenos, or even stuff the meat with some cheese. Unfortunately, my friend, trying to save time – and money – purchased some pre made burgers in a box. I truly have never purchased these, but I thought that they would just be made of beef and pressed into patties.
However, on the label were the following ingredients:
- beef
- beef liver
- soy
- soy protein isolate
- mono sodium glumate
- seasonings
Being a person extremely sensitive to chemicals added to food, particularly MSG (causes severe migraines and facial swelling), I almost regurgitated my burger! It just goes to show you, you need to look at the labels! All of these so-called ingredients could contain MSG or chemicals – soy, soy protein isolate, mono sodium glutamate and seasonings! That’s pretty much all of the ingredients. The true test was that my cat, who LOVES people food – particularly protein – would not even touch a bite of this burger! YIKES!
So for those of you who love whipping up a burger or two and are looking forward to grilling this summer – be very cautious about purchasing pre-made burgers. Check the labels before purchasing. Personally, I prefer making my own burgers so I can add fun stuff to them! AND this way, I know exactly what’s in them! Saving time by purchasing pre-made products may be detrimental to your health!
