You like to eat. Often. And that’s a good thing because food not only keeps you alive, but it has the power to fuel your performances and build the body of your dreams. IF YOU KNOW HOW TO DO IT!
So today, we’re going to do more of that “discovering HOW” with another installment of the PIMP Your Meals Series.
On our plates today…The BURGER! Just in time for your summer cookouts and 4th of July celebrations…
The PROBLEMS with your current cookout catasrophies:
- Low quality, factory-farmed, poor excuse for meat patties. I’ve ranted on the horrors of factory-farmed meats before. So let’s summarize by saying that the meat you typically find on a hamburger bun is only 1-2 notches above that “alleged” dog food you find at Taco Bell. We’re talking antibiotic, chemical laden, toxin-rich, mash-ups of more cows than you can count in 1 pound of ground beef. And those cattles lived sub-standards live crammed into feed lots, standing knee deep in their own feces and were force-fed genetically modified soy pellets that they weren’t designed to eat to begin with. Still hungry?
- Cheap, insulin-spiking white bread buns. I don’t like any processed grains. I’m firmly planted in the camp that avoids wheat and gluten as often as possible. I’ve seen too many positive results after removing it from my own diet not to suggest you do the same. Aside from the previously mentioned rapidly digesting refined flour, your average bun provides little to no fiber and further aggravates the acid-reflux inducing acidic environment in your body.
- The cheese is old and moldy…if you get that reference, please email me! Seriously, your cheese is coming from the same cow as your beef…see above ^.
- Your fixins’ are WEAK! That shredded lettuce and store-bought tomato that only looks pink, instead of deep dark red you see in pictures…Don’t pretend to be eating vegetables with these wannabes!
The FIX!
- Grass-Fed Beef! Swap that mystery meat for some high protein, lean, omega-3 rich, CLA containing beef from a happy, healthy cow! Grass-Fed beef is becoming much more widespread and easy to find. If my little town has multiple sources, I’m willing to bet you can find some with a little effort. The leaner, cleaner, purer beef cooks MUCH faster, so be careful when you throw it on your grill chief!
- Grass-Fed Raw Cheese: This may be a bit tougher to find, but again, the movement is spreading so be on the lookout!
- The Bun…As I said before, I try to avoid wheat &/or gluten as often as possible. For the bun, I suggest Ezekiel Bread or a specific sprouted grain bun from the same company, Food For Life. You could also opt for a gluten-free bun, or rice bread/buns. DOn’t worry about finding these…they’re EVERYWHERE! And if you’re at store selling grass-fed beef, they’ll have gluten-free breads too!
- Homegrown, Local, Organic Fixins’: Swap you lettuce for spinach whenever possible. Although a nice fresh crispy leaf of lettuce does add a nice crunch to a burger. Just remember, the darker the better for vegetables. Don’t settle for those pale greens or pinkish reds. Throw a few slices of raw red onion and a slice or two of a local heirloom tomato…Perfection! Best Burger you’ll ever eat. And it won’t destroy your healthy eating lifestyle!
That’s my grass-fed, grass-finished, raw cheese, local cage-free egg, and pasture-raised pig burger from last weekend. We had a delicious “cheat” meal at Mikie’s 7th outside Blacksburg, VA last weekend. This restaurant is so cool…it owned by the very same farmers who raise the cattle, chicken, and pigs they feed you. How’s that for local, fresh, and trustworthy!
Got a favorite burger recipe of your own? Share it Below!!