Here's a Suggestion for Those Who Love Cheeseburgers

CanyonTrekker
CanyonTrekker Posts: 18
in Health and Weight Loss
I love cheeseburgers. Always have, always will. In fact, I like them so much I crave them at least twice a week. The downside is that they are not very healthy, and contain a lot of fat. So, how to eat healthy while enjoying this "American Creation" as Jimmy Buffet calls it. The answer is BISON.

Bison is a great alternative to ground beef. I have a spare freezer, so I buy 50 of the 1 lb packages and always have it on hand. To see the benefits, consider the following comparison:

For a 1/4 pound burger:

Calories: Ground Beef 290; Ground Bison 142

Total Fat: Ground Beef 23 grams; Ground Bison 2 grams (also, ground beef is 9 grams or horrible saturated fat; bison on 1 gram)

Protein: Ground Beef 19 grams; Ground Bison 28 grams

Ground beef is 10% iron to ground bison's 23% iron.

As a bonus, organic grass feed bison is high in Omega 3s. It's like getting the benefit of eating wild salmon.

Less calories, less fat, higher in lean protein, and ZERO sacrifice. The flavor of bison is better than ground beef, IMO.

The negative is that bison can be very expensive. TIP: If you have the freezer space, but it in balk. I purchase mine from a company that has only grass fed organic bison, and for $500 I get 50 individual 1 pound packages. That keeps it to $10 a pound, which is worth it. If you can't afford to buy in bulk, or don't have a spare freezer, it's still worth the $12 - $14 a pound you'll pay at a health food store.

Just thought I'd throw out this tip for those who enjoy their burgers!
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Replies

  • fercar3000
    fercar3000 Posts: 286 Member
    Kroger sells ground bison for about $ 8.00 a pound and is packed individually , still pricy
    I'm looking for a meat market in my area for ground turkey meat if I cant find cheaper bison

    Deer meat is also an option but not that great for burgers
  • delicious_cocktail
    delicious_cocktail Posts: 5,797 Member
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  • sneaks
    sneaks Posts: 19
    I eat a lot of buffalo burgers. Not sure what the difference is between buffalo and bison, although obviously you can't wash up in a buffalo. Boom boom.
  • DeguelloTex
    DeguelloTex Posts: 6,652 Member
    I eat a lot of buffalo burgers. Not sure what the difference is between buffalo and bison, although obviously you can't wash up in a buffalo. Boom boom.
    Most likely, what you are calling buffalo is really bison.
  • CanyonTrekker
    CanyonTrekker Posts: 18
    Kroger sells ground bison for about $ 8.00 a pound and is packed individually , still pricy
    I'm looking for a meat market in my area for ground turkey meat if I cant find cheaper bison

    Deer meat is also an option but not that great for burgers

    That's really cheap for ground bison. I did a lot of research before I decided on a vendor for ground bison, and I buy directly from a smaller farm that raises bison to the highest organic standards. I'd personally be suspicious of ground bison that costs $8 a pounds, but who knows. It's like from one of Ted Turner's 17 farms. Turner, who has over 75,000 head of bison, is the largest bison producer in the country. I'd prefer not to get my bison from a large conglomerate, but I can't blame Turner for seeing the benefit as this meat becomes more popular for health conscious Americans.
  • hookilau
    hookilau Posts: 3,134 Member
    Kroger sells ground bison for about $ 8.00 a pound and is packed individually , still pricy
    I'm looking for a meat market in my area for ground turkey meat if I cant find cheaper bison

    Deer meat is also an option but not that great for burgers

    whoa...8$/#? :noway: man, that's expensive.
    I get pasture raised ground beef for 5$/#
    I need all the fat I can get :laugh:
  • Anonycatgirl
    Anonycatgirl Posts: 502 Member
    Bison/buffalo is delicious as well as nutritious, and it may have literally saved me (at least it felt that way!) during an unfortunate period when i was on a very low-fat diet for medical reasons and also dealing with anemia. If $1,600 fell into my lap, I'd order a 1/4 bison (about the amount of meat as a 1/2 cow--enough to keep two carnivores happy and provide dinners for friends for a year) from a local farm and stuff my freezer. Alas, I'm not expecting any cash falling from the sky.

    Also, Hookilau, where do you live that you can get pasture-raised beef for $5/lb? I'm moving!
  • hookilau
    hookilau Posts: 3,134 Member
    Holy moley.
    Marveling at the fact that someone said 8$/# is a good price. That's some pricey stuff :sick:
    I thought I was putting out a good deal of $$ for PR ground beef at 5$/# and find it difficult to justify :blushing:
    I don't even tell my MOM what I pay :laugh:
  • hookilau
    hookilau Posts: 3,134 Member
    Bison/buffalo is delicious as well as nutritious, and it may have literally saved me (at least it felt that way!) during an unfortunate period when i was on a very low-fat diet for medical reasons and also dealing with anemia. If $1,600 fell into my lap, I'd order a 1/4 bison (about the amount of meat as a 1/2 cow--enough to keep two carnivores happy and provide dinners for friends for a year) from a local farm and stuff my freezer. Alas, I'm not expecting any cash falling from the sky.

    Also, Hookilau, where do you live that you can get pasture-raised beef for $5/lb? I'm moving!

    I'm in NY, Long Island. I found a group on meetups called 'meatheads' of all things :laugh:
    The person who arranges the shares gets it from her family farm in the Catskills. We just got 1/4 share (about 40#)of a pasture raised pig for $4.80/# after butchering.

    We were thrilled to not only be able to join, but that where we pick up the meat is so close to us. They deliver to NYC area for a small fee.

    Here's the link in case anyone from LI is interested:
    http://www.meetup.com/MeatshareLI/
  • kgeyser
    kgeyser Posts: 22,505 Member
    My grocery store is showing it for $8/lb, but not with the nutritional stats touted in the OP. 190 cals/11g fat (4 g sat fat)/23g protein/10% iron for 4 oz. Doesn't really come out as being much better than ground beef nutritionally for the extra cost, at least where I live.
  • CanyonTrekker
    CanyonTrekker Posts: 18
    My grocery store is showing it for $8/lb, but not with the nutritional stats touted in the OP. 190 cals/11g fat (4 g sat fat)/23g protein/10% iron for 4 oz. Doesn't really come out as being much better than ground beef nutritionally for the extra cost, at least where I live.

    The nutritional stats are from the bison I purchase. I am sure the processing of the meat from other farms could change that. Here is a link that compares bison to other meats: http://www.bisoncentral.com/cooking-bison/nutrition-information
  • SunofaBeach14
    SunofaBeach14 Posts: 4,899 Member
    I don't see the point. I eat beef several times a week. There's nothing unhealthy about it. Kudos for spending more for bison though. I think it tastes fine but the argument that it's healthier is questionable at best.
  • hookilau
    hookilau Posts: 3,134 Member
    I don't see the point. I eat beef several times a week. There's nothing unhealthy about it. Kudos for spending more for bison though. I think it tastes fine but the argument that it's healthier is questionable at best.

    This is exactly why I don't tell my mom :laugh:
    That and I can't get through the low-fat dogma wall she's built around herself :tongue:
  • Arydria
    Arydria Posts: 179 Member
    My grocery store is showing it for $8/lb, but not with the nutritional stats touted in the OP. 190 cals/11g fat (4 g sat fat)/23g protein/10% iron for 4 oz. Doesn't really come out as being much better than ground beef nutritionally for the extra cost, at least where I live.

    We both must shop at Wegmans :)
  • CyberEd312
    CyberEd312 Posts: 3,536 Member
    I don't see the point. I eat beef several times a week. There's nothing unhealthy about it. Kudos for spending more for bison though. I think it tastes fine but the argument that it's healthier is questionable at best.

    I'm with you and I prefer a 85/15 or even 80/20 over the really lean beef because to me the fat adds flavor.... I have had Bison and it is good but Regular hamburger to me is not an unhealthy choice at all...
  • geebusuk
    geebusuk Posts: 3,348 Member
    148 calories isn't really a massive saving and it's likely you can get lower calorie beef burgers - a local supermarket here does lower fat quarter pounders that are 138 to 160 calories or so.

    Fat is only an issue because it's high in calories - and does have some benefits too.
  • JoshuaL86
    JoshuaL86 Posts: 403 Member
    I can get 96% lean beef for $4.50 per pound. It's just as healthy and economically better.
  • Galatea_Stone
    Galatea_Stone Posts: 2,037 Member
    For the amount of meat my family eats, I can't justify $10 a pound to replace 3.99-4.50 a pound beef. I like bison, but I don't think it's magic. Beef is just as good for my purposes. Besides, when it comes to cheeseburgers, fat is extremely important. If I feel like splurging on a cheeseburger, I'm going for the American Wagyu (Kobe-style) burgers with melted camembert. Not a drier bison burger.
  • MiloBloom83
    MiloBloom83 Posts: 2,724 Member
    I eat ground venison cheeseburgers almost exclusively when I cook at home. They are excellent on the grill. And since I shoot it myself, processing costs are minimal. And the packing house adds beef fat to the grind. You have to because venison is exceptionally lean. And, fat is flavor.
  • Myhaloslipped
    Myhaloslipped Posts: 4,317 Member
    Bison is ok. Ted's Montana Grill has a ton of beef dishes and bison alternatives for all of them. I used to go there often when I lived down the street from it in Atlanta. I still prefer the beef. Bison has barely any fat, and therefore it tastes like flavorless beef to me.
  • PetulantOne
    PetulantOne Posts: 2,131 Member
    For the amount of meat my family eats, I can't justify $10 a pound to replace 3.99-4.50 a pound beef. I like bison, but I don't think it's magic. Beef is just as good for my purposes. Besides, when it comes to cheeseburgers, fat is extremely important. If I feel like splurging on a cheeseburger, I'm going for the American Wagyu (Kobe-style) burgers with melted camembert. Not a drier bison burger.

    Mmmmm Kobe beef. Yeah if I'm paying over $8 a pound that's the direction I'd go too.
  • YamaMaya1
    YamaMaya1 Posts: 49 Member
    I'm a bit wary of eating bison as the American Bison is so endangered, why on earth would it be sold commercially?
  • wannakimmy
    wannakimmy Posts: 488 Member
    I've had bison, didn't think much of it, dry and tasteless IMO. I do enjoy venison (deer meat) but only fried on the stove top. I do not care for it ground or canned or any other way for that matter. If I am going to have a burger, I just buy the 93% ground beef at 170 calories per 4 oz. I log the calories and enjoy my burger...
  • LosingItInDenver
    LosingItInDenver Posts: 45
    Bison is great, but I find it to be pretty dry for things like burgers.
  • vismal
    vismal Posts: 2,463 Member
    I can get 4% fat ground beef at the grocery store for about 4-5 bucks a lb. Cheaper if it goes on sale. That's about half of what I'd pay for Bison. 96/4 beef has 140 caliories, 4 fat. 24 protein per 4oz serving.
  • Keepcalmanddontblink
    Keepcalmanddontblink Posts: 718 Member
    We have been using 90% lean beef from a store that buys from local farmers and its about 200 calories for 4oz so we still have our cheese burgers too, and make room in our calories for it. Ground Bison is pretty expensive here.
  • Ninkyou
    Ninkyou Posts: 6,666 Member
    I also get 96/4 lean ground beef. I also get ground chicken patties, made by Reddi Gourmet... they're 110 cals for 4 oz. In fact, that's what I'm having for dinner, lol. They're slider patties, but stack them and it's like having a double cheeseburger. And they're soooooo yummy.

    I've had bison recently. It's definitely much more expensive. Although the flavor was okay, I'm not too keen on it.

    I'll stick to my lean beef and ground chicken. :flowerforyou:
  • CanyonTrekker
    CanyonTrekker Posts: 18
    I don't see the point. I eat beef several times a week. There's nothing unhealthy about it. Kudos for spending more for bison though. I think it tastes fine but the argument that it's healthier is questionable at best.

    There are peer reviewed articles that it's healthier. It's also illegal for bison to be adulterated. I do agree that it's possible for people to consume beef that is nearly as healthy if they choose wisely.

    Was just making a suggestion for people with maybe too much fat in their diet or who like foods high in Omega 3s. Didn't mean for this to turn into a pi**ing contest.
  • DeguelloTex
    DeguelloTex Posts: 6,652 Member
    I'm a bit wary of eating bison as the American Bison is so endangered, why on earth would it be sold commercially?
    No, it isn't endangered. Part of the reason that it isn't endangered is because it is sold commercially.
  • hookilau
    hookilau Posts: 3,134 Member
    I don't see the point. I eat beef several times a week. There's nothing unhealthy about it. Kudos for spending more for bison though. I think it tastes fine but the argument that it's healthier is questionable at best.

    There are peer reviewed articles that it's healthier. It's also illegal for bison to be adulterated. I do agree that it's possible for people to consume beef that is nearly as healthy if they choose wisely.

    Was just making a suggestion for people with maybe too much fat in their diet or who like foods high in Omega 3s. Didn't mean for this to turn into a pi**ing contest.

    Well, this is MFP, so you're going to get *all* responses :laugh: Take heart though, people will still get the benefit of your original post if they need it & are seeking answers to the right questions. No, your post won't benefit all, but will definitely help some!

    :drinker:

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