Cut the Calories and Serve Healthier Hamburgers this Summer by Making Your Own Patties

If you're hosting a barbecue this summer, the last thing you may be thinking about is how healthy the food you're cooking up will be, but good news: if you're buying the ground beef for your burgers yourself, forming your own patties, and grilling them yourself, you're already doing your health—and your guests' health—a favor. Here's why.

When you buy pre-made hamburger patties, you're often getting burgers with a ton of added fat and lower quality ground beef. Eating Well Magazine also points out that the patties are generally too large per serving, pack over 11 grams of saturated fat and close to 500 calories. Making your own, they note, lets you make more appropriate serving sizes.

We can follow that logic, but making your own patties offers another huge benefit: it gives you complete control over what goes into it and how much you make. Alton Brown touches on this topic in this episode of Good Eats, but making your own patties gives you a way to boost the flavor and quality of your burgers and make them healthier to eat. It's a win-win.

So if you're looking for an excuse to show off your cooking and your grilling skills, the next time you fire up the grill (or the Foreman, if you live in an apartment like me), make your own burgers. For more healthy hamburger tips, hit the Eating Well link below. What do you think, worth the extra time and effort? Share your best burger recipe in the comments below.

How to Cut 400 Calories from Your Burger | Eating Well