82 percent of Americans think hamburgers are healthy


Sorry to burst your bubble, but hamburgers may not be nearly as healthy as you think they are. And if you don't think hamburgers are healthy? Then you're in the minority — according to a new survey by the market research group Mintel, 82 percent of Americans who eat hamburgers think the meal is a good source of nutrients.
Mintel reached out to 1,767 Americans who had ordered the dish in the last three months and found that Americans happen to be very pro-burger: 62 percent of respondents said they like the sandwich, including millennials, who tend to be more health-conscious than other age groups.
But here's the bad news: While burgers are good sources of protein, iron, and vitamin B12, the cons can outweigh the benefits, especially because of the fatty meat, sugary ketchup, and refined grain buns involved, Time reports. The World Health Organization has additionally reported evidence that processed meat and red meat cause cancer.
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You can't give Americans too hard a time for believing burgers are healthy, though — after all, pizza is considered a vegetable here.
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Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.
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