Whos Losing the Burger Battle? Health-Conscious Consumers

The latest fight for Americas tastebuds- and dining-out dollars-is being waged with equal parts Angus beef and marketing hype. The trade journal Advertising Age called it Battle of the Big Burgers. Bill Mount, an advertising executive and blogger, commented on one fast-food chains latest volley, Im lovin it. Carls Jr. always brings automatic weapons to a knife fight.But as fast-food and casual-dining chains slug it out over who can build a bigger, more jaw-challenging burger, theres one clear loser: the consumer concerned about nutrition and healthy eating. The multi-million-dollar advertising campaigns never get around to mentioning the equally colossal calorie counts (1,160 in Dennys Western Burger), the artery-clogging saturatedfat arithmetic (31 grams in Wendys Bacon Deluxe Triple) or the eye-popping sodium totals (2,150 milligrams in Chilis Bacon Burger).Carls Jr. started the escalation of hamburger sizes and the war on waistlines back in 2001 with the introduction of its $6 Burger (which actually costs $3.99). At 890 calories, the burger contains more than half the daily energy allotment for a woman age 51- plus whos not physically active (see box at right)-and thats before adding French fries and a soft drink.But the burger battle began in earnest last summer with the nationwide rollout of McDonalds premium Angus Deluxe burger. At onethird pound of beef, the burger weighs in bigger than McDonalds iconic Quarter-Pounder or Big Mac, with calories to match: 750 for the Angus Deluxe, compared to 540 in a Big Mac and 410 in a Quarter-Pounder. (At 250 calories-300 with cheese-McDonalds standard hamburger seems almost like a diet dish by comparison.)Arch-rival Burger King introduced new menu items of its own, hoping to peel away economically downtrodden customers from casual dining chains such as Applebees and Chilis. Among the new offerings is the Steakhouse XT Burger-far more whopping than Burger Kings own Whopper, at 970 calories (versus 670 for the Whopper) and 23 grams of saturated fat (versus 11). Its still shy, however, of the 1,160- calorie Triple Whopper, with three beef patties, or the 1,010-calorie Quad Stacker, with four.

Whats a health-conscious customer to do? Selecting a veggie burger might seem like a smart option, but the piled-on fixings can make these meatless choices almost as high in calories and fat as ordinary burgers. Burger Kings Veggie Burger, for instance, weighs in at 420 calories and 16 grams of total fat, not far behind the Whoppers 670 calories and 40 grams of total fat. Somehow, Ruby Tuesdays manages to make its Veggie Burger, at 952 calories and 53 grams total fat, worse for your waistline than a Big Mac and almost as bad as its own Classic Cheeseburger (1,160 calories, 81 grams total fat).Ordering an ordinary hamburger might be your safest bet, as long as youre careful with the side dishes and stick with a non-sugared beverage. McDonalds regular burger actually has fewer calories than any other sandwich on the menu, and its 3.5 grams of saturated fat is the same as the grilled Chipotle BBQ Snack Wrap, which has 10 more calories at 260. Most fast-food salads start at almost that many calories, and then add dressing and chicken. Burger Kings Tendergrill Garden Salad, for example, has more calories (460) and saturated fat (7 grams) than its Whopper Jr. (370, 6 grams).Going into the burger battle armed with information-check the restaurant chains websites for nutrition data-is the smartest strategy. But if in doubt, do the opposite of whats touted in the eateries ads: Think small.