Let’s face it: many of us are on a semi-permanent diet. Clean eating, paleo, cleansing, low carb… these terms have reached cult status on the Goldie, even if we are all a little confused about the nutritional breakdown of what we’re eating. We all know to eat lots of green vegetables but outside that, things get a bit hazy, especially on the low-fat, low sugar or low carb fronts. These three ‘dietary persuasions’ seem to be at odds with each other. Given the mixed messages we receive from the food and health sectors, our confusion is hardly surprising!
Healthy eating is trending, even among us omnivores. No, I haven’t cut carbs altogether, but just looking at a burger I feel beaten. ‘Eating with my eyes’, even before the first bite,my jaw dislocates in anticipation. Most buns are just too large! So, what are my options? Give me a ‘deconstructed’ burger, order the burger as a sandwich, discard half the bread, or try to find a slider instead?
I’m sitting in Grill’d, Robina as their guest, analysing why I feel so daunted. There’s a perception that burgers are bad, that they’re full of carbs, fat and nothing good for us. Sure, the analysis of some chains’ burgers fit that bill, but few people realise that the standard Grill’d burger has only half the carbs of a Pad Thai or a bowl of Spaghetti Bolognese, and a third the carbs of a chicken wrap! (Carbfusion study conducted by Grill’d, 2014)
Grill’d Founder, Simon Crowe, started the company to challenge the notion that burgers are low in nutritional value and high in fat. But he still didn’t win me over.
For fussy eaters like me, there’s a new option: the Low Carb Burger. Seated on a low carb ‘SuperBun,’ the ‘Simon Says’ burger contains all your usual suspects: lean chicken breast fillet, salad, bacon, relish and herbed mayo. The bun’s ingredients read like a health food shopping list: free range eggs, almond meal, organic coconut cream, psyllium husk, tapioca flour, raw honey and salt. It’s gluten-free, grain free and dairy free. Total carbs: less than 18g (less than a California handroll’s 29.1g).
Does it taste like a burger bun? Not really. It’s softer, moister, and more like an almond pancake than a bun. That doesn’t detract from the taste experience, though, it’s just a point of difference. The low carb ‘bun’ does not interfere with the flavour of the chicken and sauces and I’m left without an overwhelming ‘full’ feeling. It’s a thumbs up from me; a great option. So now, as you tuck into your healthy burger, I can ‘have my bun and eat it too’, guilt-free! Family friendly? There’s a playground right outside!
NOTE: Good Food Gold Coast was a guest of Grill’d Robina.
Photo Credit: Photo of Simon Crowe from Grill’d.
At time of writing, Grill’d had seven Gold Coast locations listed on their website here.