As a writer for "AOL Health," one my greatest pleasures (and horrors) is writing about the latest and most outrageous fast food disasters. While I've come across some doozies in my reporting, nothing quite compares to the West Michigan Whitecaps' soon-to-be-released four-pound, $20 sandwich, which is boasted to contain five beef patties, five slices of cheese, nearly a cup of chili and liberal doses of salsa and corn chips, all crammed in an eight-inch bun, amounting to 4,800-calories. Yes, that's nearly two and a half day's worth of calories! No wonder a dietitian from the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine called this seriously bad burger a "dietary disaster."

I just think Paula Deen is the best. She's sweet, funny and the epitome of southern charm. It's a rare day that Paula claims any of her recipes are light and healthy -- after all, butter is The Lady's favorite ingredient. But I'm OK with that. I've tried a few of her recipes, and so far they've all been yummy; they just need to be served in small portions and paired with very light and nutritious sides.

But Paula really takes the cake with her recipe for Brunch Burgers. Or should I say she takes the doughnut? She makes a basic burger and tops it with bacon and a fried egg. It's a little non-traditional, but I can get on board with that. In fact, it might be quite tasty. But then she pulls out glazed doughnuts and uses them in lieu of a hamburger bun. I swear to the Gods of Food Network, my arteries started to clog just watching her do that.

If you're a fan of burgers, try some of these healthier burger recipes.

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Salmon is by far my favorite type of seafood. Not only is it delicious, it's good for you, too; it's rich in omega 3 fatty acids, vitamin D, selenium, protein, and vitamins B3 and B12.

While it's important to me to serve healthful meals for me and my son, I'm not the world's most innovative cook. That's another reason why salmon is tops on my list. It's so easy to cook ... you really can't go wrong. My favorite method is to drizzle it with just a tiny bit of olive oil, sprinkle some paprika on top, and grill it. The same method works in the oven, too. I usually pair it with some seasoned brown rice and steamed asparagus.

Real Simple has eight salmon recipes that are much more creative than my stand-by preparation method. The Dill Salmon Burgers sound awesome as does the Blackened Salmon.

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Healthy fast food? Could there really be such a thing? A West Hollywood restaurant in California called O!burger seems to think so, and they're not talking cold sub sandwiches either. Burgers, fries, and shakes make up a good part of their menu, along with veggie burgers, yogurt smoothies, and salads.

Their main claim to fame (and health) is that they're 100% organic and striving to be eco-friendly in every way they can. They do have a healthy sounding veggie burger made of spinach and corn, but no mention of fat grams or calories. Is being organic enough to make such a broad claim like "healthy?" Unfortunately I don't live in the area and can't go try it for myself but if you do then give it a shot and let us know what you think!

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Burgers are a thing of the past for me -- I stopped eating red meat a little more than a year ago, which struck burgers right from my diet. Turkey burgers never really did anything for me so a burger-free girl I am. Makes me think I'm in the minority when I stumbled upon this statistic in the June 2008 Redbook magazine: Americans eat 13 billion burgers per year. Now that's a lot of beef. Check out these other stats:

• The year a burger was first served on a bun: 1891

• Ounces of meat in a Wendy's "Where's the beef?" hamburger: 4

• The cost of a hamburger at White Castle when the chain first opened its doors in 1921: 5 cents

• Pounds gained by Super Size Me star Morgan Spurlock after eating McDonald's for one month: 25
  
  

This site has some more burger stats. Got any of your own?

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In my expert opinion, yes! Disney World is the healthiest place on earth. I just returned from a five-night, six-day vacation with my husband and two children and was blown away by the amount of physical activity both offered and required of ourselves in order to indulge in the full Disney experience.

We pushed our double-stroller miles through two theme parks, climbed thousands of stairs and jumped an equal amount of waves at two water-parks, danced our tushies off to live bands at various Disney resorts, and played game after game with our children as we giggled, oohed and ahhed at all the Disney magic. As a fitness trainer, one of my biggest obstacles is convincing my clients not to trash their fitness efforts when they head out on vacation. Disney offers the perfect opportunity to not only maintain one's fitness level, but improve it.

The physical adventures are endless, and Disney World has made a deliberate effort to increase the availability of legitimately nutritious, low fat, and lower sugar foods. Fruit stands have popped up all over the theme parks, and children's dining has switched from burgers and fries to grilled chicken with carrots and grapes offered as side dishes. Soda has been dumped for low fat milk! I can't get food that "clean" in my own neighborhood, unless I cook it myself! Of course, the old junkie favorites like popcorn, fries, and ice cream are still available, but if you do care about your health and want to maintain it on vacation ... Disney makes it easy.

Who says you can't eat healthfully and still have a burger? Burgers are standard Memorial Day fare -- and treats throughout the summer. But, with some tasteful substitutions, you can have your burger and eat it too. Shape Magazine has a list of their five top burgers:

• Barbecued Tofu-Potato burgers have 351 calories and 6.6 grams of fat.
  
• Curried Pork Burgers with Mango Chutney have 364 calories and 6.9 grams of fat.
• Grilled Portobello burgers have 394 calories and 12.9 grams of fat.
• Spicy Wasabi Salmon burgers have 209 calories and 8 grams of fat.
• Tuna Burgers with Horseradish Mayo have 294 calories and 4.9 grams of fat.

You can also try modifying the traditional burger by using ground turkey instead of beef, opting for whole-grain buns, trying a veggie burger, loading up on veggies, and choosing healthy condiments.

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Every time I wander outdoors and smell the aroma of BBQ chicken or burgers or sausage wafting through the neighborhood air, I want to slap something on my backyard grill and simulate the smells that send my taste buds soaring. We do grill a lot at our house -- we have the pleasure of doing it year-round here in Florida -- but we don't tend to cook with much variety. We grill chicken, and we grill salmon, but we don't venture out too much more than that. How about you?

If you're feeling stuck this grilling season, flip through that Parade magazine that may have arrived with your newspaper this morning. What you'll find are a few methods for spicing up your tired and predictable outdoor menu. Check out four exciting dishes, including Grilled Whole Trout, Bacon Swiss Burger, Meatloaf in an Onion, and a Banana Boat. Featured in video format, you can watch these items come to life -- with enough time to get to the store, get some ingredients, and get cooking by dinner time.

Bon Appetit!

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The smell of barbecue is back in the neighborhood. And how sweet it is.

Do you know anyone who doesn't like a grilled dinner? And most grilled dinners, even the traditional burgers or dogs, can be quite healthy when paired with green salad and fresh fruit. Even the most die-hard heart-attack food lovers can be suckers for grilled veggies. My favorite is yellow squash with olive oil, garlic, sea salt and fresh ground pepper. My almost three-year-old daughter adores corn on the cob fresh from the 'cue. We do all the classics: burgers, dogs, steaks, chicken, various veggies, a mix of stuff on kabobs and more.

This season, I'm looking forward to trying some new things. The Food Network has tons of great spring and summer grilling ideas. Some are really unique. At least to me. What really caught my attention were all the recipes for grilled fruit. If you've never had it, plan it as part of your meal. Tonight. I've done melon and pineapple. But I love the idea of doing nectarines and plums, too. Mmmm.

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If you're lean and healthy and you want to stay that way, steering clear of burgers is a wise move. It's an even wiser move for those who are obese -- studies show that obese people are even more affected by burgers and other high-fat, high-carbohydrate foods.

In one study, 10 normal-weight folks and eight obese folks were fed an 1,800-calorie meal consisting of a burger, fries, cola, and apple pie. After two hours, blood tests showed that both groups had increased inflammatory and oxidative stress -- key factors in artery hardening, which leads to heart attack and stroke. Another hour later, the lean eaters' levels were back to normal. The obese group's numbers were still rising. The interesting twist is this: a high-fiber, fruit-based meal full of 1,800 calories had no such adverse effects.

This study, detailed in the March 2008 Reader's Digest, is small and therefore not conclusive. Still, we might learn a lesson from it: Ditch the greasy burgers, especially if you're above a normal weight range, and embrace fiber and fruit. Nothing new, is it? Consider it a friendly reminder.

If burgers are a must-have for you, check out these healthier varieties.

12 "healthy" foods that really aren't:

Why? Click to find out!

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Men'sHealth calls them manly burgers but I happen to think women can enjoy them just the same. Heck, feed them to your kids too.

These are not your typical burgers, dripping in fat and grease and loaded with condiments galore. Nope, they're they the Big Kahuna Recovery Burger, the Heart-healthy Burger, the Fat-burning Burger, and the Antioxidant Burger. With the the power to build and repair muscle, prime that heart of yours, pump up your metabolism, and fight cancer too, these selections are worth checking out. Here they are.

Before you prepare these healthy burgers, here are three rules for cooking perfection.

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If someone told you that a hamburger could be the riskiest menu item at the next restaurant you go to, it would probably sound alarmist. Escherichia coliform (that's E. coli for the rest of us) is staying in the media, so it's not quite as crazy as it appears. Turns out less than a half of one percent of beef is even tested for the bacteria.

With hundreds of varieties of E. coli, not all of them are harmful. As this article states, estimates suggest that we excrete 10 billion E. coli bacteria every time we go to the bathroom. So what's there to worry about? Well, beef is placed into boxes by the ton before getting processed.

That's 2,000 pounds of pre-hamburger meat. But less than a pound of meat per ton gets analyzed for bacteria! If the tiny amount they tested checks out A-OK, then so does the rest of it. Thousands of pounds of meat get processed this way every day, leaving some people to believe it can be risky. Should you give up burgers altogether now? No way, while the article does raise some questions, you can take steps to ensure you get the safe products. Check it out for more information here.

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At this point it's common knowledge that fast food is full of fat and calories, and we've all seen plenty of scary headlines declaring the "deadliest fast foods" and citing outrageous calorie counts. Plus it seems we find different numbers wherever we look -- so if you're trying to get an accurate reading on your favorite indulgence you've probably found yourself stuck in the +/- 300 calories range. Yeah, that's helpful.

So I'm presenting this list, from A Calorie Counter, with all of that in mind. It's one list that I think looks about right as far as the numbers go, and I always think lists like this are fun. One thing I know for sure: at 1680 calories I won't be having a large White Castle chocolate shake anytime soon!

The list ranks the top 272 items total, so take a look -- you might be surprised at where your favorite indulgence lands on the list!

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When it's hot out, big meals and cooking are just about the last thing I want to have anything to do with. Summer is a time of salads, fruit and anything cool from ice cream to iced beverages. While many of these summertime treats may sound light and healthy, there are often extra calories hidden in some of the season's food favorites. Check out this list to find out what to avoid in order not to ruin your healthy-eating plan:

• Salads - Sure most greens are great for you, especially when topped with a low-cal dressing, but beware of anything like coleslaw and potato salad that is full of high-fat, high-calorie mayonnaise.
• Hot dogs and hamburgers - To much of these much-loved summer foods can ruin a diet. You don't have to give them up though, just substitute in an alternative like turkey dogs or veggie burgers from time to time.
• Alcohol - I love a tasty daiquiri on a hot day as much as the next person but these types of icy, sugary drinks will result in a thicker waistline. As the piece points out, a chilled white wine or even beer, is much lower in calories.
• Iced Coffee - An easy culprit to fall for because few associate coffee with gaining weight? While a low-fat iced latte won't ruin your figure, too many of those large, syrupy iced-mocha's certainly will.
• Ice Cream - For some, avoiding ice cream all summer is not only impossible, it seems totally crazy. Rather than give it up completely, substitute a simple non-fat vanilla scoop for a heaping bowl of rocky road. Or try a fruit sorbet or low-fat frozen yogurt from time to time.

Have you found any of your favorite summer foods have been affecting your weight? And can you recommend a healthy substitute?

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If you've been known to grab a meal or two on the run at your local fast food joint, test your knowledge of the food you're eating with this quiz. The answers to the questions you are given may surprise you. Do you really know how many calories you're adding to your pizza with that dipping sauce? And do you really know which breakfast choices are the best? I got 7/10 -- less than I thought I would get since I research this stuff every day. Some of the answers shocked me, which is hard to do when I'm surrounded by alarming facts every day.

What did you get? What answers surprised you?

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