Healthy way to satisfy your sweet tooth

Njeri Maina @njerimainar

Did you know that you could actually get a healthy burger? Well, I was as surprised as you probably are right now  when I learnt that.

I have recently been trying to eat healthy, you know project abs and to boost my immunity.

So my friend put me onto Berg Bites, a cloud kitchen, which serves artisanal burgers that can be curated to someone’s specific dietary needs.

So in my patent curious fashion, I ordered four different burgers and proceeded to hold a duo picnic lunch with my niece outdoors.

Turns out Berg Bites make sliders; you know the tiny burgers that are the perfect bite size? Yes, those ones.

They have the crunchy fried chicken slider, which is scrumptious while still being healthy, and the beef slider with both coming in a black charcoal bun. 

They also offer lamb burgers whose patty is housed in a black bun too. I did not try this option, there is always a next time though.

My niece was over the moon when she saw the different coloured buns. 

There were black, pink and green buns. The black bun is made with activated charcoal, which is known for relieving gas and stomach bloating, slowing aging as it is an antioxidant, as well as helping clear toxins from the body.

The green bun is made with spinach while the pink one is made with beetroot.

The green bun houses the tofu patty while the pink one houses the black bean patty.

They also have the paneer burger, which is a spicy burger whose patty is made fromcheese.

It is quite sumptuous, especially if you enjoy spices. The black bean burger is one of the vegetarian burgers.

It comes in a beechwood or pink bun and is quite tasty too. My niece, who is in a long term committed relationship with meat took a bite of the black bean burger and was none the wiser.

She was in disbelief when I enlightened her that the patty she had just bit into was made from black beans. 

The interesting thing about the different buns is that while the thematic colour remains the same even in subsequent orders, the colour grading is slightly different as the dough is homemade and the colouring natural.

You might get a deep pink bun this time round and a lighter pink bun the next time you order, quite interesting, right?

Healthy treats

“We offer unique artisanal homemade sliders. The lockdown meant that we had lots of time to think about health and our lifestyles.

I and my co-founder decided to add extra value to food by providing vegan slider options, and even gluten free options. 

All our ingredients are sourced locally and are organic. Everything is homemade hence wholesome.

We aim to provide healthy yet tasty meal options for Kenyans,” Alyssa Akram, one of the co-founders of Berg Bites explained to me when I queried about their story.

Berg bombs

As you all know I’m pretty big on food and health, and have been actively trying to find a balance therein.

So, finding a kitchen that makes healthy snacking and meal options is big for me. 

But since dessert every other day does not make a bad diet, I also ordered from their dessert menu where they make berg bombs.

Berg bombs are pastries with a sweet filling, which can be either vanilla custard or hazelnut chocolate. 

The pastry dough can be made normally or with activated charcoal. My niece picked the normal dough and just for variety, we picked both fillings. 

Suffice it to say that I have not known peace for the last few days; my niece has been clamouring for hazelnut chocolate berg bombs and the fried chicken burger for a while now.

I might just cave in just so I can enjoy a few bombs with a hot cup of tea with my favourite Kenyan movies on Netflix. 

While I am enamoured with the slider offerings and the soft and decadent pastry bombs from Berg Bites, my only issue is that they only deliver orders every Wednesday and Saturday though one can place orders on any day of the week.

If it were up to me, their sliders would be delivered to me every weekday lunch time.