What really is in a burger?

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New research shows a fast food explosion and with the economy shrinking, millions are turning to quick, cheaper meals.

Others, though, are sickened because of what is in the most popular fast foods we are now choosing.

We already eat 1.6 billion fast food meals a year. We spend $12.4 billion yet incredibly we're hungry for more, much more.

Sissel Rosengren from research company BIS Schrapnel worked on the just released Fast Food in Australia report.

"Today, the fast food chains serve 60 per cent of all fast food meals in Australia compared to the independent outlets," he said.

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The survey of 1200 consumers found West Australians love drive thrus; not that many of us like home delivered meals and most of do like to, at least, think healthy.

"The difference is we eat more hamburgers, it is a more popular choice today, in today's market then when what is was three years ago there has been a growth and that equates with trend exactly the same trend as we are seeing in European markets and also in the US markets," Sissel said.

"The winners in today's market in terms of fast food are definitely the international chains but actually it's skewed towards the hamburger chains."

McDonald's heads the fast food field with 17 per cent of the total market share, 1 per cent more than KFC and Pizza Hut.

Almost two-thirds of the market is made up of everything from Subway, to fried chicken, kebabs and sushi.

Globally McDonald's sales have increased 7 per cent, in Australia, it is up more than 10 per cent.

Forty new stores are planned. At the same time, the traditional Aussie favourite fast foods, fish and chips and pies, are today the least favourite fast foods, despite being an often healthier alternative.

These days it is hamburgers which eclipse pizza and chicken to dominate the industry.

And just like our waistlines, they're about to get even bigger.

Nutrition scientist and dietician Dr Joanna McMillan Price said a close look at what we are eating can confront.

"Comparing a Big Mac with a Whopper, the Whopper has one-third more energy, compared to the Big Mac," she said.

"Now there's a difference in size there but you can see that if you're regularly choosing a Whopper over a big Mac you're getting a considerable amount more energy."

The Quarter Pounder is another top seller, as is its Hungry Jacks counterpart.

"There's 15 per cent more calories in the Double Whopper with cheese, but there is one-quarter more fat," Dr McMillan Price said.

"There was 27 per cent more energy in the McChicken, so that was against the McChicken version, and 12 per cent more fat and it also had more than 50 per cent the carbohydrate in the grilled chicken burger."

Hungry Jack's chicken burger claws back some nutritional points but its cheeseburger leaves a lot to be desired.

"There were 30 per cent more calories in the Hungry Jacks cheeseburger and again more than 50 per cent the fat," Dr McMillan Price said.

"I have less a problem with the burger than the bun. I don't know why they can't have a healthier bun that's not so full of sugar."

All the experts are predicting we will eat more sushi, noodles and Asian foods, because they are relatively new and healthier.

They also agree the big fast food chains will stay firmly at the head of the table.