Are Impossible and Beyond Burgers a Better Alternative?

Vegan burgers are sweeping the nation. As you’ve probably seen, heard, and possibly tasted, plant-based burgers are popping up in most fast food chain restaurants across the country. Why? Simple: consumer demand.

 

First let’s look at why so many people are choosing to forgo the real thing for the imitation.

From a health perspective, it’s not news that too much meat in your diet contributes to your risk for disease, partially because of the saturated fat content which negatively impacts cholesterol and heart health, but also because too much animal protein increases inflammation in your body (the basis for almost any disease).

From an environmental perspective, cattle are responsible for almost 15% of greenhouse gases (according to the FAO). It has long been known that choosing a vegetarian-leaning diet is one of the single best choices you can personally make to help the environment.

And finally, with more and more exposés, documentary footage, and whistle blowing, the cruelty behind farm factory meat is now well known, which matters from both an ethical and physiological perspective (the cortisol produced by the stress that the animals undergo contributes to inflammation and toxicity in the animals, and changes the composition of the meat quality).

Because of the above reasons, consumers are starting to change their eating habits, and the food industry is responding. But these reasons don’t include ‘not liking the taste of meat.’ In fact, often it’s much the opposite. And having access to a plant-based option that doesn’t require you to give up the taste of meat, is an attractive solution to many.

Enter stage right the Impossible Burger, available at fast food chains like Burger King and Applebee’s, and the Beyond Burger, available at many grocery stores, including Whole Foods, as well as fast food chains like Subway and Del Taco.

The question is, are these imitation burgers actually healthier?

The answer, partly having to do with which one you choose, is yes… and no.

 

The Impossible Burger:

The main protein in this burger is genetically modified concentrated soy protein. Soy can be a decent source of vegetarian protein, and an Impossible Whopper contains 25 grams compared to 28 grams for a regular beef Whopper. But soy in this form is highly processed and hard for your body to digest, and it also contains pesticides. However, the Impossible burger doesn’t contain hormones and antibiotics that are injected into the animals which make up the meat burgers, so that’s a plus.

The third ingredient, after water and soy protein, is coconut oil, the refined version. This means that a refined oil with saturated fat makes up a large part of the Impossible burger, which doesn’t help the intention of lowering saturated fat (although the saturated fat in this case is medium chain, vs. long chain, which is healthier than what’s found in the meat burger). Sunflower oil is the next ingredient, another processed oil.  The burger also contains (in relatively small amounts) isolated soy protein (my least favorite form of soy), and soy leghemoglobin, a soy derivative that allows the burger to mimic the ‘bloodiness’ of a regular burger. And then there’s a bunch of other additives like salt and modified food starch. In conclusion, the Impossible burger is not a health food by any stretch of the imagination, and yet it’s still probably healthier than the also very processed and problematic fast food meat burgers, while also being better for the environment.

 

The Beyond Burger:

This burger has many of the same ingredients as the Impossible Burger, with a few major exceptions: the main protein source is pea protein isolate, and while still a very processed food item, it’s healthier and less problematic than the processed soy in the Impossible burger. Pea protein is a hefty plant-based protein, giving the burger 20 grams of protein. The Beyond Burger is also GMO- free, mostly important because of the higher amount of pesticides/weedkillers that are used in many GMO foods. Also, beet juice extract is used for the ‘bloodiness’ rather than soy leghemoglobin, making it altogether soy-free. Like the Impossible burger, it contains a list of additives, but many of them are ingredients like apple extract, lemon juice concentrate, and pomegranate fruit powder. Beyond Meat does contain a large portion of refined vegetable oils, making both the Impossible and Beyond Meat burgers pretty close in calories and saturated fat as a beef burger. 

 

All in all, these meatless burgers cannot be deemed healthy, with the Beyond Meat burger faring better in certain areas over the Impossible. However, both fare better over the highly processed fast food beef burgers (except in sodium content). And while these meatless burgers taste much closer to real meat than all previous veggie burgers, if you’re looking to eat a plant-based diet for health reasons, you’ll want to stick to real whole foods (or food products with less processed ingredients). Let’s face it, fast food is just not healthy, any way you cut it.

For instance, compare the above-mentioned ingredients with that of the Organic Sunshine Burger (available in the frozen sections of health food stores): Organic cooked brown rice, organic ground sunflower seeds, organic carrots, organic chives, sea salt. It won’t taste like real meat, but then again, it really depends on why you’re choosing a vegan burger in the first place. In that vein, eating an organic, grass-fed beef burger would also be healthier than the processed meatless burgers, as long as you’re aware of the amount of overall acidity in your diet (to which red meat contributes).

 

The final word:

If you’re a vegan or vegetarian and happen to find yourself in a situation where fast food is your only option (which has occasionally happened to me), at least now there’s something on the menu for you too!