It’s virtually impossible to have not heard of Impossible Burger lately, especially with the commercials that show real-world taste testers who claim they can’t tell it apart from a real beef burger.
If you’re curious how these meatless burgers really taste – and how they measure up, nutritionally – Molly has the full rundown on the Impossible Burger, Beyond Burger, and the many other meatless burgers on shelves, in this week’s Love it, Like it, Hate it!
TIP: Check sodium content and look for options that provide at least 2-3 times more protein than carbohydrates.
LOVE IT!
Beyond Burger | Vegan, GF
- 250 calories, 18 grams fat, 6 grams sat fat, 390 mg sodium, 3 grams carb, 2 grams fiber, 20 grams protein.
- Made with pea protein, oil, potato starch, yeast extract, gum arabic, beet juice extract, annatto for color.
- Relatively straightforward ingredient list, high in protein, low in carbs
Morning Star Grillers Original Burger | Vegetarian, not GF
- 130 calories, 5 grams fat, 0.5 grams sat fat, 390 mg sodium, 8 grams carb, 4 grams fiber, 16 grams protein.
- Made with wheat and soy protein, egg whites, vegetable oil, corn & potato starch, yeast extract, herbs & seasonings
LIKE IT!
Impossible Burger | Vegan, GF [soy leghemoglobin tested on animals]
- 240 calories, 14 grams fat, 8 grams sat fat, 370 mg sodium, 9 grams carb, 3 grams fiber, 19 grams protein.
- Made with soy and potato protein, soy leghemoglobin, yeast extract, oil blend, vitamins and mineral
- Much of red color + meat-like flavor derived from genetically engineered soy leghemoglobin; made in a lab with not-so-natural ingredients
Boca All American Veggie Burger| Vegan, GF
- 100 calories, 4 grams fat, 1 gram sat fat, 350 mg sodium, 6 grams carb, 4 grams fiber, 13 grams protein.
- Made with soy protein concentrate, reduced fat cheddar cheese, oil blend, herbs and spices.
HATE IT!
Dr. Praeger’s California Veggie Burger| Vegan
- 130 calories, 6 grams fat, 0.5 grams sat fat, 250 mg sodium, 13 grams carb, 5 grams fiber, 5 grams protein
- Made with carrots, onions, green beans, oat bran, soybeans, zucchini, canola oil, peas, broccoli, corn, soy flour… arrowroot powder, corn starch, garlic, corn meal…
- A great source of veggies, just not enough protein to be a burger ‘meat’ replacer
Amy’s Organic Sonoma Veggie Burgers | GF, Vegan
- 130 calories, 5 grams fat, 0.5 grams sat fat, 410 mg sodium, 18 grams carb, 3 grams fiber, 4 grams protein
- Made with quinoa, GF oats, walnuts, mushrooms, potatoes, chickpea flour, vegetables, oil, herbs & spices
- More than 4x more carb than protein
##
Want more from Molly? Click here to sign up for Nutrition Bites, the Eat Fit weekly e-newsletter with links to her FUELED TV segments here on WGNO, and her articles in Thrive Global! Follow Molly on Facebook, Twitter, & Instagram: @MollyKimballRD – and check out her weekly podcast, FUELED Wellness + Nutrition with Molly; just search ‘Molly Kimball’ on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app.
