There are so many brands and manufacturers out there, who are innovating new food products that are made from vegetables that are re-engineered to look and taste like meat. From protein cells grown in a laboratory, to high-tech engineering of flavors that can make a vegetable burger taste like a bacon cheeseburger.
We’re sure you all know the types of food products we’re talking about, because they have been in the news for the past two years. But what we would like to share is a conversation about these engineered foods, and whether they are actually nutritious and as healthy as they claim to be for consumers.
Let’s take a look together at some of the hype and what physicians and dietitians are saying about the nutrient content of some incredible burgers made from plant sources proteins.
Burger King Goes Big on The Impossible Burger
The Burger King Impossible Whopper is being embraced as a vegan and vegetarian friendly alternative food option. And a healthier one. But there are a few things that dietitians have already pointed out about the Impossible Whopper that are worth noting.
The Impossible Whopper was formulated by the Impossible Foods company. It is a plant protein-based burger patty that is made from soy protein, potato protein, coconut oil, sunflower oil, salt, yeast and other undisclosed emulsifying agents.
Sales have surged for Impossible Burgers to the extent that there have been several shortages at restaurants the serve them, including Red Robin and Burger King. But reviews by vegans and vegetarians were mixed, after Burger King announced that most locations would be preparing the burgers on the same grill as their poultry and beef burgers. That’s a no-no for anyone who follows a vegan diet.
Is That Impossible Burger Actually Healthy?
What is most concerning however about the Impossible Burger (in all it’s variations) is the amount of extra sodium in each serving. The Impossible Whopper for example, has 9 more grams of carbohydrates and more sodium than the beef Whopper. How much salt is in one of these ‘healthier’ burgers? About 1080 mg. For reference, the average American should be eating less than 1,500 mg. of sodium per day, according to the American Heart Association. So that healthy burger really represents almost your full amount of sodium for the day, especially if you order a soda (even a diet beverage) to go with it.
The Impossible Burger also contains unhealthy saturated fats. A recent article from Harvard Health revealed that coconut oil is 90% saturated fat. Butter is about 64% saturated fat, and natural beef fat contains 40% saturated fat. This helps raise bad or LDL cholesterol levels and can lead to cardiovascular problems as this type of fat is known for contributing to narrow arteries, increasing risks for heart attack and stroke.
By comparison, one of our Free Graze American Kobe Beef patties contains 100 mg of sodium (versus 370 mg for the Impossible patty alone, without garnishes or bun). The Impossible Burger also provides 19 grams of protein, compared to 25g of protein in our premium hormone and antibiotic free beef patty. Iron provided in a serving of the Impossible Burger is only 4.2 mg; our American Kobe burger provides 15% of your RDA for iron in each patty. And for people on a carbohydrate restricted diet, a plain Impossible Burger patty contains 9 grams of carbohydrates. By comparison, our American Kobe burger has 0g of carbs and a bonus 4% RDA for calcium, in every patty.
A dietitians named Julie Upton, MS, RD who is the founder of a nutrition website we love called “Appetite for Health” was interviewed by Prevention Magazine, to see what she thought about the Burger King launch of the Impossible Whopper.
She shared that “the ingredient list on the plant-based burger is [long], so it’s not considered a ‘clean label’ [food]”.
The Center for Food Safety America has a ‘Beef’ With the Impossible Burger
An article was published by the Center for Food Safety in June 2019, that alarmed many people who thought that the Impossible Burger was a healthier option. “Center for Food Safety (CFS) is a national non-profit public interest and environmental advocacy organization working to protect human health and the environment by curbing the use of harmful food production technologies and by promoting organic and other forms of sustainable agriculture.”
Here is a summary of their concerns about the Impossible Burger:
1. “The Impossible Burger is manufactured from two different methods of genetically engineering soy products. This "impossible in nature" union is neither healthier nor more environmentally friendly than other kinds of non-meat burgers.”
2. “Rather than starting with organic soy beans, which have higher levels of protein and lower levels of Omega 6 fatty acids (the bad Omega), the company chose to use GMO soybeans, probably because they are cheaper than the organic beans. The company uses both GMO soy protein concentrate and GMO soy protein isolate for the protein in its burger.
3. “The second kind of genetic engineering of soy produces the "heme" that makes the Impossible Burger "bleed." In order to manufacture its burgers, Impossible Foods takes DNA from the roots of soy plants, where a small amount of "heme" is produced and inserts it into genetically engineered yeast that is then fermented to mass-produce heme. This is the first time that people have consumed this product. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is supposed to require testing in this situation to make sure that this novel protein does not cause allergic reactions in people. Unfortunately, instead of requiring Impossible Foods to file a new Food Additive Petition, FDA allowed the company to use a weak regulatory process called "Generally Recognized As Safe" (GRAS) where the company does its own research and chooses its own reviewers to self-certify that its product is safe for human consumption.”
Learn more about their published report on the nutritional value of the Impossible Burger here.
At Free Graze Foods, our team innovated delicious, healthy beef, poultry and pork patties that embrace sustainable agricultural methods, no GMOs, and meat that contains zero antibiotics, hormones or artificial preservatives. And while we support sustainability and healthy dietary choices, it’s clear from evaluating many reports that the Impossible Burger is not a healthy choice for people who want to eat well.
When it comes to choosing healthy proteins for your family, choose natural grass-fed beef and cage free turkey and pork products. Be informed about the difference between hype and what is actually healthy for you, by doing the reading and evaluating the labels on every food product you buy.
