The Impossible Burger is a plant-based meat alternative that uses a proprietary heme made from genetically engineered yeast. It has been tested on animals and sold at Burger King, but some vegans may avoid it due to its controversial history. Impossible Foods, a company that produces plant-based burgers, is known for their nutritional benefits and appeal to both vegetarians and meat-eaters.
The Impossible Burger is a similar substitute for beef for vegetarians, vegans, and the average omnivore. However, it is not considered vegan due to its voluntary testing on animals two years after receiving GRAS approval from the FDA. The Impossible Burger is not designed for vegetarians, but for those who eat meat and want an alternative.
There is no clear-cut answer to whether vegans should eat Impossible Burgers, as the decision is entirely up to the individual. While the Impossible Burger is good, it is not a substitute for creative, veggie-first vegetarian cooking. While no animal-derived ingredients are used in the production of Impossible Burgers, it is not 100% vegan.
Plant-based burgers designed to taste like meat are being marketed to both vegetarians and meat-eaters as nutritious, earth-friendly alternatives. Vegetarians, vegans, and even kosher and halal eaters have closed out of pork and cheeseburgers before, but Impossible Foods is not the ones making new fake meats go viral. They say that while their products are made from plants, they are made for people who love eating meat, and they welcome anyone and all to join them on their mission.
📹 Are Beyond Meat and the Impossible Burger Healthy?
Beyond Meat, Impossible Burger, and your health: What happens when you compare the trans fats, saturated fat, sodium, and …
Do vegetarians like the Impossible Burger?
The Impossible Burger is a plant-based alternative to beef burgers, suitable for vegetarian and vegan diets. It contains nutrients like vitamin B12 and heme iron, which many plant-based diets lack. Available in some restaurants and fast-food establishments, it’s a tasty and easy meal option for plant-based diets. Producing the Impossible Burger uses 92 less water, generates 91 fewer greenhouse gases, and requires 96 less land than conventional ground beef from cows.
Is the Impossible Whopper tested on animals?
Impossible, a plant-based heme free from animal-derived ingredients, underwent at least one animal test to obtain FDA approval and GRAS approval. The company’s former CEO and founder, Brown, explained the reasons behind the use of animal testing in a 2017 statement. After a panel of food safety experts approved Impossible’s new heme, the FDA provided data as part of the GRAS Notification Process. When the FDA asked about the data, Impossible commissioned animal testing to confirm its safety, a decision it had avoided so far.
Do vegetarians like Beyond Burger?
Beyond Meat burgers are a popular alternative for those who consume meat, offering a similar taste and texture to traditional burgers. This facilitates the transition to non-harmful animal practices for some individuals, and the author endorses this concept as a source of enjoyment.
Are Impossible veggie burgers healthy?
The Impossible Burger is a popular meat alternative, but it is not a significant improvement due to its ultra-processed food and GMO ingredients. It is not suitable for those with allergies or sensitivities to soy. Although it is a good source of fiber, calcium, and potassium, it is high in saturated fats and sodium, which are linked to health issues like obesity, heart disease, and high blood pressure.
To improve health, it is recommended to eat less meat and opt for a plant-based patty made from beans, whole grains, mushrooms, or vegetables. When making a plant-based burger at home, it is essential to add vitamin C, which is a carrier for non-heme iron in plants.
Can vegetarians eat the Impossible Whopper?
Burger King’s Impossible Whopper, a meatless burger, may not meet the definition of true vegetarian fare unless specifically requested. The burger is flame-grilled on the same broiler as chicken and beef products, meaning it may come into contact with meat and poultry. Despite its popularity, many people were disappointed that the burger didn’t live up to its hype as a great option for vegetarians. However, with the release of the new breakfast sandwich featuring a vegetarian sausage patty, many are applauding Burger King for expanding its menu.
Can vegetarians eat plant-based burgers?
Beyond Meat and Impossible Burgers are a delicious and satisfying alternative for vegetarians and vegans looking to reduce their meat intake. These burgers offer a classic taste without consuming meat, making them a great choice for those who prefer a vegetarian approach. Other popular vegetarian and vegan burger alternatives include veggie burgers, portobello mushroom burgers, black bean burgers, and grilled eggplant burgers. Eggplant burgers have a meaty texture and mild flavor that pairs well with various seasonings. They can be topped with cheese, tomato, lettuce, and other toppings.
Why do vegans not eat impossible meat?
The Impossible Burger, a plant-based heme, has been criticized for its potential animal testing, despite its humane trials. However, veganism aims to avoid animal exploitation as much as possible and practicable. Many ingredients in our diet have impacted animals, and avoiding this is rarely achievable. Animal testing can be implicated in life-saving medicines, diapers, and contact lenses. Vegans aim to avoid animal exploitation as much as possible, and the popularity of the Impossible Burger may have saved more lives than it has impacted, as more people opt for vegan diets.
What’s healthier, Impossible or Beyond?
The Impossible Burger and Beyond Burger are plant-based alternatives to traditional beef patties that exhibit comparable nutritional profiles. These products are designed to replicate the taste and texture of meat-based burgers while eliminating the use of meat, eggs, dairy, and other animal-derived ingredients. Initially, some may inquire as to whether one is preferable.
Is Impossible meat highly processed?
Impossible and Beyond Meats are not the most nutritious and healthy food alternatives, according to Tamar Samuels, RD, a certified dietitian nutritionist and founder of All Great Nutrition. These meat alternatives are highly processed, with artificial colors, flavors, and preservatives added to promote shelf stability, texture, and palatability. Although they have been fortified with vitamins and minerals and some micronutrients, they are not as nutritious as unprocessed foods. Fresh foods, in their whole and natural form, have the perfect balance of macro, micro, and phytonutrients that cannot be replicated in “healthy processed foods”.
Is the Impossible Burger certified vegan?
The Impossible Burger, a popular meat-eater product, is not vegan certified due to an ingredient that was recently tested on animals. Although it is free of animal products, it has replaced many cow burgers and has a positive impact on animals. Cultured meat, while supported by vegans, cannot be vegan certified due to its requirement of not being sourced from animal products or by-products. However, the movement is hopeful that cultured meat will soon become a viable, affordable, and accessible option that reduces animal suffering and environmental impact.
The Animal Testing Guidelines for vegan certification prohibit ingredients or components tested on animals since 2009 from being permitted in Certified Vegan products. As of January 1, 2024, Vegan Action has updated the last date of permitted animal testing for ingredients for Vegan Certification from 2000 to 2009. This ensures that vegan products do not contribute to animal research and promotes animal welfare.
Do vegetarians like the impossible burger?
The Impossible Burger is a plant-based alternative to beef burgers, suitable for vegetarian and vegan diets. It contains nutrients like vitamin B12 and heme iron, which many plant-based diets lack. Available in some restaurants and fast-food establishments, it’s a tasty and easy meal option for plant-based diets. Producing the Impossible Burger uses 92 less water, generates 91 fewer greenhouse gases, and requires 96 less land than conventional ground beef from cows.
📹 Impossible Burger vs. Beef: Which is Healthier?
Remind me about the healthy benefits of soy protein isolate? It’s the second ingredient in Impossible meats. Check on it’s affects to the cardiovascular system, as well as its potential to be a carcinogen. I appreciate the analysis, but leaving out details like that is no better than what Ansel Keyes did in his lipid hypothesis (which is still a hypothesis for a reason).
I’e gone all in with the Daily Dozen and WFPB for 3 weeks now. Was reducing my meat consumption dramatically the last 3 years and the meat substitutes were very important in that journey, as were the vegan food markets. I knew most of the enviornmental science, a little of the health stuff but the thing that makes it easy to transition is the alternatives and markets. You can do it socially, go to nice resturants and have a beer and burger etc. It’s awesome. Now I much prefer proper veggie burger patty’s rather than the Beyond meat stuff
I decided my own home made veggie burgers are SO much more nutritionally-sound and healthier for a human body than these processed burgers. I liked how the Impossible burger tasted, but I went against my own methods and ate them BEFORE checking out what was in them. Why did I do that? Ugh. My veggie burger recipe has a base made from portobello mushrooms, no heme, no preservatives, etc., and I can pre-make them and freeze them for later. They bake in the oven for 30 minutes. So delicious and none of these processed ingredients. And Bill Gates makes no money off of my veggie burgers, which is a bonus.
I tried the Beyond Meat Burger and it tasted terrible. I don’t like the smoked taste of the Burger. However, taste and texture are very close to a beef patty. I go better with black bean and vegetable patties, which taste ways better and should also be healthy. Here in Germany, all Burger restaurants already offer a non-meat alternative, which is mostly based on beans (black or soy) or chickpeas (like falafel) or so.
Dr Greger, there is an article from GMO science on rats fed impossible meat that states weight gain, inflammation, kidney disease and anemia resulted . The gm yeast and soy leghemoglobin are the culprit. Trying to genetically engineer meat from plants has a long way to go before it can be considered safe for human consumption.
Has anyone ever measured the trans fats in plant-based burgers after pan searing them? Unsaturated fats have a chance to turn into trans fats upon heating. I have no idea how high that conversion rate might be, but it would be interesting to know! Maybe there is better and less good ways to prepare them.
Beyond Burger was the best I had tasted the first time I tasted it. I had the impossible from Burger King and it tasted like every other Burger King Burger ~ a badly seasoned sole of shoe. We tried a couple I’ve never heard of from the mainstream supermarket like Pure Farmland and friendly farms(I think)…. They are perfectly wonderful on a toasted burger buns, with violife cheddar slices melted and whatever else you like on a burger, meaning seasonings, condiments and raw veggies like onion, tomato, peppers, avocado, or cooked veggies like onions, peppers, mushrooms in other words… PLANTS. But in my opinion, in america, hands down,! is the store brand burger patties from Trader Joe’s! Super yum 🍔
I think things like Beyond Meat and Impossible have been incredible for transitioning people into plant-based eating. It’s opened a lot of people up to doing their own research on plant-based eating and helped get rid of the ‘all you eat is lettuce and tofu’ stigma that plant-based eating used to have. And plant-based options in restaurants and fast food chains is skyrocketing because of these companies. No, it’s not as healthy as whole plant foods, but it’s a better option than animal products (for health, animals, and the environment). It’s a nice treat or emergency option at restuarants when you’re out and about or on vacation. They’re really helping plant-based eating go mainstream. They don’t need to be eaten too often, but they are delicious. I think the goal the plant=based community needs to focus on is getting more people on board because the planet can’t sustain meat and animal product consumption anymore. And these companies have quickly done what plant-based eaters haven’t been able to do in the past by opening people’s minds en masse.
It’s a nice treat to have from time to time, it’s great for impressing meat-eaters when they come over for dinner, and it’s also great to bring to a BBQ and eat similar foods as everyone else. The ability they have to encourage people to try plant-based diets cannot be overstated. My brother-in-law is a proud Texan grill master, but he’s also plant based, and likely would not be if it weren’t for foods like impossible “meat” and dayia “cheese.”
Changed my diet to a carnivore diet, removed all those hyper mega processed seed oil, started cooking at home and avoid any hyper processed fat. I am in best shape of my life, getting closer to my weight target, energy levels are mostly consistent and my mood improved significantly. This article has some relevant info but is full of the propaganda towards super processed junk food. There are lots of half truths here and a lot of hiding behind studies that were cherry picked to prove a point..
i would rather pay more for real meat – grass fed, organic, no hormones or antibiotics. Its’ REAL FOOD. Americans need to eat FAR more vegetables, whole grains, etc. However, there are some nutrients that can be found in natural meat, eggs, and dairy that simply cannot be found in other plant based foods. We just don’t need a ton of it. Also, alot of the plant based foods are so highly processed that our bodies won’t really recognize it as food. so what was accomplished?
I got attacked on Facebook because of this article. Somebody else posted it and a bunch of people were saying that they were vegan for the animals and the environment. All I said was to please take care of yourselves. Suddenly I am judging and attacking. Junk food vegans are learning way too often and the hard way that eating these things is still detrimental to our health. I love an impossible burger. But I don’t like having High cholesterol, especially when I consume absolutely zero dietary cholesterol. Please everybody, take care of yourselves. Eat the treats but don’t make them be a regular part of your diet. I made the mistake of adding them too often and now I’m paying for it.
Will you please make a article about hydrogenated vegetable oils? Most of us are on board with avoiding meat and dairy but are only just starting to learn about the detrimental impacts of oils like Canola, Corn, Peanut, Soy, etc… please show us you aren’t just a shill for big agriculture and talk about this subject. I appreciate your articles 👍
I would really love to see some topless articles of yours? How are your visceral fats levels? You don’t look to healthy. Ruminant Nose-to-tail Meat has been the best thing that happened to me after a vegan diet. Polyunsaturated fats, high in omega 6. How about those? Funny you don’t mention the one thing that is the biggest contributor to chronic inflammation…
I like to use about half of a normal serving in tacos or pasta. I’m hoping they can offer a lower sodium version in the future. Walmart sells Impossible for around $6.50 for a 12 oz package. Getting closer to ground beef prices. Once it’s actually cheaper than beef, I think more meat eaters will give it a try. Definite win for the environment and the animals.
Beyond has an incredible line of products. These products are healthier than eating meat and poultry. If processing is done with healthy natural products there should be no issue. Regarding a comparison to animal agriculture products, in slaughterhouses and processing plants where cows,pigs and chickens die the most vile and unhealthy chemicals are used .,and you eat it .
Also. There was an independent 3rd party study done at “White Oak Pastures”. Between holistic grass fed grass finished beef vs the carbon footprint of companies like “Beyond Beef”. And it was found that the all natural beef farm actually had a net NEGATIVE carbon footprint. Which was the exact opposite with mass GMO harvested plants. In addition the all natural beef farm also replenished the soil nutrients that the plants absorb. As apposed to the GMO fields that use chemical fertilizer and never replenish the micro or macro nutrients into the soil. Which ultimately make the produce or meat grown from the ground and grass that grows from it less nutritious for the human body than land that has implemented holistic beef raising.
If you want to make a article that is actually helpful. Compare processed vegan burgers side by side to processed animal burgers like a McDonald’s burger. This article is very rambling and hard to take away anything concrete to share with others. I did appreciate the statement about “we can’t let perfection be the enemy of the good”.
What I eat in a day — Main meal — Bean veggie soup. The beans can be any combo really. Lately for me it’s been canned organic black, kidney, garbanzo beans + lentils. The veggies are mostly greens from the garden: collards, arugula, broccoli leaves, beet greens, garlic chives, mushrooms. Season to taste. A second meal includes grains, mostly oats, like maybe oat + flax quick bread. Snacks include fruits and nuts. Always include B12 and probably vegan D3 & DHA (algal sourced) in your diet. My BMI stays at 18.5 – 19 and I have not had an illness since going vegan over 20 years ago. Last tip: get adequate sleep. Last tip 2: Study the works of Dr Michael Greger. Go to the topics page and start there. That should take a lifetime or two to “digest”.
I’m on probably my 5th or 6th attempt at going fully WFPB. Having Beyond Burgers as the occasional treat meal and other tasty PB substitutes has really helped me to stay the course. I really appreciate Dr Gregor highlighting not letting perfect get in the way of good, and affirming that these products can be helpful when transitioning. It’s been about two months of ‘good’ for me and I keep perusal these articles and others in this space for smart perspectives and inspiration. So helpful. Thank you!
I know the answer before perusal your article. Short answer> Its not healthy to eat it everyday as its processed more or less the same way as non vegan products and it has same amount of calories and fat. However, it doesnt contain cholesterol and may be considered a healthier choicer for you, definitely for the animal and environment. Its very nice to see more of these choices on menus in restaurants. Makes it easier to be vegan. So eating it occasionally can impossibly cause any harm to my health. Now let me see what your studies says mr Gregor
I know it’s not the healthiest but I do enjoy having the option to even eat a burger along with everyone else. And it’s only occasionally. I do enjoy making my own from scratch at home sometimes but the convenience factor wins out a lot when you can have the quick to go order from a restaurant, and I’m thankful my local burger chain even offers the Beyond patty because I live in a meat happy city in the south.
I have seen the point about sodium levels in many plant based meats as a negative relative to animal meat. I think it is a little bit of an unfair comparison. It is like if a seasoning was considered something we should limit, and a beef burger has zero seasoning… but the plant based burger has some seasoning in it. Then we cook either one and add seasoning. Do people really cook a burger from a cow and not add more salt to it? Obviously not something that would be controlled… but it would be interesting to see sodium content AFTER seasoning. If I cook with Beyond Sausages for example, I use less salt in the dish that includes them. If I grill some Impossible Burgers, I do not add salt. When I used to grill beef burgers (a decade ago!)… I would salt them on the grill.
You said like if it stays the same and only two companies will be in 10 years. In 10 years it will be much more alternatives, with no saturated fat, low in sodium and with some fiber. Governments should do the same just like with solar panels – put some taxes inside of this industry, because it is a part of the climate problem and will cause an extreme loses for life quility around the world in the long run. Like from Russia BTW
And isn’t it true that the more a plant is processed the less nutritional value is available to the human body? And not only more prone to rot just setting in the cupboard refrigerator or freezer. Even more so when introduced into the human body that has the perfect temperature for fermentation. And since these “Beyond Beefs” are so highly refined. Aren’t they harder for are bodies to properly process? Before they actually spoil inside of our digestive tract?
I keep trying to share your articles, but people complain about your cadence. I think you are one of the great persons alive, but it sounds like you are joking about the very important issues you are trying to express to meat eaters. I get it when you are telling a joke, but it makes it sound like it’s all a joke. Once again, much love to you! I know there is a very small chance you ever see this but thanks for doing what you do and I am sorry if this is rude! I really have very little tact
Most people are going to add salt to the meat burger and Salt is not required for the plant based burger. Then let’s not forget they add diary cheese that also increases Saturated fat to very high levels. After perusal this article I feel better about my plant based meat that I consume once a week. Whose down for doing a challenge to eat plant based meats daily to see there is any physical changes to the body.?
I thought, great I can eat a Burger again when these meat substitutes came out. But then I thought of all the Glyphosate, roundup, sprayed especially on soybeans, that are in these products. So until they come out with an organic meat substitute absent of the weed killer sprayed on them I’ll find something else to eat although it kills me to watch my friends eating a burger.
Beyond Meat’s burgers are almost too close to the real thing. A year ago I had one in a restaurant, and when I took my first bite I thought they had made a mistake and served me a beef burger. I spat that bite into a napkin and called the waiter to “explain” the situation, with some discomfort, as I have been vegan for a decade. The waiter told me that I was not the first diner to think they had made a mistake. He told me that there was, in fact, a plant-based burger on my plate. As an experiment it was interesting. Personally, I still prefer burgers made from beans, lentils, quinoa, etc.
I don’t eat meat, and I’ve tried those patties a couple of times out of curiosity more than anything else, but indeed from the start I was super suspicious of how they would make plants stuff taste like meat, and honestly, those patties are bot for me. Beside they are extremely greasy and hard to digest.
Seriously, let’s get real here. I wouldn’t say that the plant-based burgers win hands down. The sodium will kill you and still have just as much saturated fats. ANd I’m a whole plant-based consumer. I’d rather choose a real grass-fed beef burger that has no trans fat and less sodium than these fake burgers made of everything else that you wouldn’t want to eat or pronounce if I had no choice to eat anything else other than those 3 items. C’mon guys.
I had to cut red meat out of my diet, and I was pleased to say that I was impressed when I had my 1st Impossible Burger… But the problem, is its high in Calories. Cannot claim Healthier Option when the only thing an Impossible Burger can claim is its lower in Trans Fat and Cholesterol as compared to beef. I only cut red meat out due to older male health reasons, and the smugness of the Vegan Community has turned me off
I’m by no means a healthy vegan, so I eat these kinds of things all the time. One thing I do not consume at all is palm oil, and these burgers don’t have any of that. New studies say that it is extremely cancerous, and we all kind that it isn’t great for the environment. Great content. You earned a like and a sub, buddy.
I won’t eat the impossible or beyond burger but the problem is so many restaurants are switching to them that it’s starting to get hard to find other veggie burgers at restaurants. These days I consider a “burger” to be the delivery platform for holdable lettuce, tomato, onion, avocado, jalapeño, mustard, and pickles. The “burger” could probably just be baked tofu or something like that.
The increased sodium is not such a huge issue, I find, when you consider the fact that the product is more salty than its meat counterpart and thus, requires less seasoning, somewhat evening out in the end. We once cooked our Beyond Beef with as much beef seasonning as actual beef the first time we ate it and immediately regretted it. It still tasted fine, mind you, but we now use the seasoning very sparingly, with much better results.
Sorry, I can’t help it it 😉 (healthy) is completely the wrong terminology, (healthful) is the word you use, or inquire about if regarding this product. Anyway, the answer of course is a great big ” NO” ! THEY offer nothing in regards to a better health product, however, just research some non-bias reviews. Cheers “)
Ok, this guys a bit of a freak. Would you want to be this guy 😉 ? Listen, just a ____trying to gain attention. His so called facts? are all wrong ! The garbage that is in this Fake meat is stunning. It’s a con from first ingredient to last. I would not give this to my dog, actually offered her a taste & she wouldn’t go near it, animals have better instincts than us. Lastley, it’s overpriced, tastes like sawdust, smells like wood & just overall is terrible. Hasrh reply, however were tired of being conned. Anyway, Cheers “)
Hello! I enjoyed the work a lot! I’ve been trying to find for YouTube article like yours that really breaks down the topics in this YouTube vid! 🥼 👌 The part at 1:23 is my favorite. Your article is like the vids of this new medical student Doctor Ethan. His explanations are totally knowledgable and I really learned a lot for my diet! He is a helpful medical student in the UK. Go watch his YouTube out and give the medical student a like! ➡️ #DoctorEthanScience
The world needs to go plant based as soon as possible. Not everyone is willing to eat potatoes and eggplant overnight. For those hardcore meat eaters, they really couldn’t accept any bit of plant in their daily meal. I got a friend who is a hardcore meat eater. He really couldn’t accept any bit of plant in his meal. The only plant he eats was rice and noodles. All fruits and veggies he finds it disgusting no matter how good you cook it. I once let him try the impossible burger. He couldn’t believe it was a plant based patty.but he could still tell the slight difference as it still doesn’t have that beefy beefy flavour. It smells very good but no beefy flavour inside the patty as he chews on it. There is still a lot to work on for these companies. The company that could make the product closest to the actual product to the point that even chefs couldn’t tell the differences and come up with that quality as fast as possible, that would be the company that would dominant the industry.
Seriously, plant based stuff are awesome, and I’m following that diet, but nobody is going to talk about the earth that can’t sustain all these plants because phosphates are running out? Seriously, you can’t get it from the air like Nitrates or Ammonia. Also, soil seriously erodes from crops. Do you know what doesn’t erodes it? Being left alone with the occasional sheep or cow dung on it. The next ice age, which is a matter of time to come, if youtube is around, I bet the no1 search would be “how to debone a dog/cat”, and we worry about beyond meat? Loving nature is great, but non meat products go against nature. We’re just too many, and like covid ice age can hit just like that.
I’d love to know if plant based meats increase TMAO like animal products do. I think TMAO is a serious risk factor in health. I feel like a sufficient amount of water and potassium can offset the sodium. The toxin produced by bad bacteria that eat animal protein could be produced by said bacteria eating plant based meats. I hope not, but it is my primary concern.
Been waiting for this article for a long time. Thank you. However, these meet substitutes seem to be laced with added vitamins and minerals. By eating fake meat, am I also basically taking a multivitamin? After all, we know that multivitamins are not necessarily healthy and I already get everything I need from my diet.
Not interested in fake meat myself, but I always enjoy your thorough analysis. Vegan now 3 years to life. One of these years I’ll have completely cruelty free holiday dinner tables…. even if that’s only because I outlive my animal eating family members (ie I am left alone to enjoy my vegan creations with finally no one to ask “what’s in this?” in a tone that implies that if it’s vegan it’s not real food). Anyway, I’m not bitter! Thanks for creating this awesome community!
Hey Mic. Informative as always but I do have one issue with the terminology you used in the title. Asking which is healthier implies they are both healthy but one is healthier. I would think the question should have been more like ‘Which one is less damaging’. That implies that neither are healthy but if you were to eat one of them then eating X is the least damaging.
I haven’t had an Impossible Buger yet…cant bring myself to go into these places, but I’m glad there is an option, especially for people looking to cut down on meat consumption. Interesting comparison but anyone that’s going to Burger King isnt going for its healthy food selection…vegan or otherwise.
The impossible burger has…something like 43 grams of phytoestrogen. I know that phytoestrogens don’t impact sex hormones in men but those studies were done using realistic proportions. Even excessive studies showed no change. But 43 grams is far too much. That exceeds the potency of hops in beer which absolutely screws with your hormones. To say it’s hormone free is just not true.
Im glad that vegans have this to enjoy. 🙂 But there is also the fact of tons of additives added to the impossible burger. We are not sure of the long terms side effects and others. Id like to see a pure carnivore based diet comparison between a subject that only eats impossible burger and another with regular beef burger and see the difference. Until then, ill stay clear from factory based synthetic food and stick to whole foods
I had the Impossible Whopper for the first time and almost died of joyous tastebuds. Damn it was good. What was super interesting though was how the staff acted. Everyone ahead of me got the standard, bored as hell service. When I ordered the impossible they all got so excited, and lit up like Christmas trees. Hysterical!
When it comes to selenium, I thought I was getting plenty on my diet as well. I was using Cronometer, and I always got well above 100%. But then I used a different program, which bases nutritional value on the content of local food. I live in Sweden, and our soil is depleted of selenium. So I had to get it from some other source. Luckily, a single brazil nut has about 100% of the daily requirement, so now I make sure to eat a couple of those every week.
I tried the beyond burger the other day here in Norway as soon as I found it, as I have read a lot of good things about the taste. I have never eaten meat. Well, I didn’t like it very much.. I asked others, and they all said it tasted creepily like meat. So turns out I don’t even like burgers that mimick meat. I literally only like things that taste plant. But for people who think plant foods just taste like grass, it’s a good thing that these burgers can disprove them. If you want to be unhealthy, at least only harm yourself doing it, you know.
The impossible burger’s absolutely lush. Like vegans always say, if we can have delicious food, but without innocent animals being murdered, it’s win win. Better for the animals, the Planet and ourselves. It’s a burger though so it’s never going to be a ‘health food’. Wholegrains, fruits and veggies are health foods.
Oops! Sorry to burst everyone’s bubble but the Impossible Burger IS NOT VEGAN. Yes it is plant based but not suitable for ethical vegans due to the fact that ‘Impossible Foods’ conducted animal tests in the latter certification stage. To date Impossible Foods have conducted 3 rounds of tests on 188 rats by feeding them massive amounts of the novel ‘genetically modified’ soy leghemoglobin, whom were then bled to death and dissected to test the results. Impossible Foods have not ruled out conducting further such tests to gain further certification for the IB regardless of the fact that PETA wrote to them, to discuss alternative testing methods, and regardless of the fact that they were not legally required to conduct tests on animals. Impossible Foods chose to test on animals to expedite the certification process so as to maximise profits. By all means call it a plant-based burger but it does not meet the criteria to be labelled ‘vegan’ or to be endorsed as a vegan product or suitable for ethical vegans – as acknowledged by ‘Impossible Foods’ themselves. If 188 rats dying for a burger doesn’t bother you then ask yourself if you’d feel differently about giving your money to a company that needlessly experimented on and killed 188 dogs or 188 chimpanzees to fast track its certification process – you’d probably get more reliable results from the latter.
Real food over processed food any day. According to this thought process, Soylent is also better than all real food. I also cant stand cherry picking details- like pointing out that adding cheese would add sodium, but ifnoring that it would also add calcium and other vitamins. I think these meatless options are great, but better than the real thing… thats a hard debate.
Too bad it’s genetically modified. They should work on that. But now since it’s mainstream (Burger King) I can’t see it changing. Just like all fast food it needs to be made as cheaply as possible. Quality beef is superior. Impossible burger is better than much of typical processed fast food garbage out there.
While I’m happy for the animal rights aspect of the Impossible Burger, I’m not eating either burger. It never ceases to amaze me how far we’ve strayed from real food. Have we really devolved to the point where we can’t find an hour or two, per week, to throw together some wonderful whole food plant based burgers?! Make 30 and freeze em, Geez! GMO yeast sounds scary.Yuck. Whiney ass meat eaters and junk-food vegans: grow a pair. ps. Sorry to rant on your website, Mic. You are always at the height of class and a role model for me, personally. I just don’t understand why we continue to invent distraction foods when we have so much evidence how wonderful and healthy whole food plants are.
Go ahead and eat highly processed imitation food if that’s your thing but I’m gonna take a hard pass. I would love to see an unbiased, scientific comparison from some impartial party. When you started arguing the impossible burger over beef by arguing canola oil over butter, and then completely sidestepped the big difference in sodium content, it became clear that the rest of your spiel could be taken with a mountain of salt.
I dont think it’s a fair comparison with lab synthesized vitamins versus naturally occurring vitamins and other minerals etc and you didnt mention that free range grass fed beef contains a lot of omega 3, nearly all the fat in an impossible burger is omega 6. Omega 6 causes inflammation and inflammation is the reason the whole hdl ldl cholesterol goes wrong. I’m not a vegan but I do have plant based days that dont contain “Frankenstein” foods.
If meat is so detrimental to health… then why has every successful/healthy population of peoples throughout history eaten meat & various other animal foods? Agriculture would allow us to eat exclusively plants, yet there’s never been a successful vegan population of people🤷♂️ People have been eating meat for over a million years. Can you name any other animals that eat food that directly causes health problems to that animal? Or have human beings just “been eating the wrong food” for a million years?
The Impossible Burger has 4.2 mg of iron per serving (25% daily requirement). For someone like me who has a HFE gene mutation = 4x more iron absorption) – that’s 100% of my daily requirement. I’ve heard that they add heme iron to this burger to make it taste like meat. Heme iron is in meat and is easily absorbed – plants have nonheme iron which is harder to absorb. Iron is an oxidant (ages you) and as you get older you absorb more iron anyway. It turns out bacteria in the lower gut LOVE iron. After finding out I had the HFE iron-loading gene -I switched to eating vegan ( avoiding heme iron) and cured my gut infection. I will not be eating this high iron-containing burger!
It absolutely astounds me how much support big fast food gets from vegans. Those inhuman corporate juggernauts will destroy anything in their path for their bottom line. They are catastrophic for the environment and public health, they are the complete opposite of vegan. What’s that bit about minimising harm as practicable as possible? It’s a stunning irony that normal people get a good laugh over.
Good option for transition but not for seasonal vegans. Any reminders of animal products should be disgusting for vegans with experience. Also vegans should be concerned with health statistics and that thing doesn’t do any favors to it. Also there is high risk of contamination in the “restaurants” Wholefood vegan is much better option in any respect.
As long as we give thanks to God for our food, nothing man made can be as healthy as what God has furnished us !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Whatever man comes up with today, you can bet, it’s totally the opposite of what it is portrayed as and it’s main purpose is all about the love of money !!!!!!!!!!!!!——————————————Ernest E. Johnson
You forgot to compare glyphosate levels. I am a vegan, but it’s a foolish thing to ignore since it is probably the most unhealthy ingredient in the Impossible burger. To my understanding, there is more glyphosate in normal beef burgers compared to most plant foods, but compared to a super processed food like an Impossible burger, I image it’s a closer race.
i will defiantly not be eating impossible burger ever. talk about processed. People never talk about ingredients. it’s called impossible burger because you cannot have a burger look like that and taste like with it being processed in some shape or form. A cow that has been grass feed & finished is way healthier. Plus it is not approved in the EU because it contains GMO’s.
Keep in mind that the Vegan burger has 18 million times the oestrogen levels of the standard meat burger. Worrying about saturated fat is pointless as it’s not a health measure, and is NOT linked to heart disease, vegans just make that up, there is not a single legitimate study on this planet thats shows any link, saying there is a link over and over does not make it true. Chronometer does not account for the fact that the nutrients from the impossible burger are not absorbed. In saying that I have tried the burger and it does taste good, not better, just good but a lot less healthy if you go by real science not vegan imaginary science.
Mic I have a vegan dilemma. I have lived a vegan based diet for about a year now; I have struggled with my health and eating a healthy vegan diet. I ended up in the hospital and my partner ended the relationship with me saying my vegan diet made me malnourished and if I want to possible have another chance at the relationship I need to “get healthy” I don’t want to eat meat I truly don’t, it’s uncomfortable and I would never find happiness or peace knowing I am eating a sentient being, but I don’t know what to do anymore. It’s not even that my personality sucks, or that I’m a horrible troll girlfriend it’s because my lifestyle is a liability as he said to his career.
I would like to hear your response to two points that I think should be considered. First, what do you know and think about the presence and amount of glyphosate in the impossible burger? Also, according to Dr. Joel Fuhrman, sodium is actually MORE of a concern for vegans. He says that there are two types of strokes: those caused by fat (to put it simply) and those caused by sodium. Eating meat is somehow a protectant against the sodium-based stroke, so vegans are more vulnerable to that type. Personally, I would not trust assertions made by Pat Brown about the heme-iron. I would like a non-biased analysis. That company has done some shady things, which is reason enough for me to be skeptical. I agree with your first statement that alluded to detrimental effects on the vegan movement should many vegans consume a product that contributes to poor health. As it is, we can point to lower instances of cancer, heart disease, etc. in the vegan population, and this is a motivator for many people to go vegan. I’m afraid those statistics are going to change.
I tried an impossible burger at Burger King…it went down fine but I felt like I was burping tire rubber later and my digestion was blah…it didn’t come out for a few days. TMI, yes. But I won’t be having it again. Maybe I should try it made at home or a different restaurant. Thanks for all the work you do to inform us.👊🏾
They should definitely bring that sodium and saturated fat down if they can. As vegan cheese gains more prominence, this could be an issue. I thought you would have mentioned the possibility of PAH’s when grilling the Beyond. That would have been worth mentioning to even out the HCA negative for the beef patty. Choline amounts would have been interesting to know since TMAO would have been another negative for beef. Thanks for the review.
Great article! You missed the animal vs plant protein point. Animal protein more acidic (sulfur containing amino acids) which may be why it increases overall mortality independent of cholesterol/sat fat. Data goes back to the Ancel Keys days but here is a more recent study: jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/article-abstract/2748453
hey Mic! Amazing article comparing nutritional values… I would like to see a follow-up (if possible) discussing the processing though… by no means is the processing for beef burgers healthy or optimal, but I am unfamiliar with this process. Impossible patties, on the other hand, have protein powders (which is most likely separated with hexane and high heat), coconut oil, and a bunch of different additives and preservatives that won’t show in nutritional values BUT will have an impact in your health such as xanthan gum. Cheers!
I’m one of the few people who live under a rock and didn’t know that Burger King had an impossible burger. I guess that’s because I don’t eat fast food and haven’t been to a Burger King in years. However, the article did have some interesting information and confirms my decision to eat a whole food plant based diet. This is week six for me, and I also have to deal with FGID – Low Fodmap limitations. My husband isn’t willing to take the vegan step, yet, but I know that shoving this new way of living on him won’t work. He’s not criticizing me or being negative, so that’s a plus, and if I can find enough good tasting vegan dishes and have him try some at each meal, he just might come around. I want to encourage all of you starting out with this compassionate and healthy eating plan. Stick with it. As others have said, if I can do it, you can do it.
I would like to see the “proof” that the soy heme is less harmful; because since I found out that specific ingredient is why they tested on rats, all the research that I found says that the heme from soy is far more “potent” than cattle heme. Since they “had” to test in rats, where is that information? Thanks for the analysis, and the article Mic 🙂 Hope you had a nice holiday.
Another great article! Mike, I have a request for you. As a young parent with two little girls, I see blatant promotion of animal product consumption and even daragotory talk about plant based foods in kids shows and movies! “Go! Go! Cory Carlson” looked like a promising series with a sizeable budget, but literally within the first episode they had the little “kid” refuse a flavorless, unappetizing, unidentifiable plant based snack on his first day of school.. and then in another episode they literally had a dude cooking up a huge pile of bacon and referring to it as BRAIN FOOD!! And in yet another episode, they made it a point to have the kid drink a whole glass of milk. Seriously, this is deeply disturbing on every level. Targeting kids and reinforcing parent’s dangerous misconceptions about food. I think many people could benefit from a series addressing the propaganda in movies and kids shows reinforcing the consumption of these highly immoral carcinigens. I hope you see this and help us wage the fight for our kids, our future.
Unfortunately the Rebel (in Germany it’s called rebel not impossible burger) Burger at Burger King is not completely vegan. They still grill it on the same stove with the other (animal) meat burgers. They say it’s to reserve the Smokey taste Burger King is known for. And when people started to speak up about it, They say they never advertised it as being vegan.. Pretty sad….
The vitamin part is so dumb. He probably picks cereal based on vitamins. That stuff is ADDED IN. Cereal is NOT food. It’s a desert. A candy. A treat. you could just take your vitamins separate. ADDED vitamins doesn’t mean a product is inherently healthy. I don’t understand how consumers keep falling for this. YOu all drink sugar water because they called it “vitamin water.” It’s a JUICE! It’s not healthy! Stop falling for this!
Mic, you did mention that the Impossible Burger is made with GMO produced heme iron, but you’ve kind of glazed over that fact. I tend to eat mostly whole food plant based, and although I did eat the Beyond Burger a couple of times, because the Impossible burger is made with genetic engineering, I will never eat it. Back in the 80’s there was an outbreak of a then new disease called Eosinophilia Myalgia Syndrome (EMS), which was caused by the genetic engineering of a bacteria to produce L-Tryptophan. This epidemic killed hundreds of people, and permanently mamed over 10,000 by the time Showa Denko – the company responsible, stopped using the GMO bacteria.
Great article Mike! Typical carnist nonsense… “The Impossible burger is worse for you!” But has a much smaller carbon footprint and uses significantly less fresh water for production… All good points, but they seem to miss those major points. Plus they fair to see that it’s the Animal Ag companies, like Tyson and Cargill, that are funding these opinion pieces to say that these plant-based burgers are worse for you by bringing up stupid points, like the Sodium…. Oh and a lot of these burgers are also served with a Mayonnaise sauce… there is the eggs.. then the cheese. But you know, it’s worse for you.. hahaah! And if you’re Piers Morgan, that bun is the holocaust!
Side note: the % fat ratios are allowed by the FDA to be by weight, rather than calories, so people running food companies can make their products seem healthier. Ground cow is usually about 50% fat calories. Example (1st I saw) for 80% “lean” / 20 % fat: In weight: – 112 grams – 22 grams fat – 0 grams carbohydrates – 19 grams protein – So, 71 grams water, and actually 22/41% fat, roughly 50%. 50% of what is eaten, in weight, is fat. No one says, “Today I ate some water at 0 calories. I did good.” In calories: – 280 calories – 198 calories from fat – = over 66% fat. If the ground cow were sold in a gallon of water it would be allowed to call it 99.99% lean. Corruption.
Honestly even if the Impossible burger isn’t that healthy, it’s not like I ate fast food burgers on a regular basis when I wasn’t vegetarian/vegan so I’m not going to eat a beyond burger everyday just because it’s vegan. As long as you continue to treat it like junk food and understand that vegan doesn’t always mean healthy you should be fine ! I’m definitely super happy that a (delicious) vegan option has become so mainstream though, what a time to be alive (and vegan lol) !
I’m so happy you made this article. And put out there the real understanding of things like Impossible Burgers and I would even state Beyond Meat products. I’m vegan and the bashing I see mainly comes from other vegans. IT’S NOT ALWAYS ABOUT OR FOR US THOUGH! As well as plainly obvious bias media reports. Bashing as if they were funded by the beef industry. These companies are marketing towards meat eaters mainly that want an alternative. As well as to stop with animal consumption and damaging the environment due to animal consumption. Oh and of course, profit. But because it’s “plant based” that means it’s FOR VEGANS. Oreos are vegan by definition. Should we go after them for being so unhealthy?! (sigh)
I did have a impossible burger at BK, haven’t eaten meat in awhile… It did taste like beef to me. And they do have vegetarian version… You have to ask for no cheese and mayo to make it vegan. I wonder if that would be a healthier choice overall than the impossible burger. That’s the one I get when my hubby wants fast food. Would love to get your opinion on it. Thanks
You are NOT VEGAN if you: BUY items tested on animals USE/INGEST items tested on animals PROMOTE items tested on animals. Impossible burger tested on animals therefore it cannot possibly ever be vegan. Mic is promoting it and he is not vegan; he’s an apologist who probably wants better welfare for animals in cages instead of opposing them being in cages at all. Piss off, mick. Stop being an apologist.
For most Europeans, the Selenium content would be quite important. I recently discovered that our soils here are just naturally poor in Selenium… Thus there is very little of it in crops that would have a higher Selenium content in North America, for example. Selenium supplements are actually given to livestock in many places in Europe so that there is enough of it in people’s diet (so meat eaters are supplementing anyway but by proxy…) Finland actually decided a few years back (I don’t know how many exactly) to “fortify” its arable soils with Selenium so that Finnish crops would naturally have a higher content in order to mitigate the risks of a general, population-wide Selenium deficiency. Apparently it’s been working pretty good (now don’t ask me what that can mean for the environment, but we use pesticides and herbicides and all that jazz everywhere so I can’t see how adding a mineral would be much worse). Canadian and American soils naturally have a higher Selenium content so vegans there don’t need to worry much about getting enough. However this is not the case for Europeans. Unfortunately for Europeans, Cronometer being a North American app (I know some of the developers, lived in the same mountain town as them), it uses a lot of North American numbers (like USDA stuff, for example) – so Europeans using it might think they get enough Selenium (talking about plant-based people here, because meat eaters will likely get enough – again, via the supplementation of the animals they will eat) because they’ll only see North American averages for nutritional content of foods.
Speaking as a vegan myself, I have changed my mind on “meat substitutes” such as the ‘Impossible Whopper’…and ‘veggie burgers’ in general. I used to consume them every day…even multiple times a day. Then……..I read the ingredients a bit closer, and realized that they have a heck of a lot of OIL in them, which is not the greatest thing for a human to eat. Now, I view meat substitutes in much the same way as Methadone is used for folks trying to ‘get off’ of hard drugs: veggie burgers are fine for that ‘buffering’ time in between eating rotting animal corpses & a true, plant based vegan lifestyle, but, IMHO, they should not be eaten in the long term. Will I still consume meat substitutes? Yes….once in a while. My two boys, and my Grandson, still (sigh…….) eat the flesh of rotting animal corpses, so when I go out with them to BK, I’ll get an “Impossible Whopper”.
As a meat eater that has no intention of stopping, this is a good article. I mostly eat plant based with some egg, cheese and things with dairy in it. I don’t drink cows milk but I do use honey from time to time. If more articles would put out unbiased health information like this, then people would eat less animal based foods while still being an “omnivore”, just for their health. It’s way more effective than the we gotta save the animals tactic. People just don’t care about the animals and guilting them into caring is not gonna work.
Ok….. Great for all the claimed “wins”, but is your body absorbing all of these nutrients out of its natural state? Many studies about that not brought up here at all. A beef burger is way more of a whole food than ground up plant protein. Otherwise hey, why don’t we stop eating actual foods and just pop supplements instead? If that’s what this “contest” is about… Processed plants are super unhealthy. Eat foods the way nature intended: whole. The rise of veganism is the biggest reason we have all these frankenfoods our bodies cannot process, great job guys! Vegans are participating in a big science experiment of which they don’t know the outcome. I’m really really scared of the toll these trends are going to take on our health 10, 20 years down the road.
somebody answer me please, if I eat half junk, half healthy food.. will I end up being healthy and lose weight. Ex. a box of bbq chips a day, a few vegan cookies for breakfast, 1 junk meal of fried food, being a burger, or pizza or Chinese food.. but then… the rest of the food I eat, lots of fruits, lots of veggies, a no oil plant based whole food supper, and I will not exercise much. So?