Can the Impossible Burger Possibly Be Good For You?

There is an inherent conflict with the impossible burger. We’ve been told that plant based diets are healthy but that processed foods are unhealthy. The impossible burger is both processed and plant based, so is it worth adding to your grocery list? 

The Short Answer: No

Why? 

Impossible burger has the same calories but more sodium than meat.

The Impossible Burger patty has 240 calories while a regular beef patty from Burger also has 240 calories. 

The Impossible Burger has 370 mg of sodium, while a Burger King patty has 230 mg. 

The American Heart Association recommends that adults have no more than 1,500 mg per day. But as Americans, we’re overachievers in this department. According to the Mayo Clinic, the average American gets about 3,400 mg of sodium a day. 

 But Don’t Impossible Burgers Have More Protein? 

Yes, it’s true that this manufactured meat has more protein. Beyond Burger Plant-Based Patties have 20 grams of protein and Impossible burgers 19 grams per 113 gram serving. Ground beef with 20% fat, often recommended for burgers, has 17.1 grams of protein per 100 grams, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

However, the protein in the Impossible Burger is derived from a lot of processed plant sources. By a lot, we mean there is a staggering number of ingredients in these people made patties. For instance, Beyond Burgers have 18 ingredients, and Impossible Burgers have 21. The Impossible Burger contains soy protein, a strange ingredient called soy leghemoglobin, sunflower and coconut oils, methylcellulose, yeast extract, cultured dextrose, food starch and more.Leghemoglobin is a plant globin, and soy leghemoglobin is the variant found on the root nodules of the soy plant.

So, why is this hard to say L word such a big deal? There’s no history of humans ever eating soy leghemoglobin before so we’re in unchartered territory here. 

Want to simplify things? It’s easy to do with a ground beef burger. It has one solitary ingredient and we don’t need to squint to read it on a label. 

How Much Protein Do You Really Need Anyway? 

The Dietary Reference Intake recommends 0.36 gram of protein per pound of body weight for adults each day. A 180 lb person should be eating 64 grams of protein a day. Do you really need to take in 1/3 of your daily total with an Impossible burger when you could get protein through other whole foods like eggs, almonds, cottage cheese and yogurt. For more choices, click here. 

Who Would Benefit From Eating an Impossible Burger?

Someone who is abstaining from meat for environmental or animal rights reasons, but who wants the taste and texture of meat. 

What Are Some Healthy Alternatives to Lab Created Meat? 

A veggie burger made out of beans. 1) Pick a bean like cannellini, pinto, black or kidney and blend half the beans and add spices like cumin and coriander and a little salt and pepper into a food processor. 2) Remove blended mixture and add rinsed whole beans and celery. 3) Form patties and cook on a stovetop on low to medium heat for 10 minutes on each side. 4) Add toppings like spinach, lettuce, olive oil mayo or ketchup and enjoy.