What's Inside? Meat vs. Meatless Burgers

[David Baxter PhD]

What's Inside? Meat vs. Meatless Burgers
By Mark Fischetti, Scientific American
February 2020 Issue

A look at ingredients and nutrition

Meatless patties such as the Impossible Burger and Beyond Burger are catching on quickly. But what are they made of? And how do they compare nutritionally with actual meat and the classic veggie and black bean alternatives? We compare the information on five product labels here. Beyond Burger's protein comes from ground peas, Impossible's from soy and potato; fats are from various oils. How producers create a savory “umami” taste is a kitchen secret. Some consumers choose meatless offerings to reduce their beef intake for personal or environmental reasons, and some people simply prefer the vegan varieties. But whether any choice is “healthier” is debatable; see the facts.

This article was originally published with the title "Meat the Imitators" in Scientific American 322, 2, 74 (February 2020), doi:10.1038/scientificamerican0220-74

Note: The source is now behind a paywall.

 

[Daniel E.]

Good reminder to try the Gardein burgers again. Less calories and no saturated fat. Before Beyond and Impossible, they were my favorite regarding taste.

 

[Daniel E.]

Cash App (which is still not available in Canada) let me easily buy stock in Beyond Meat by clicking a couple buttons. So I am now officially a green investor

Beyond Meat's Beyond Burger Life Cycle Assessment: A detailed comparison between a plant-based and an animal-based protein source

Beyond Meat commissioned the Center for Sustainable Systems at University of Michigan to conduct a “cradle-to-distribution” life cycle assessment of the Beyond Burger, a plant-based patty designed

css.umich.edu

Based on a comparative assessment of the current Beyond Burger production system with the 2017 beef LCA by Thoma et al, the Beyond Burger generates 90% less greenhouse gas emissions, requires 46% less energy, has >99% less impact on water scarcity and 93% less impact on land use than a ¼ pound of U.S. beef.

 

[David Baxter PhD]

I really miss cheeseburgers (and pizza) (and tacos) but these days I can't tolerate ground beef (or pepperoni) at all. I wonder whether my system would tolerate the new plant based burgers better?

 

[Daniel E.]

I would think there is potential, especially if you can cook/grill some of the fat out since the newer veggie burgers do seem "fattier." I know when dogs have upset stomachs, we don't give them beef (but rather chicken, eggs, yogurt, etc. along with rice).

For me, all the veggie burgers, including the new ones, have always been easy to digest -- unlike some experiences with the grease in pizza.

 

[David Baxter PhD]

Well one of these days I'll give one a try. I do miss my fast food treats these days.

In your experience, given the current choices, what is your favorite and the most like regular burgers?

 

[Daniel E.]

Impossible Burger is the closest, followed by Beyond Burger.

BTW, regarding tacos, I saw this earlier today: Black Bean & Sauteed Veggie Tacos | Cook for Your Life

 

[David Baxter PhD]

For tacos, I would probably first try them made the normal way but just substituting the meatless version of ground beef.

Desperate times call for desperate measures.

 

[David Baxter PhD]

McDonald's tried Impossible Burgers in Canada but stopped after 6 months.

However, I discovered that several grocery stores sell the meatless ground "beef" and one of them is only a 15 minute walk from my apartment or a 5 minute drive. I will definitely try this.

 

[Daniel E.]

Yeah, here Burger King does Impossible Burger, and McDonald's is customizing the Beyond Burger for the McPlant later this year.

 

[David Baxter PhD]

Also Loblaw's has their own President's Choice version (their brands are usually very good for various foods whenever I've tried them in the past, sometimes better than national brands).

 

[David Baxter PhD]

I'm especially interested in being able to make tacos again if this works for me.

I'm getting a bit bored with my limited diet choices lately (after almost a year).

 

[David Baxter PhD]

My son is going to pick me up some of the burgers to try this weekend.

 

[David Baxter PhD]

My son just found this — an A&W (Canadian fast food chain: usually very good) coupon that just came in the mail:



He suggested I try this first and if I like it he can get the ones from the store later... so that's the plan for Saturday or Sunday.

 

[Daniel E.]

get a fake cheese pizza too while you are out, haha