Where’s the Beef?

Are plant-based burgers good for you?

BY KAREN A. JAMROG

From Tofurky to oat milk and meatless burgers, more plant-based foods are shaking things up at the supermarket and at some restaurants. Meat-mimicking burgers such as the Impossible Burger and Beyond Burger, in particular, have garnered lots of attention and sales. But how do these newfangled options compare nutritionally to the conventional foods they aim to replace, and are they good for you?

Savvy consumers know that it’s important to look beyond marketers’ sly come-ons; just because the label shouts “all natural!” or “organic!” doesn’t mean the product is a healthful choice. Those who do take the time to read the fine print — which in the food world is the nutrition label and list of ingredients — will see that even though swapping vegetarian foods for meat can bring a litany of health benefits, choosing a plant-based meat alternative over meat “is not always a black-or-white decision,” says Eileen Behan, RDN, a dietitian at Core Physicians in Exeter.

It’s good that food manufacturers are steering consumers toward plant-based eating. Major health organizations promote a diet that is heavy on the veggies, and products such as Beyond Burger and Impossible Burger can provide meat lovers with a tasty and approachable entrée to more healthful eating, serving as “transitional foods,” health experts say, for those who want to eat less red meat but struggle to go plant-only. Plus, mounting evidence shows that compared to beef, Beyond Burger and Impossible Burger are better for our beleaguered environment, as they require significantly less water and land to produce, and they generate less greenhouse gas emissions.

The problem is that, to deliver a highly palatable product that replicates the taste, texture and mouthfeel of meat without including meat in their ingredients, manufacturers heavily process ingredients, and add saturated fat and a lot of sodium.

The nutritional results are not ideal. A serving of Beyond Burger or Impossible Burger, compared to the same amount of 85% lean ground beef, is significantly higher in sodium, and equal in calories, fat and saturated fat, says Heather Wolfe, MPH, RDN, LD, a health and wellness coach at Dartmouth-Hitchcock. The saturated fat in some meat mimickers comes from tropical oils such as coconut oil and palm oil, which are not good for heart health. Plant-based alternatives do not have cholesterol, though, “because plants don’t have livers,” Wolfe says, “and they offer a little bit of fiber, which you do not get in a [meat] burger.”

Clearly, although many consumers perceive commercial meat alternatives as more healthful than meat, that is not always the case. Data about the direct effects that highly processed foods have on human health is still emerging, Wolfe says, but at a minimum research has shown that in general, nutrient loss occurs when a food is highly processed.

“These newer meat alternatives don’t remotely resemble anything in nature,” Wolfe says. “When we get further away from what our grandmothers would have recognized as real food, it raises questions about digestion and absorption and chronic disease down the line because we don’t have the data yet to know.” (Also, in case you’re wondering, Impossible Meat products contain genetically modified organisms or GMOs, while Beyond Meat products, according to the company’s website, do not. The jury is still out on the clear risks and benefits of GMOs, Wolfe says.)

Ideally, people who hanker for a burger will make their own using ingredients such as black beans and brown rice, or they will buy products such as frozen black bean burgers that might have high sodium but are likely to be less processed than faux meat, and to have very little saturated fat.

Otherwise, since there currently seems to be no clear winner in the nutritional contest of meat vs. highly processed plant-based alternatives, choose based on what matters most to you, Wolfe says, whether it’s the environment, sodium intake, cholesterol or something else. As you weigh your options, remember to factor in sodium-heavy condiments and side dishes that you plan to enjoy with your burger. Marinade, barbecue sauce, cheese, pickles and fries can compound nutritional damage, so “think about the meal as a whole when you create it,” Wolfe advises.

“Meat mimickers or meatless alternatives ... can be good for people who might want to take steps toward a plant-based diet,” Wolfe says. “But there’s no health halo” around these products. “Anything highly processed should just be eaten on occasion ... not three times a week.”

Indeed, “these products are not perfect, but they’re a step in the right direction,” Behan says.

Visit the online version of this story to find recipes for black bean or tofu burgers.