Sustainability and Taste of Modern Alternatives

Hello everyone, I'm Monica Reinagel and welcome to the Nutrition Diva podcast where I try to keep you up to date with emerging food and nutrition trends. And today we're talking about two popular plant based burgers, both of which have updated their formulations since their introduction about five years ago. So we'll take a look at what's changed and how they compare nutritionally to each other and to lean ground beef. I reviewed both the Beyond and the Impossible Burgers back in twenty nineteen shortly after their introduction to the marketplace. And as I said back then , these products were a big departure from the type of veggie burgers that we were used to up until that point. Both of them were formulated to mimic the appearance , the taste and the texture real ground beef As such, they probably have limited appeal to people who don't like eating meat. These are really designed for people who enjoy meat, but they want to reduce their consumption, whether that's due to health, environmental or animal welfare concerns. In the intervening five years , both brands have been refining their recipes, so I wanted to revisit this topic and tell you what's changed . Let's start with the Beyond Burger. So one change that you'll notice right away is that they have replaced canola and coconut oil with avocado oil. And in the process, they've reduced the saturated fat content from five grams per serving to just two grams per serving. Avocado oil is high in mono unsaturated fats and it has a moreal neutr flavor than coconut oil. It also has a higher smoke point . Another big change is in the protein sources in the Beyond Burger. The original pe praotein isolate has been replaced or enhanced with a blend of proteins from a bunch of different sources peas, brown rice, red lentils, even tiny amounts of fab . Using a variety of plant based proteins instead of just one could help to round out the amino acid profile and improve the protein quality. The other really notable change here is a twenty percent reduction in the sodium content . Now Beyond has also removed a bunch of ingredients from their burger, probably in an effort to create a simpler and cleaner looking label . In the process, the fiber content decreased slightly from three grams to two grams, but hey, you're probably not eating burgers for the fiber . Unfortunately, this quest for clean labels also often leads manufacturers to remove ingredients that might actually make a product healthier such as vitamins and minerals, and this appears to be the case here as well. Beyond is no longer fortifying beyond beef with B twelve and zinc , which are nutrients that are often harder to get on an exclusively plant based diet. Then again, as I said, these products are less likely to appeal to strict vegans , and so that fortification may not be as important . And market research may have led them to conclude that a shorter ingredient l ist featuring fewer chemical names would just be more appealing . Now let's turn to impossible beef, the other big contender in this market. Their original recipe featured wheat gluten as the primary source of protein , and the current formulation leans much more heavily on soy, and that might reflect the increasing number of people who are trying to avoid gluten. However, the protein has also decreased from twenty seven grams per serving to nineteen, and that's a pretty substantial decline, although it is still in line with a serving of actual beef. For me, the real innovation of impossible beef was its use of heme iron. This is a form of iron that is normally only found in animal foods , and they figured out a way to derive it from gen etically modified yeast . This ingredient is key to replicating that distinct , meaty flavor . Impossible has also significantly reduced the total and the saturated fat in their product , which has then reduced the calories, and like Beyond, they have also cut the sodium . Now, because the ratio of potassium to sodium in the diet may be more important than the amount of sodium , it's worth mentioning here that both of the products are quite high in potassium and they have a very favorable potassium to sodium ratio. All in all, while they do have distinct ingredient profiles, the Beyond Burger and the Impossible Burger have become more similar to one another in their nutritional profile. They now have virtually the same amount of calories, fat, and sodium per serving. Beyond is a bit higher in protein. Both of them contain similar amounts of iron , however, the heme iron that they use in Impossible is likely to be better absorbed. Impossible Burgers is somewhat higher in fiber, calcium, and potassium , and their products are also fortified with B twelve and zinc . Both products are now gluten free, but only beyond soy free . And beyond is also lower in saturated fat. I put together a little table for you so that you can see all these nutritionals for beyond impossible and regular beef side by side and check the show notes for a link to that. In terms of how they compare to actual ground beef, the amount of protein is similar. In terms of fat and calories , the original impossible recipe was similar in its nutritional profile to eighty percent lean ground beef. The current formulations are now lower in fat and calories , closer to ninety percent lean beef. Now, depending on how lean you like your burgers , you could see that as an upgrade or a downgrade. An eighty percent lean burger is going to be higher in fat and calories but also a little juicier . And to that end, impossible has also expanded its portfolio to include what they call an indulgent burger, which is higher in fat and calories, also has a somewhat bigger portion size , as well as an impossible burger light , which is lower in fat and cal ories. There are two other aspects of these products that deserve mentioning sustainability and processing . One of the big concerns with beef is the environmental impact and the high carb on footprint of raising cattle for food . On the other hand , plant based meats involve a lot of processing, and processing can increase the carbon footprint of a food. Even taking processing into account plant based foods have a significantly lower environmental impact than animal based foods . And both of these brands also see sustainability as a key selling point, and they promote sustainable agricult ure and resource conservation in their production processes. As for the fact that plant based meats are considered ultra processed foods , I don't think that this makes them inherently unhealth ful. When we're considering processing, I think we need to consider what the function of the processing is. In this case, it's to transform sustainable ingredients into a nutritious and appeal ing alternative to animal based protein . Personally , I think the end justifies the means in this case. The one remaining question to be addressed is taste . Taste, of course , is highly subjective. So obviously, I can't guess which one of these two options you might prefer . And of course, there are always those who will just prefer the taste of real beef . But when I taste tested them each, back in twenty nineteen, I have to confess that I did like impossible burgers better. However, a lot has changed with both products. During a sponsored conference that I was attending, I had the opportunity to try the new Beyond Burger formulation and I have to update my previous opinion. The new formulation is terrific . As most of you know, I am not a strict vegetarian or vegan , but I do limit my consumption of meat more due to environmental and animal welfare concerns than concern about its healthfulness . And I find these plant based alternatives to ground beef to be a great option for burgers, tacos, meatballs, and the like. If it's been a couple years since you tried them, you might want to try them again. I think you're in for a pleasant surprise, but let me know what you think. You can email me at nutrition at quick and dirty tips. com. You can also leave me a message at four nine six one six two zero six . Also, because you are obviously a podcast listen er, I want to invite you to check out my other podcast. It's called The Change Academy, where we talk about converting what we know into what we can do consistently. You'll find it on all the major podcast platforms , just search for Change Academy. Nutrition Diva is a quick and dirty tips podcast supported by Brandon Getchus, Nathan Sems, Davina Tomlin, Holly Hutchings, Morgan Christiansen, and Cameron Lacey . Thanks to all of them and thanks to you for listening. I'll see you next week.