Stay Healthy with Veggie Burgers

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You don’t have to be a vegetarian to enjoy meatless burgers anymore! A little skeptical? Don’t be! Meatless burgers are a booming industry and there are plenty of brands and a growing number of flavors and styles to choose from! While they’ll probably never taste exactly like a big juicy hamburger does, their health benefits and convenience make them a no-mess delicious meal that everyone should consider, even if they’re stuck on meat. Here are five things you need to know when you go out shopping for vegetarian burgers!

First, let us consider protein! Getting enough protein is the big concern when it comes to being a vegetarian, and it’s also the factor that makes those regular burgers and meatless burgers so satisfying. Hamburgers have about 20 grams of protein on average. To compete, meatless burger brands out there have made sure their patties are high in protein, usually via soy protein concentrate! For a comparable amount of protein, try Trader Joe’s Burger Nouveau which contains 21 grams of protein! If your meatless burger isn’t made with soy, it’s probably got less protein, like Gardenburger brand veggie burgers, made from vegetables and rice. These burgers usually contain about 5 grams of protein.

When it comes to fat, veggie burgers are the healthy champions when faced against regular burgers. Meatless burgers usually have no fat or at least no more than 2 grams of saturated fat compared to hamburgers, which carry as much as 7 grams. In addition, there’s no dangerous trans-fat, or partially hydrogenated oil to worry about in most veggie burgers!

So okay, meatless burgers are high in protein and low in fat. Sounds perfect, but wait a second. There’s always a trade-off, isn’t there? Most meatless burgers are high in sodium, higher generally compared to regular hamburgers. Sodium in meatless burgers runs from around 250 to 500 mg. The Boca Burgers Cheeseburger made from Organic Soy crams in a whopping 650mg! Make sure to factor in all the other sodium in your daily diet to accommodate for the sodium blast you’ll get with a veggie burger. If you’ re looking for a meatless burger low in sodium, try Vegelicious Vegetable burgers, which have about 190 mg of sodium.

Taste is everyone’s biggest concern, right? If it doesn’t taste good, it’s not worth eating! With meatless burgers, your best bet is to go with good brands – try Amy’s, Boca, or Morningstar Farms. Keep in mind that there are meatless burgers that try to imitate hamburgers, so their taste is more like a regular burger compared to vegetable burgers, which can really vary in taste. Boca burgers tend to be the closest meatless version of the hamburger. Don’t forget to jazz up your meatless burger with all the fixings – fresh vegetables and your favorite condiments! Also, panfry or grill your meatless burger for more flavor rather than microwaving it, which might make it taste a little soggy. Who wants to eat a soggy burger? No one.

With all this talk about meatless burgers, I suggest you go out and try a bunch until you find your favorite! My favorite? Boca Burger All American Flame Grilled. It’s only 90 calories, and it’s got 14 grams of protein, 4 grams of fiber, 280mg sodium and it’s under 2 grams of fat! Veggie burgers are perfect for nights when you want something quick yet really satisfying. And it’s such an easy cleanup! What could be better?

If you have any comments or suggestions about today’s podcast, or any fun health diet or fitness tips, please feel free to email me at LadyDietPodcast at dietdotcom!

This is Lady Diet signing off…