“Eat less red meat” is a recommendation commonly made by healthcare professionals. As a result, several meat alternatives have emerged and are experiencing a rapid rise in popularity, such as the plant-based Impossible Burger.

Here’s a breakdown on the Impossible Burger, and meat alternatives in general, to help physicians and their patients decide.

 

The rise of plant-based meat alternatives

Patients adopt a vegetarian diet for various reasons, including concerns about the treatment of animals, environmental issues, and health. While ample evidence supports the health benefits of plant-based eating, the jury is still out on whether highly processed meat substitutes contribute to these positive effects.

Whatever their benefits, there was a 27% increase in the sale of plant-based meat and dairy alternatives in the US from 2019 to 2020, according to research published by Nutrients.

Craig WJ, Mangels AR, Fresán U, et al. The safe and effective use of plant-based diets with guidelines for health professionals. Nutrients. 2021;13(11):4144.

But despite their popularity, it’s crucial to take a deeper look at the details before assuming these products are nutritionally superior to their animal-based counterparts.

 

 

How does the Impossible Burger compare?

The Impossible Burger is a highly publicized plant-based patty made from soy that entered the market in 2016. Unlike many mushroom or bean burgers, it’s formulated with an uncanny resemblance to the look, taste, and smell of real beef. The team of food scientists at Impossible Foods even went so far as to produce heme, which recreates the flavor of meat, from genetically engineered yeast.

The Impossible Burger was designed for meat lovers and production is reportedly less environmentally taxing than raising cattle.

Nutritionally, here’s how the Impossible Burger compares to 80% lean beef hamburgers, according to the US Department of Agriculture’s FoodData Central.

Burger patties made from plants. US Food and Drug Administration FoodData Central. Updated October 2022.

80% lean - 20% fat angus beef premium angus beef patties. US Food and Drug Administration FoodData Central. Updated October 2021.

 

Based on a 100-gram comparison, the Impossible Burger has more favorable stats for protein (17.2 g compared with beef’s 16.8 g), fiber (4.4 g to beef’s 0 g), and iron (3.7 mg to beef’s 2 mg) than traditional beef. It’s also lower in calories with fewer grams of total fat (11.5 g vs beef’s 19.9 g) and saturated fat (5.3 g vs beef’s 7.3 g), despite using coconut oil as a main ingredient.

However, the Impossible Burger has almost five times the sodium content as a beef patty (327 mg vs beef’s 66 mg). Pair an Impossible Burger with a bun and condiments, and consumers will be on the fast track to a high-sodium meal.

 

 

Looking beyond the nutrition label

It’s essential for patients to be educated on the pros and cons of meat substitutes and appropriate portion sizes to guard against the unwarranted “health halo” these products often receive.

Also, despite the comparable or superior levels of micronutrients like iron listed for many meat substitutes, the availability of these nutrients isn’t guaranteed.

Further research published in Nutrients showed that the phytate content of plant-based products may significantly reduce the bioavailability of iron and zinc despite food fortification.

Mayer Labba IC, Steinhausen H, Almius L, et al. Nutritional composition and estimated iron and zinc bioavailability of meat substitutes available on the Swedish market. Nutrients. 2022;14(19):3903.

One exception appears to be tempeh, which enables greater iron accessibility due to the fermentation process.

 

Lean meats and seafood offer nutritional benefits that aren’t always found in meat substitutes.

Furthermore, despite a longstanding bias towards white meat, studies such as research published by The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition show no major advantage of poultry over beef as long as the fat content is low.

Bergeron N, Chiu S, Williams PT, M King S, Krauss RM. Effects of red meat, white meat, and nonmeat protein sources on atherogenic lipoprotein measures in the context of low compared with high saturated fat intake: a randomized controlled trial. The Am J Clin Nutr. 2019;110(1):24–33.

 

Instead, clinicians may advise patients to switch to leaner cuts of meat and incorporate wholesome vegetarian superfoods (like walnuts, leafy greens, and cruciferous veggies) over processed vegan products.