I was reading a blog the other day from a dietitian. She had mentioned how much she liked the brand Morningstar Farms. I assume she likes them because she believes they are a healthy option since she is not a vegetarian. I question the assumption that they are healthier.
Morningstar farms makes lots of different vegetarian products. Many of them are made to replace an equivalent animal-type product. Here are just a few examples of their products.
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| Veggie sausage; Veggie Buffalo Wings; Veggie Chicken Nuggets, Veggie Bacon, Egg & Cheese Biscuit and Veggie Chili. Source |
For this post I decided to look at the Grillers 1/4 Pound Burger.
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| Source |
And this is the ingredients list:
TEXTURED VEGETABLE PROTEIN (SOY PROTEIN CONCENTRATE, WHEAT GLUTEN, WATER FOR HYDRATION), CORN OIL, EGG WHITES, CALCIUM CASEINATE, CONTAINS TWO PERCENT OR LESS OF MODIFIED TAPIOCA STARCH, ONION POWDER, MIXED TRIGLYCERIDES, CANOLA OIL, HYDROLYZED VEGETABLE PROTEIN (CORN GLUTEN, WHEAT GLUTEN, SOY PROTEIN), DEXTROSE, SOY PROTEIN ISOLATE, NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL FLAVORS, SALT, YEAST EXTRACT, SUGAR, CARAMEL COLOR, WHEY*, METHYLCELLULOSE, SPICE, GARLIC POWDER, MALTODEXTRIN, DISODIUM INOSINATE, DISODIUM GUANYLATE, SOY SAUCE (WATER, SOYBEANS, SALT, ETHYL ALCOHOL, WHEAT), AUTOLYZED YEAST EXTRACT, ASCORBIC ACID, THIAMIN HYDROCHLORIDE (VITAMIN B1), NIACINAMIDE, SESAME SEED OIL, SOY LECITHIN, IRON (FERROUS SULFATE), THIAMIN MONONITRATE (VITAMIN B1), PYRIDOXINE HYDROCHLORIDE (VITAMIN B6), RIBOFLAVIN (VITAMIN B2), VITAMIN B12.Pretty scary.
*ADDS A TRIVIAL AMOUNT OF CHOLESTEROL.
Now to compare, I chose a Bubba burger.
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| Source |
Beef Chuck
That's it.
Now the caveat is that although the Bubba burger has only one ingredient, beef, we don't know how that cow was raised. They could have lived in a CAFO, shot up with antibiotics and fed unable-to-digest GMO grain.
However, I still prefer the bubba over the veggie. Those ingredients in the veggie burger are scarier to me. The ideal would be a burger that comes from cows that were grass-fed in a pasture. To find sources for this kind of meat visit eatwild.com.
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That's why I make my own veggie burgers -- I know exactly what goes into them! It's not that hard, and you can freeze them for future use, which I always do when I make a big batch. I am a vegetarian, so the beef isn't an option for me, but I don't buy commercial veggie burgers anyone either. I will say, though Gardenburger (which, if pressed, is my favorite brand) has a far less scary ingredient list.
ReplyDeleteThat is a great idea to make your own and then freeze them. I know the convenience of them is a plus, so if you can find a way to make homemade more convenient, that helps.
Deletei was going to say the same as Lauren - I make my own beef and veggie burgers. those are two separate burgers...they aren't mixed. haha.
ReplyDeletewhile it takes a bit more time than buying frozen - seriously, it's a bit. not a lot - i know exactly what went into them and there are zero scary things.
that being said: good on you for doing this post!! i think people assume too often that veggie = better than beef. i did at one point. and then realized veggies that are grown inhumanely and shipped around the world doesn't work out to happy eating. well said, my friend.
thank you for sharing with us at the Wednesday Fresh Foods Link Up. I hope to see you again this week with more seasonal and real/whole food posts! xo, kristy
I think people do assume veggie is always healthier. I was the same way. I did too.
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