06/28/2019
Beyond Meat at Burger King!
New types of meat-free burgers are now rolling out to fast food restaurants, usually promoted as a healthy alternative to hamburger meat. Are they healthy?
Following is a list of ingredients in Beyond Meat, a product found in grocery stores and recently introduced at Burger King: Water, pea protein isolate, expeller pressed canola oil, refined coconut oil, contains less than 2% of the following: cellulose from bamboo, methylcellulose, potato starch, natural flavor, maltodextrin, yeast extract, gum arabic, sunflower oil, vegetable glycerin, dried yeast, citrus extract, ascorbic acid, beet juice extract, acetic acid, modified food starc, annato.
The ingredient list is followed by this warning: Peas are legumes. People with severe allergies to legumes should be cautious when introducing pea protein into their diet because of the possibility of a pea allergy. Contains no peanuts or tree nuts.
Nutrition Facts disclosed by Beyond Burgers state a 113-gram patty as having 270 calories, 170 of those from fat with total fat at 20 grams, saturated fats at 5 grams. Mono and polyunsaturated fats are not listed and trans fats are zero. Sodium content is 380mg and potassium is 340mg. Beyond meat is high in iron at 30% d.v. and also high in phosporus with 25% d.v. Protein content is 20 grams and carbohydrate content are 5 grams.
How does that compare to a 113-gram low fat, store bought meat patty? Not well. A 113-gram store bought meat patty is lower caloric by 120 calories, has a lower fat content, 300mg lower in sodium. It is much lower in total and saturated fat content with zero grams of carbohydrate and has about half as much iron.
While store-bought burgers are hardly ideal, they are nutritionally favorable to Beyond Meat burgers. Grass fed ground beef would compare even more favorably.
Paleo guru Loren Cordain's comment on Beyond Meat, "The potassium/sodium ratio ratio represents an impossible value not found in virtually any natural foods (plant or animal). Yes, the amino acid profile of legumes is imbalanced and not close to what is found in red meat or animal products. Further, the addition of sunflower oil and refined coconut oil gives this product an n3/n6 fatty acid imbalance which is totally uncharacteristic of any meat, fish or real animal food."
Beyond Meat products are foods that contribute to inflammation. Source: Bill Manci, thepaleodiet.com, June 12, 2019.