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The Impossible Whopper: Your thoughts on plant-based burgers?
Replies
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If it comes to my area, I'd try it out of curiosity, but I'm pretty skeptical of it actually tasting like the regular whopper. I've been told that about lots of meat substitutes, and nothing I've tried has tasted "just like" whatever it's supposed to taste like or even tasted good to me.
If they aren't able to get the price down to the same price as the regular whopper, that first try out of curiosity would almost definitely be the last for me unless the calorie difference was a LOT more significant than 50 calories less.
Even if the price were the same, at only 50 calories less then the real thing, I'm going to go for real meat. Not that I'm opposed to processed or "fake" food, but given everything else being equal I'd just get the regular burger.
If it actually tasted and cost the same and had say half the calories, I might get it a lot more often.0 -
I don't think they're introducing the impossible burger in the hope that people will order it instead of meat, it seems more directed at expanding their market share by appealing to vegetarian potential customers who might be enticed by tasty food they can eat.
As for myself, no I wouldn't switch, I prefer meat, and it's a moot point anyway because like GottaBurnEmAll I have celiac disease and can't eat there in any case.
Speaking as a long-term vegetarian (nearly 45 years), something that tastes like beef is not, to me, "tasty food". I know other veggies will differ, but if I really deeply enjoyed meat, I'd still be eating it. (I see no moral failure in meat-eating. I was married to hunter for decades - now widowed, not divorced
).
If this burger has a good protein to calorie ratio, I'd consider eating it when traveling. (I often travel with a self-described "meatatarian", fast-food-centric, kinda overbearing friend - she drives, and runs the trip; I let her, because it's easier and calmer that way. She once got irritated with me because I used the phrase "crappy fast food".). But, for personal taste, I'd rather have honest food that tastes like itself, not fake anything. In the fast food realm, I prefer Taco Bell, Subway (salads), or Wendy's baked potatoes/salads.
Fake meat, to me, is yucky. I took a sample of "vegan chicken tenders" at Costco recently, because why not? It tasted like chicken. Yuck. (To me. You be you, I'll be me. :flowerforyou: ).
If BK is going for the "serious vegetarian" market here, for my taste they're missing the boat. JMO, though.
I like fast food, and even I call it crappy- because it is!
As for the plant based Whopper, sure, if it tastes good I'll eat it. I do have to wonder about the chemicals it's processed with though. A lot of the fake meats have scary looking ingredient lists.3 -
Theoldguy1 wrote: »GottaBurnEmAll wrote: »I know you asked for the opinions of meat eaters, but I wanted to answer this question from a few different angles.
As a vegetarian, the option of being able to get something on the go appeals to me.
As a person with celiac disease? I'm still out in left field. Impossible Burgers have gluten in them and I can't eat them.
I'm aware that getting gluten free fast food, even vegetarian options, isn't really that hard in other countries. Many of the chains we have here in America have gluten free buns and dedicated grill space in their European counterparts. Thanks to EU food laws, their fries don't have flavoring additives that contain gluten (I'm looking at you, McDonald's) and they cook them in dedicated fryers.
There are already gluten free vegetarian patties available in some chains.
I don't know why it's easy for these chains to accommodate these issues overseas, and not here in the States.
Unfortunately I'm guessing it's a cost/demand thing.
I really want to go to India sometime to try their McD- it's so different because of the lack of beef!0 -
I think it is a step in the right direction to get people to think about the foods they are consuming, however its still a Whopper and if it has cheese and mayo then it will be just as unhealthy as the beef based product they currently have.8
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I think it is a step in the right direction to get people to think about the foods they are consuming, however its still a Whopper and if it has cheese and mayo then it will be just as unhealthy as the beef based product they currently have.
I don't think Whoppers have cheese, but even if they did, there's nothing inherently unhealthy about that. Just ups the calories, which may or may not fit in with a person's goals.5 -
I think it is a step in the right direction to get people to think about the foods they are consuming, however its still a Whopper and if it has cheese and mayo then it will be just as unhealthy as the beef based product they currently have.
I don't think Whoppers have cheese, but even if they did, there's nothing inherently unhealthy about that. Just ups the calories, which may or may not fit in with a person's goals.
Cheese is saturated fat which contributes to elevated cholesterol and heart disease. Yes there is something inherently unhealthy about that.20 -
I think it is a step in the right direction to get people to think about the foods they are consuming, however its still a Whopper and if it has cheese and mayo then it will be just as unhealthy as the beef based product they currently have.
I don't think Whoppers have cheese, but even if they did, there's nothing inherently unhealthy about that. Just ups the calories, which may or may not fit in with a person's goals.
Cheese is saturated fat which contributes to elevated cholesterol and heart disease. Yes there is something inherently unhealthy about that.
Guess I won't have that big block of cheese I was planning on for lunch
(BTW, I didn't "woo" you- I hate the woo button.)2 -
GottaBurnEmAll wrote: »GottaBurnEmAll wrote: »I know you asked for the opinions of meat eaters, but I wanted to answer this question from a few different angles.
As a vegetarian, the option of being able to get something on the go appeals to me.
As a person with celiac disease? I'm still out in left field. Impossible Burgers have gluten in them and I can't eat them.
I'm aware that getting gluten free fast food, even vegetarian options, isn't really that hard in other countries. Many of the chains we have here in America have gluten free buns and dedicated grill space in their European counterparts. Thanks to EU food laws, their fries don't have flavoring additives that contain gluten (I'm looking at you, McDonald's) and they cook them in dedicated fryers.
There are already gluten free vegetarian patties available in some chains.
I don't know why it's easy for these chains to accommodate these issues overseas, and not here in the States.
They redid their formula back in January. The new impossible burger recipe is gluten free. Whether Burger King could prepare it that way is another thing, but the new version of the patty is.
That's awesome. I'll have to look for a restaurant that has it.
As a note make sure to check if the restaurant is using the new recipe or not. I know they were going through some sort of phase in period, and I am not sure if that is completed at all restaurants or not. I would assume they would know about their specific restaurant, but I believe you can also check on the impossible website to see which version a restaurant is using.0 -
GottaBurnEmAll wrote: »GottaBurnEmAll wrote: »I know you asked for the opinions of meat eaters, but I wanted to answer this question from a few different angles.
As a vegetarian, the option of being able to get something on the go appeals to me.
As a person with celiac disease? I'm still out in left field. Impossible Burgers have gluten in them and I can't eat them.
I'm aware that getting gluten free fast food, even vegetarian options, isn't really that hard in other countries. Many of the chains we have here in America have gluten free buns and dedicated grill space in their European counterparts. Thanks to EU food laws, their fries don't have flavoring additives that contain gluten (I'm looking at you, McDonald's) and they cook them in dedicated fryers.
There are already gluten free vegetarian patties available in some chains.
I don't know why it's easy for these chains to accommodate these issues overseas, and not here in the States.
They redid their formula back in January. The new impossible burger recipe is gluten free. Whether Burger King could prepare it that way is another thing, but the new version of the patty is.
That's awesome. I'll have to look for a restaurant that has it.
As a note make sure to check if the restaurant is using the new recipe or not. I know they were going through some sort of phase in period, and I am not sure if that is completed at all restaurants or not. I would assume they would know about their specific restaurant, but I believe you can also check on the impossible website to see which version a restaurant is using.
The article I read dated yesterday said they were only rolling it out in St. Louis area locations.0 -
I think it is a step in the right direction to get people to think about the foods they are consuming, however its still a Whopper and if it has cheese and mayo then it will be just as unhealthy as the beef based product they currently have.
I don't think Whoppers have cheese, but even if they did, there's nothing inherently unhealthy about that. Just ups the calories, which may or may not fit in with a person's goals.
Cheese is saturated fat which contributes to elevated cholesterol and heart disease. Yes there is something inherently unhealthy about that.
Newer research has muddied the water somewhat on the link between saturated fats and cholesterol and heart disease. The link is not as clear cut as once thought. Even if you accept that saturated fats are a contributing factor to these conditions, it is when consumed in excess, not in moderate intake. So in that case, the saturated fats from cheese would only be an issue if they are contributing to a high saturated fat diet, not in and of themselves. Cheese also has protein, calcium, and a host of other vitamins and minerals. It can be a healthy part of a diet. It is certainly not inherently unhealthy.11 -
GottaBurnEmAll wrote: »GottaBurnEmAll wrote: »I know you asked for the opinions of meat eaters, but I wanted to answer this question from a few different angles.
As a vegetarian, the option of being able to get something on the go appeals to me.
As a person with celiac disease? I'm still out in left field. Impossible Burgers have gluten in them and I can't eat them.
I'm aware that getting gluten free fast food, even vegetarian options, isn't really that hard in other countries. Many of the chains we have here in America have gluten free buns and dedicated grill space in their European counterparts. Thanks to EU food laws, their fries don't have flavoring additives that contain gluten (I'm looking at you, McDonald's) and they cook them in dedicated fryers.
There are already gluten free vegetarian patties available in some chains.
I don't know why it's easy for these chains to accommodate these issues overseas, and not here in the States.
They redid their formula back in January. The new impossible burger recipe is gluten free. Whether Burger King could prepare it that way is another thing, but the new version of the patty is.
That's awesome. I'll have to look for a restaurant that has it.
As a note make sure to check if the restaurant is using the new recipe or not. I know they were going through some sort of phase in period, and I am not sure if that is completed at all restaurants or not. I would assume they would know about their specific restaurant, but I believe you can also check on the impossible website to see which version a restaurant is using.
The article I read dated yesterday said they were only rolling it out in St. Louis area locations.
Sorry, to clarify: I am referring to the Impossible Burger in general. Burger King is only rolling out in St. Louis. They are using the new recipe. But there are about 7000 restaurants in the US that offer the impossible burger in some form. It's not clear to me if all are using the new formula yet or not.0 -
I ate the Impossible Burger at Apollo Burger in SLC, UT for the first time yesterday. It was amazing. I usually can't stand the substitute burgers/meats, but this was amazing. It tasted so much better than a normal burger.
I was skeptical before trying it, but I'm 100% a believer now.6 -
GottaBurnEmAll wrote: »GottaBurnEmAll wrote: »I know you asked for the opinions of meat eaters, but I wanted to answer this question from a few different angles.
As a vegetarian, the option of being able to get something on the go appeals to me.
As a person with celiac disease? I'm still out in left field. Impossible Burgers have gluten in them and I can't eat them.
I'm aware that getting gluten free fast food, even vegetarian options, isn't really that hard in other countries. Many of the chains we have here in America have gluten free buns and dedicated grill space in their European counterparts. Thanks to EU food laws, their fries don't have flavoring additives that contain gluten (I'm looking at you, McDonald's) and they cook them in dedicated fryers.
There are already gluten free vegetarian patties available in some chains.
I don't know why it's easy for these chains to accommodate these issues overseas, and not here in the States.
They redid their formula back in January. The new impossible burger recipe is gluten free. Whether Burger King could prepare it that way is another thing, but the new version of the patty is.
That's awesome. I'll have to look for a restaurant that has it.
As a note make sure to check if the restaurant is using the new recipe or not. I know they were going through some sort of phase in period, and I am not sure if that is completed at all restaurants or not. I would assume they would know about their specific restaurant, but I believe you can also check on the impossible website to see which version a restaurant is using.
The article I read dated yesterday said they were only rolling it out in St. Louis area locations.
Sorry, to clarify: I am referring to the Impossible Burger in general. Burger King is only rolling out in St. Louis. They are using the new recipe. But there are about 7000 restaurants in the US that offer the impossible burger in some form. It's not clear to me if all are using the new formula yet or not.
Ah... gotcha
0 -
I think it is a step in the right direction to get people to think about the foods they are consuming, however its still a Whopper and if it has cheese and mayo then it will be just as unhealthy as the beef based product they currently have.
I don't think Whoppers have cheese, but even if they did, there's nothing inherently unhealthy about that. Just ups the calories, which may or may not fit in with a person's goals.
Cheese is saturated fat which contributes to elevated cholesterol and heart disease. Yes there is something inherently unhealthy about that.
Newer research has muddied the water somewhat on the link between saturated fats and cholesterol and heart disease. The link is not as clear cut as once thought. Even if you accept that saturated fats are a contributing factor to these conditions, it is when consumed in excess, not in moderate intake. So in that case, the saturated fats from cheese would only be an issue if they are contributing to a high saturated fat diet, not in and of themselves. Cheese also has protein, calcium, and a host of other vitamins and minerals. It can be a healthy part of a diet. It is certainly not inherently unhealthy.
This. As a Wisconsinite, you can pry the cheese from my cold, dead hands. My hometown even has a festival dedicated to cheese. Cheese Days in Monroe!
Everything in moderation. Including cheese.12 -
Cheese is saturated fat which contributes to elevated cholesterol and heart disease. Yes there is something inherently unhealthy about that.
Nonsense. I think you need to go Peter Attia's nine-part series on Cholesterol.
A few highlighted points from Part 1:
• Cholesterol is “just” another fancy organic molecule in our body, but with an interesting distinction: we eat it, we make it, we store it, and we excrete it – all in different amounts.
• The pool of cholesterol in our body is essential for life. No cholesterol = no life.
• Cholesterol exists in 2 forms – UC and CE – and the form determines if we can absorb it or not, or store it or not (among other things).
• Most of the cholesterol we eat is not absorbed and is excreted by our gut (i.e., leaves our body in stool). The reason is it not only has to be de-esterified, but it competes for absorption with the vastly larger amounts of UC supplied by the biliary route.
• Re-absorption of the cholesterol we synthesize in our body is the dominant source of the cholesterol in our body. That is, most of the cholesterol in our body was made by our body.
• The process of regulating cholesterol is very complex and multifaceted with multiple layers of control. I’ve only touched on the absorption side, but the synthesis side is also complex and highly regulated. You will discover that synthesis and absorption are very interrelated.
• Eating cholesterol has very little impact on the cholesterol levels in your body. This is a fact, not my opinion. Anyone who tells you different is, at best, ignorant of this topic. At worst, they are a deliberate charlatan. Years ago the Canadian Guidelines removed the limitation of dietary cholesterol. The rest of the world, especially the United States, needs to catch up.
11 -
I think it is a step in the right direction to get people to think about the foods they are consuming, however its still a Whopper and if it has cheese and mayo then it will be just as unhealthy as the beef based product they currently have.
I don't think Whoppers have cheese, but even if they did, there's nothing inherently unhealthy about that. Just ups the calories, which may or may not fit in with a person's goals.
Cheese is saturated fat which contributes to elevated cholesterol and heart disease. Yes there is something inherently unhealthy about that.
Well...the more people are backing away from meat AND cheese, the more food will be available for the keto crowd! 4 -
I'm a meat eater. My parents did go through phases of trying to make us vegetarians, macrobiotics, whatever-the-fad-diets of their time, but I've determined through my own experience that I enjoy eating meat. I'm dominantly a texture-based eater, so to me, texture is key. When I eat a burger, I don't load it up with all sorts of additives; I hold the mayo, ketchup, mustard, etc. I generally deconstruct the burger and eat the components separately.
Having said that, my WOE is based on CICO, so if it fits my calories, then it's a potential. If it pleases me in texture, it's a probable. And within that spectrum, I try and make conscious choices regarding sustainability. So I would definitely try this to see if it fits my WOE, but it wouldn't replace meat, it would simply become a quick-stop alternative during road trips.3 -
Cheese is saturated fat which contributes to elevated cholesterol and heart disease. Yes there is something inherently unhealthy about that.
Nonsense. I think you need to go Peter Attia's nine-part series on Cholesterol.
A few highlighted points from Part 1:
• Cholesterol is “just” another fancy organic molecule in our body, but with an interesting distinction: we eat it, we make it, we store it, and we excrete it – all in different amounts.
• The pool of cholesterol in our body is essential for life. No cholesterol = no life.
• Cholesterol exists in 2 forms – UC and CE – and the form determines if we can absorb it or not, or store it or not (among other things).
• Most of the cholesterol we eat is not absorbed and is excreted by our gut (i.e., leaves our body in stool). The reason is it not only has to be de-esterified, but it competes for absorption with the vastly larger amounts of UC supplied by the biliary route.
• Re-absorption of the cholesterol we synthesize in our body is the dominant source of the cholesterol in our body. That is, most of the cholesterol in our body was made by our body.
• The process of regulating cholesterol is very complex and multifaceted with multiple layers of control. I’ve only touched on the absorption side, but the synthesis side is also complex and highly regulated. You will discover that synthesis and absorption are very interrelated.
• Eating cholesterol has very little impact on the cholesterol levels in your body. This is a fact, not my opinion. Anyone who tells you different is, at best, ignorant of this topic. At worst, they are a deliberate charlatan. Years ago the Canadian Guidelines removed the limitation of dietary cholesterol. The rest of the world, especially the United States, needs to catch up.
I never said anything about eating cholesterol. I said consuming saturated fat leads to increased (production of) cholesterol and heart(/vascular) disease.8 -
I never said anything about eating cholesterol. I said consuming saturated fat leads to increased (production of) cholesterol and heart(/vascular) disease.
I wasn't insinuating that by bolding that text, sorry if it came off that way. Regardless your comment/argument is not 100% true and recent studies have debunked this myth.
CONCLUSIONS:
A meta-analysis of prospective epidemiologic studies showed that there is no significant evidence for concluding that dietary saturated fat is associated with an increased risk of CHD or CVD. More data are needed to elucidate whether CVD risks are likely to be influenced by the specific nutrients used to replace saturated fat.
8 -
Whatever they try to sell, my husband STILL calls them "Burger Slug."
2 -
I'm not into meat substitutes. I do eat veggie burgers, but they aren't a meat replacement...I usually make black bean burgers which are delicious, but in no way have the taste or texture of an actual burger.2
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<snip>I don't think they're introducing the impossible burger in the hope that people will order it instead of meat, it seems more directed at expanding their market share by appealing to vegetarian potential customers who might be enticed by tasty food they can eat.
As for myself, no I wouldn't switch, I prefer meat, and it's a moot point anyway because like GottaBurnEmAll I have celiac disease and can't eat there in any case.
Speaking as a long-term vegetarian (nearly 45 years), something that tastes like beef is not, to me, "tasty food". I know other veggies will differ, but if I really deeply enjoyed meat, I'd still be eating it. (I see no moral failure in meat-eating. I was married to hunter for decades - now widowed, not divorced ).
I definitely should have been more specific regarding "tasty food" and qualified my comment with "for people who are looking for a vegetarian equivalent of a meat burger..."
1 -
<snip>I don't think they're introducing the impossible burger in the hope that people will order it instead of meat, it seems more directed at expanding their market share by appealing to vegetarian potential customers who might be enticed by tasty food they can eat.
As for myself, no I wouldn't switch, I prefer meat, and it's a moot point anyway because like GottaBurnEmAll I have celiac disease and can't eat there in any case.
Speaking as a long-term vegetarian (nearly 45 years), something that tastes like beef is not, to me, "tasty food". I know other veggies will differ, but if I really deeply enjoyed meat, I'd still be eating it. (I see no moral failure in meat-eating. I was married to hunter for decades - now widowed, not divorced ).
I definitely should have been more specific regarding "tasty food" and qualified my comment with "for people who are looking for a vegetarian equivalent of a meat burger..."
I am a non-meat eater who deeply enjoyed meat. Taste had nothing to do with me eliminating it, so I'm pleased with the recent development of more "realistic" alternatives.4 -
I would most definitely switch to it if I like it because, why not? I'm not attached to the idea of eating meat when there is a good alternative and I eat burgers for the way the meat makes the bun taste, not for the meat itself.2
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As someone with thyroid issues, I try to avoid soy. Most plant based meat and protein alternatives are derived from soy. I couldn't find any info on what the actual ingredients are so I would be hesitant to try it. I'll be sticking with real meat for the protein and iron it contains.1
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I doubt I would enjoy it as a hamburger replacement.
I know the trend most places are thin little well-done patties. They cook fast, etc. When I order a hamburger I want a fat patty and I want it rare. I normally get my burgers at Ted's Montana Grill (mmm, bison) and LarkBurger (black angus beef). Don't even get me started on the horror that is American "cheese" and how so many places ONLY offer that.
Now if it was just a delicious sandwich,not trying to replicate the hamburger experience, I might like it.
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I ate the Impossible Burger at Apollo Burger in SLC, UT for the first time yesterday. It was amazing. I usually can't stand the substitute burgers/meats, but this was amazing. It tasted so much better than a normal burger.
I was skeptical before trying it, but I'm 100% a believer now.
We have a local restaurant that sells an Impossible Burger and it really is absolutely delicious. It's my son's favorite burger. I have no idea what the calorie count is or protein/calorie ratio is, but taste wise I'd eat it any day.1 -
As someone with thyroid issues, I try to avoid soy. Most plant based meat and protein alternatives are derived from soy. I couldn't find any info on what the actual ingredients are so I would be hesitant to try it. I'll be sticking with real meat for the protein and iron it contains.
Their website breaks down the ingredients:
https://impossiblefoods.com/food/mom23mangos wrote: »I ate the Impossible Burger at Apollo Burger in SLC, UT for the first time yesterday. It was amazing. I usually can't stand the substitute burgers/meats, but this was amazing. It tasted so much better than a normal burger.
I was skeptical before trying it, but I'm 100% a believer now.
We have a local restaurant that sells an Impossible Burger and it really is absolutely delicious. It's my son's favorite burger. I have no idea what the calorie count is or protein/calorie ratio is, but taste wise I'd eat it any day.
On the link I posted above, it appears the calories, fat, & protein are on par with a regular burger, which is not a selling point for me. Nice nutritional profile, though.0 -
As someone with thyroid issues, I try to avoid soy. Most plant based meat and protein alternatives are derived from soy. I couldn't find any info on what the actual ingredients are so I would be hesitant to try it. I'll be sticking with real meat for the protein and iron it contains.
They're very upfront about their ingredients (which do include soy): https://faq.impossiblefoods.com/hc/en-us/articles/360018937494-What-are-the-ingredients-
It also has protein and iron, so sticking with meat just to get those doesn't really make sense.6 -
I’ve been meaning to try the impossible burger for a while. I’m a meat eater, but I’ve been phasing out beef at home.1
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