What are your thoughts on impossible/beyond meat burgers?

[chickendminus]

Hey everyone! I was wondering what your thoughts were on impossible/beyond meat burgers. Do you enjoy fake meat? Do you like or dislike these specific products? Do you have a problem with any of the ingredients? Prefer one over the other?

I personally am a big fan of how they taste, however I know a lot of people have issues with how processed they are/how much sodium they contain. Fake meats have been very helpful in my transition to veganism, but I know many people dislike them. Any thoughts are welcome, just generally curious

 

[Slonaut]

Still junkfood. Nothing beats raw food, as nature intended.

 

[Jamie in Chile]

I don't normally have a desire for foods that taste like meat but Beyond Burger is good and I am quite excited about it. Not for myself but because I think these products are definitely a part of getting people to stop killing animals and making them suffer.

In that sense, Beyond Burger felt like a game changer when I first bit into it. I think they've nailed it. Hopefully they can come up with a generation 2 that has the same taste at a lower price. I would invest in the company if I could. I think that they will do well.

 

[Lou]

There is a restaurant around the block, The Counter, that serves the Impossible burger. I've had it 2 times. Version 1 twice and version 2 once. I thought the first one was too salty. But the second one was better. Still not very heathy but I enjoyed it. The restaurant also has its own vegan burger, made from beans, that I think tastes better. And it is $4 cheaper.

I had the Beyond burger just once. I brought it to a bbq. I thought it was ok.

This thread discussed the burgers a bit before it went off the tracks.
https://veganforum.org/threads/is-vegan-meat-dairy-eggs-healthier-than-real.3551/#post-19993

 

[Mbeth]

Can you buy impossible burgers in the grocery store, or are they only in restaurants? I’ve never seen them in my local groceries. I’d like to try one.
When I want to eat a “burger” I turn to using a portobello mushroom. I’ve found that if I grill it with some garlic salt it turns out just as juicy as beef, and that it’s all the toppings that really imitate the taste I’m looking for.

 

[Forest Nymph]

That they're not the same thing. Impossible Burgers probably aren't even vegan and were created in a lab. Beyond Burgers are pretty good, on occasion.

 

[Forest Nymph]

Still junkfood. Nothing beats raw food, as nature intended.

Actually humans evolved due to the efficiency of cooked food. Nature did not intend for us to be 100% raw.

 

[Lou]

Can you buy impossible burgers in the grocery store, or are they only in restaurants? I’ve never seen them in my local groceries. I’d like to try one.
When I want to eat a “burger” I turn to using a portobello mushroom. I’ve found that if I grill it with some garlic salt it turns out just as juicy as beef, and that it’s all the toppings that really imitate the taste I’m looking for.

as of right now you can only get Impossible burgers in restaurants. But I'm pretty sure I read somewhere that they already have plans to start selling in grocery stores.

 

[Lou]

Actually humans evolved due to the efficiency of cooked food. Nature did not intend for us to be 100% raw.

I don't think we evolved a lot since the invention of fire. Best evidence so far is that we developed fire about a quarter million years ago (give or take 100,000). Homo Sapiens are at least that old.

But I think that is beside the point. Cooking changes food. Sometimes for the better and sometimes for the worse. Lots of nutrients are more available in cooked food.

Raw foodies have to eat a lot of calories to get adequate nutrition.

And can you even eat beans raw?

 

[mavrick45]

I prefer the Gardein Beefless Burger

we have them at least once a week. very good!

 

[Mbeth]

as of right now you can only get Impossible burgers in restaurants. But I'm pretty sure I read somewhere that they already have plans to start selling in grocery stores.

Thanks. I looked up both websites and was able to find some places kinda near me that serve them, and one grocery store the next town over that sells the Beyond burger. This opens up some new dining out options for me!

 

[Lou]

Thanks. I looked up both websites and was able to find some places kinda near me that serve them, and one grocery store the next town over that sells the Beyond burger. This opens up some new dining out options for me!

Beyond Meats has a few new products. Besides the burger, they have sausages and pretty soon ground chuck or something like that.

Another option that might be available is Field Roast. They have fake burgers, sausages, and hot dogs. Of all the fake meats, the Field Roast Apple Sage Sausage is the only one I buy on a semi-regular basis. I just have tried most of the other products.

Oh, I usually have some frozen Boca Vegan Patties in the freezer for emergencies. They don't taste that great but they are the most inexpensive.

 

[chickendminus]

That they're not the same thing. Impossible Burgers probably aren't even vegan and were created in a lab. Beyond Burgers are pretty good, on occasion.

How are impossible burgers "probably not vegan"?

 

[Forest Nymph]

How are impossible burgers "probably not vegan"?

They tested on animals but I suppose it's a gray area, there's been quite a stink about them, which is fine since they're difficult to find outside of restaurants anyway and I can eat Beyond Burgers so I don't even have to work to avoid them.

 

[Forest Nymph]

I don't think we evolved a lot since the invention of fire. Best evidence so far is that we developed fire about a quarter million years ago (give or take 100,000). Homo Sapiens are at least that old.

But I think that is beside the point. Cooking changes food. Sometimes for the better and sometimes for the worse. Lots of nutrients are more available in cooked food.

Raw foodies have to eat a lot of calories to get adequate nutrition.

And can you even eat beans raw?

The arguments from scientists are meat or fire, Lou. Some say meat due to caloric and fat density, other argue this is nonsense without cooking first, since humans are poorly equipped to eat the vast majority of animal products raw, and many nutrients in plant based foods become efficiently available after cooking too. Of course a balance is best, but from what I've read foraging for raw food, the sheer amount and energy required to process it kept our brains from getting bigger as apes. Also, if meat alone did the trick, why aren't we all being ruled by tigers instead of worrying about them going extinct.

 

[Forest Nymph]

I prefer the Gardein Beefless Burger

we have them at least once a week. very good!

Have you tried Amy's California burger? They're made from grains, mushrooms and walnuts. They were my favorite before Beyond Burgers, and honestly I still like that straight up veggie burger taste that isn't trying to imitate meat.

 

[Lou]

The arguments from scientists are meat or fire, Lou. Some say meat due to caloric and fat density, other argue this is nonsense without cooking first, since humans are poorly equipped to eat the vast majority of animal products raw, and many nutrients in plant based foods become efficiently available after cooking too. Of course a balance is best, but from what I've read foraging for raw food, the sheer amount and energy required to process it kept our brains from getting bigger as apes. Also, if meat alone did the trick, why aren't we all being ruled by tigers instead of worrying about them going extinct.

I think the general thinking among scientists is that tree-dwelling primates had a lot of stuff that sort of fit in with brain and social development. Being able to figure out escape routes thru trees takes a lot of mental processing power. There is this one monkey in Japan that tests higher on memorization skills than humans. Using visual acuity to determine which fruit are ripe was also something that had evolutions advantages. And since primates, main defense is that they operate in groups - social skills like cooperation had an evolutionary advantage.

I'm pretty sure we already had pretty big brains before we got around to cooking. But one theory that makes the most sense to me is that millions of years ago when some of our ancestors first came out of trees, they found a niche they could exploit. By having really good vision they could spot vultures in the sky. Then as a group, they could take possession of the remains of the kills of big cats with rocks and sticks from the scavengers. Then because of hands that evolved to hold branches in trees, they could hold rocks and split open the big thigh bones of big game. No one else could take advantage of the rich marrow in those bones.

There is no evidence of this. but I like it as a theory.

 

[mavrick45]

Have you tried Amy's California burger? They're made from grains, mushrooms and walnuts. They were my favorite before Beyond Burgers, and honestly I still like that straight up veggie burger taste that isn't trying to imitate meat.

I can't recall. I'll have to keep an eye out for them next time I go to the store. I love their non-dairy burritos though!

 

[Nekodaiden]

Raw foodies have to eat a lot of calories to get adequate nutrition.

And can you even eat beans raw?

It depends on what they eat. Certain fruits (like coconut, avocado, certain seeds and nuts) pack plenty of calories and can be eaten (and often are eaten) without cooking. I've eaten grains raw on occasion (as in a smoothie - but they always get soaked overnight first).

As for beans, I've eaten sprouted chickpeas and blackbeans (properly 2-3 day sprouted), but I prefer to soak/sprout then cook in a marinade as they don't taste like much otherwise.

 

[Nekodaiden]

Hey everyone! I was wondering what your thoughts were on impossible/beyond meat burgers. Do you enjoy fake meat? Do you like or dislike these specific products? Do you have a problem with any of the ingredients? Prefer one over the other?

I personally am a big fan of how they taste, however I know a lot of people have issues with how processed they are/how much sodium they contain. Fake meats have been very helpful in my transition to veganism, but I know many people dislike them. Any thoughts are welcome, just generally curious

I generally avoid and am not a big fan but I'll eat them on occasion.

Stuff I always avoid:

Anything with the majority being made up of protein isolates, for instance, soy protein isolate. While it contains a good amount of protein and an array of minerals, protein isolates like soy protein isolate can raise IGF-1.

Products that are 50% or more extracts - from beans, from rice, from herbs etc.

"Fungus protein" like Quorn stuff. I completely distrust it.

Stuff I sometimes eat:

Patties or tubes as burger/hot dog replacements that have 51% or more whole food, and also contain at least some fiber.

Coconut cream ice cream that is made with sugar and flavors. Although I avoid HFCS as I've found this (or this in combination with other stuff) actually hurts my stomach.


Mostly the "sometimes eat" stuff is fairly rare. Aside from the coconut cream ice cream, I've found that many of the mock meats don't fill me up, or I need to eat the whole package. Not a big fan of spending money on food stuffs that don't satisfy, and don't feed (or feed well enough) the beneficial bacteria.