Burger Time!

Burger

 

Do you love burgers as much as i do?? I feel like i could always go for a good burger!! Of course my burgers are vegan and the best ones are usually homemade! Why do you want to eat vegan burgers vs meaty or turkey burgers? A bazillion reasons!! Here are my top 5 reasons to choose a meatless burger over one that came from an animal:

1. The animal wanted to live! Obviously a turkey or beef or ostrich or bison or whatever burger had to come from a turkey or cow or ostrich etc. Why would you want to sacrifice their lives for ten minutes of enjoying a burger? Is that trade off really worth it? The vast majority of animals used for burgers come from factory farms so not only are you taking their life, but it was a pretty awful life they lived while they were being raised for your burger. Every time you buy a burger you’re paying someone to breed, raise/torture, and slaughter an animal for you- do you really want to be funding that industry?

2. You love your heart! Did you know there is ZERO cholesterol in vegan food? Pretty sweet, eh? And that includes vegan cheeses, vegan pastries, and vegan burgers. Not that I’m saying these things are healthy- they just have no cholesterol. The NUMBER ONE killer of americans is heart disease. And high cholesterol can definitely lead to heart disease and heart attacks- people with cholesterol levels under 150 are very unlikely to suffer from a heart attack. The average vegan’s cholesterol level? 146.4. That’s not to say that dousing your food in oil won’t impact your cholesterol (it will) but it has no cholesterol in it. To help keep your cholesterol low, eliminate animal products and voila! Watch your doctor’s jaw drop as your cholesterol levels plummet! Side note: I did hear Dr. Michael Greger speak this spring about oil and he suggested eliminating it from your diet unless your LDL cholesterol is below 60. Then you can use a little bit.

3. You want to live on this planet. As you may know, we’re facing a severe drought in California and we’re running out of water in general. This blows my mind with all of our oceans but I guess it’s costly and difficult to make that water drinkable. So we’re running low on water and need to find a cheap and quick way to save water. Skipping showers can help but then we’d all stink. A quicker and more effective way? EAT LESS MEAT. it’s that simple. One burger takes 660 gallons of water to produce. That’s a LOT of water. The average shower takes 17 gallons of water. So you could skip a month of showers and still wouldn’t have saved as much water as skipping one burger. Plus you wouldn’t smell as bad!

4. Fiber is good for you. and in a plain ol’ burger there’s no fiber to be found (add on some roughage to make it more fiberlicious). Try a veggie burger and get a bunch of fiber in just one burger by itself. Add on some lettuce and a bun? Even more fiber to be found! But by simply choosing a veggie burger over a turkey or beef burger you’re upping your fiber intake, which can help with a plethora of things from diverticulitis to diabetes.

5. PROTEIN. Yes… there is protein in brown rice. and spinach. and so many things we don’t think of as sources for protein. But veggie burgers have always fallen a little short of beef or turkey burgers… until now! The new Beast Burger from Beyond Meat boasts 23 grams of protein. TWENTY THREE. that’s a lot of protein. Now… we are a protein obsessed culture and probably eat more protein than we already need but do not let your protein obsession stop you from eating veggie burgers. Bubba Burgers claim they’re the #1 frozen burger in the US and they have 25 grams of protein. What else do you get with a bubba burger? 420 calories, 35g fat, and 110 mg cholesterol. A Beast Burger? 260 calories, 16g fat, and 0 cholesterol. Sounds like a no brainer way to get more nutrition per calorie, which is what we should always be trying to maximize. Note: there is a lot more sodium in a beast burger than a bubba burger so watch your processed food intake if you’re concerned about your sodium intake in general.

So next time you’re shopping for burgers consider trying a plant based alternative! Some of my personal favorites? Check ’em out!

Field Roast Hand Formed Burgers (92g burger: 340 calories, 24g fat, 22g protein, 9g carbs)
Gardein Beefless Burgers (85g burger: 130 calories, 4.5g fat, 16g protein, 7g carbs)
Boca Vegan Burgers– IMO best on the grill (71g burger: 70 calories, 0.5g fat, 13g protein, 6g carbs)
Sunshine Burgers (113g burger: 360 calories, 21g fat, 12g protein, 32g carbs)
Sol Cuisine Spicy Black Bean Burgers (71g burger: 90 calories, 1.5g fat, 11g protein, 9g carbs)

Let me know what kinds YOU like!!

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