Jun 3

Jun 3 Where’s The Beef? Not Here

Does the Impossible Whopper Make it Impossible To Tell The Difference?

For the Whopper lover who gave up eating meat, welcome back to the table. Burger King’s Impossible Whopper is said to satisfy one’s taste for the Whopper without the beef. But is it really good and is it really good for you?

In 2011, the Impossible Whopper is made with impossible meat by the Impossible Foods Company created by Scientist and Professor Emeritus at Stanford University Patrick O. Brown. He created the impossible burger as a plant-alternative to eating beef. Brown wanted to raise awareness about the dangers of meat to the body and to the environment.

The ingredients that make up the Impossible Burger are:

Water, textured wheat protein, coconut oil, potato protein, natural flavors, 2% or less of leghemoglobin (soy), yeast extract, salt, konjac gum, xanthan gum, soy protein isolate, vitamin E, vitamin C, thiamine (vitamin B1), zinc, niacin, vitamin B6, riboflavin (vitamin B2), and vitamin B12.

Then In 2019, the company introduced a new recipe featuring the changes below:

Using soy protein instead of wheat protein, making it gluten-free

Using a plant-based culinary binder called methylcellulose to improve texture

Replacing a portion of the coconut oil with sunflower oil to reduce saturated fat content

Heme, or soy leghemoglobin, is the ingredient said to set the Impossible Burger apart from other plant-based burgers. It adds to the flavor and color of the burger and makes it “bleed” like a beef burger does when cut.

Does it taste good?

Word has it, the Impossible Whopper has the same taste and aroma as Burger King’s Whopper. Except for the beef, the sandwich is the same.

Is it good for you?

In an online interview with Healthline on April 29, Sharon Zarabi, RD, director of the Bariatric Program at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City said, “Health-wise I don’t think it makes much of a difference. I wouldn’t define it as healthier, I would define it more as ethical,” she said.

The original Whopper clocks in at 660 calories (more than half of them coming from fat), 40 grams of fat, and 28 grams of protein.

The Impossible Whopper comes in at 630 calories (again, half from fat), 34 grams of fat, and 25 grams of protein. It does have significantly lower cholesterol — 10 milligrams compared to 90 milligrams — but has more sodium at 1,240 milligrams compared to 980 milligrams.

And once you have had those fries and that drink…well…just chalk it up to a good meal without the beef.