What type of burgers are the healthiest?

Q. We have shifted to a mostly plant-based diet. How healthy are the plant-based meat substitutes Beyond Burger and Impossible Burger?

A. As summer winds down, there’s still plenty of time to enjoy burgers grilled on the barbeque — and kudos to you and your family for shifting to plant-based burgers! There’s good evidence that replacing animal-based foods (especially red meat like hamburgers) with plant-based foods is better for cardiovascular health.

The two products you mention, Beyond Burger and Impossible Burger, are known as plant-based meat alternatives (PBMAs). Developed to taste and look like a traditional hamburger, both hit the market in 2016. But the recipes have been tweaked recently and have since been reformulated slightly (for example, they now contain a bit less saturated fat than their original versions). For example, the Beyond Burger has 2 grams of saturated fat, down from the original 6 grams. Impossible products now include Lite Ground Beef with just 1 gram of saturated fat per serving (although it’s not sold in patty form). As far as ultraprocessed foods go, PBMAs have a pretty good nutrient profile, although they do contain a fair bit of sodium (see table).

For people who include fish in their diets, salmon burgers are another option. You can buy these frozen (and sometimes fresh) in most supermarkets. These have the advantage of containing heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids. Grocery stores also offer a wide variety of frozen veggie burgers, which are usually made from a range of healthy ingredients, including beans, vegetables, grains, and nuts. Look for products that contain at least 5 grams each of protein and fiber, and ideally less than 350 milligrams of sodium per serving.

But my personal favorite is a homemade veggie burger. I recently made some tasty ones that included black beans, cashews, sunflower seeds, brown rice, carrots, and spices. When searching online recipes, look for those that include nutrition information. You can always cut back on the amount of added salt in the recipe to lower the sodium content, which will help keep your blood pressure in check.

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