Kudos to the fast food industry for taking the leap and adding some vegetarian meat options to their menus. This is a long overdue step that is positive in a number of ways as vegetarian protein options:
- Decreased cancer risk from red meat
- Provide a more ethical choice that anyone can opt for
- Are easier on the planet
- Reflect a healthy shift in American’s attitudes toward meat and health
- Offer vegan and vegetarian eaters a food choice that includes protein, which is sorely lacking in restaurants where the only “non-meat” option is something like a side salad or baked potato with salsa
But are vegetarian meat fast food options healthier?
While moving in the right direction for our health and the well-being of our planet, are these choices actually better for us? Initially, I thought the choices would be lower calorie and lower fat because vegetarian protein oftentimes is, but this is not the case with Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods, the two brands included with our new fast food choices. Let’s look at some of the new vegetarian options compared to their original counterpart.
Burger King
Original Whopper Impossible Whopper
660 calories 630 calories
40 grams fat 34 grams fat
90 mg cholesterol 10 mg cholesterol
28 grams protein 25 grams protein
980 mg sodium 1240 mg sodium
Cheeseburger Veggie Burger
280 calories 390 calories
13 grams fat 17 grams fat
45 mg cholesterol 5 mg cholesterol
560 sodium 980 mg sodium
15 grams protein 21 grams protein
Carl’s Jr
Famous Star with Cheese Beyond Famous Star with Cheese
670 calories 710 calories
37 grams fat 40 grams fat
75 mg cholesterol 30 mg cholesterol
28 grams protein 30 grams protein
Del Taco
Taco Beyond Taco
310 calories 300 calories
20 grams fat 19 grams fat
85 mg cholesterol 35 mg cholesterol
320 mg sodium 510 mg sodium
Qdoba
Taco with beef Impossible Taco
220 calories 150 calories
12 grams fat 6 grams fat
50 mg cholesterol 0 mg cholesterol
370 mg sodium 550 mg sodium
Ground beef, 99 grams Impossible meat, 99 grams
190 calories 202 calories
11 grams fat 11 grams fat
510 mg sodium 874 mg sodium
27 grams protein 14 g protein
In addition to the above: Chipotle also has vegetarian meat, not of the Beyond or Impossible varieties, that is also of comparable nutrition content to their steak. Taco Bell appears close to offering more vegetarian options since testing a few in April, and chicken chains including KFC and Chick-fil-A are also in the testing phases of offering chicken-alternative protein menu choices.
What becomes apparent in looking at the nutrition details of these vegetarian fast food choices is that they are, unfortunately, not generally healthier in terms of calories, fat, or sodium, and the excess of each of these is present in both traditional and vegetarian options. Vegetarian protein options are a start toward healthier, plant-based eating, but we’re not quite there yet.
You may have noted that Qdoba’s Impossible Taco does seem to take a step in the right direction in terms of nutrition information; to an extent, this is true, because half the fat is nothing to sneeze at. However, I had to use nutrition information from the beef taco on the kid’s menu for comparison due to the large difference in serving size: the Impossible Taco has a serving size of 94 g, the kid’s taco 91 g, and the smallest serving “standard” taco is 123 g. So while you’ll be getting better nutrition, it appears you may also be getting a 30% smaller taco.
The bottom line: avoid fast food as much as possible and realize that the vast majority of all fast food choices do not promote good health. If you do have fast food, endeavor to add nutrient-rich fruits, vegetables and whole grains into food choices you make that day, and perhaps do a little more exercise to burn off some of the extra calories. In these ways, you’ll be lessening some of the unhealthy impact of fast food.
Karen Fisher, MS, RD, LDN, CDE is a dietitian in Reno, Nevada, happily promoting the benefits of healthy foods at her nutrition consulting firm, Nutrition Connection. Find her website at www.NutritionConnectionNV.com
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