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The Truth About Your Healthy Veggie Burger

Not all veggie burgers are created equal. Check out these 5 questions before you shop again.

Just because "veggie" is in the name “veggie burger”, doesn't mean it's all that much better for you or that its main ingredients are indeed veggies.

Consumer Reports has 5 questions you should ask the next time you go to buy a veggie burger:

What's the protein status?

How processed is it?

Is it sneaking in salt?

What's the fiber amount?

How high is the calorie count?

Let's look at the quick and easy numbers:

For the salt content, look for a burger that has less than 15% of your daily salt intake, that's around 350 milligrams.

When it comes to fiber, most have between 2 and 6 grams. If you choose a burger lower in fiber, balance it out with leafy greens.

Consumer Reports delves into the protein status and the processing at length in their site article, but the main point is there is no “right” amount of protein. The guideline is that most people need about 0.4 grams of protein per pound of body weight per day, (so for a 130lb person, you need at least 52 grams. But if you’re over the age of 60, use .6 grams in the equation.

As for the processing, look for the source, is it grains and beans or soy? Soy protein isolate is a powder made from defatted soybeans that have been dried and processed to remove the sugars and dietary fiber, leaving the protein behind. It’s a highly refined ingredient, and some of the beneficial compounds in soy may be lost in processing.

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