Impossible Burger at Burger King

[GAL14]

Does anyone know if an occasional impossible burger which is all plant based is ok?

[JimVanHorn]

I would rather eat fresh plant products that I know what happens when they are grilled at high temperatures. The impossible burger contains mostly Heme which is an iron-containing molecule. You find it in hemoglobin in blood and in myoglobin in muscle. It’s what makes blood red and helps carry oxygen around an animal’s body. It’s also what makes meat taste like meat. Turns out plants have it, too. Also contained in the Impossible Burger Ingredients: Water, Soy Protein Concentrate, Coconut Oil, Sunflower Oil, Natural Flavors, 2 percent or less of: Potato Protein, Methylcellulose, Yeast Extract, Cultured Dextrose, Food Starch Modified, Soy Leghemoglobin, Salt, Soy Protein Isolate, Mixed Tocopherols (Vitamin E), Zinc Gluconate, Thiamine Hydrochloride (Vitamin B1), Sodium Ascorbate (Vitamin C), Niacin, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (Vitamin B6), Riboflavin (Vitamin B2), Vitamin B12. Making Heme is a complex process. In the company’s own words: “We make heme using a yeast engineered with the gene for soy leghemoglobin. First, we grow yeast via fermentation. Then, we isolate the soy leghemoglobin (containing heme) from the yeast, and add it to the Impossible Burger, where it combines with other micronutrients to create delicious, meaty flavor.” So now you know!

[GAL14 in reply to JimVanHorn]

Thorough and thoughtful thanks

[itzmich in reply to GAL14]

It's also super processed which my renal doctor told me to stay away from processed food. Make your own veggie burger with real veggies you can control salt and protein too.

[orangecity41 NKF Ambassador in reply to JimVanHorn]

Maybe one would be better off getting a child size burger?

[JimVanHorn in reply to orangecity41]

Or a tossed salad.

[Marvin8]

The over-processing is bad, but the salt is nasty too.

The Beyond Burger isn't any better, although I think it tastes a little bit better.

Once a month probably won't hurt you unless they also turn out to cause cancer.

[GAL14 in reply to Marvin8]

Ah oh thanks

[steve680]

The Impossible Burger at Burger King is extremely high in sodium (more than 2000 mg). So, for a person with a CKD, it wouldn't be a good idea to eat it.

[GAL14 in reply to steve680]

Troublesome thanks

[kungfudude]

Good info from all. I didn't ask but I was wondering as well. Thanks.

[Bet117 NKF Ambassador]

Agreed! I have read the sodium levels on many vegetarian meats, plus Morningstar Farms, etc. which are frozen. Sodium is out of control.

Love to try them, but not with that much sodium.

I stick to salads at BK in an emergency and Wendy's who makes it for me without chicken or cheese.

Hope this helps!

[GAL14 in reply to Bet117]

Thanks

[Bet117 NKF Ambassador]

None needed, ever as we support each other! 😊

[newbie56]

I have used Morningstar Farms (veggie burgers, etc) but usually eat only half; I add other greens, cauliflower, mushroom or beets then drink a deluge of water to dilute sodium. Lol

A 5 course meal

[JimVanHorn in reply to newbie56]

I hope you understand that diluting sodium by drinking a lot of water is not OK with kidney disease. Every molecule of sodium goes through your glomerulus in your kidney and the more sodium you take in, the more harm you can do to your kidneys. Now drinking a lot of water gets the sodium out of your body faster and may help you blood pressure go down, but you are still damaging your kidneys. I asked my nephrologist how much water I should drink daily, because it is different for each of us. As you go to another stage of kidney disease the amount of water may change as well.

[newbie56 in reply to JimVanHorn]

Jim,

Whoa, I really appreciate your comments. Thank you so much.

After almost a week of mindless eating I've gained 4 lbs and my ankles are puffy... My 'plan' was flawed.

My labs aren't til mid January. Will definitely be more careful. Ouch

[JimVanHorn]

OK, I can tell you what I avoid eating, but that does not mean that this is your kidney diet. I would rather you know what you should avoid. I was told to avoid Potassium, Sodium, and Phosphorus. So almost all foods have Potassium. These are the worst: potatoes, bananas, oranges (orange juice), tomatoes (and ketchup), black beans, bran and granola. Sodium, if the food tastes salty spit it out. Read how much salt is in food before you eat it. Avoid Sodium bicarbonate (like in cakes and cookies and in fried foods to make the food look bigger than it really is (like at Colonel Sanders). Phosphates are avoided: nuts, chocolate, bacon, ham, sausage, hot dogs, lunch meats, all canned foods, and canned meats. Basically do not eat meat from a meat packing company. because of additives. This is not a diet to loose weight. Just do the best you can and learn what NOT to eat! So we eat fresh foods that may have been frozen, not canned. Stay away from complex foods that have many ingredients added. I am also on a low fat diet for heart, low vitamin K because of coumadin, and low simple carbohydrates because of diabetes. So your diet is a piece of cake!