What I’m Buying: Actual Veggies Burgers
I discovered the burgers from Actual Veggies recently. First, at a local plant-based store, Orchard Grocer – New Yorkers, check this place out if you haven’t; more recently at Whole Foods. It’s exciting to see Actual Veggies become more widely available in supermarkets.
Actual Veggies have an ingredient list unlike most burgers in that 4 out of 5 of the burgers do not contain processed oils — the exception is the truffle burger. While there is some processed oil in my diet, if there is an oil-free version of packaged or processed food, I will almost always choose that option because we all get full at some point, and I want to fill up on higher-nutrient ingredients. Thank you, Actual Veggies for being the first (that I know of) to do this!
So far, I’ve tried the Green and Black (Bean) Burgers. I slightly prefer the black bean burger because I love the flavor and texture of black beans. Next, I’ll try the purple, orange, and truffle burgers. The truffle burgers contain “white truffle concentrate oil” and have 5 grams of fat vs. 1 - 2.5 grams in the other burgers. All of the Actual Veggies burgers contain 0 grams of saturated fat.
I also enjoy Beyond Burgers, but I don’t eat them often because of their lower fiber, and higher fat content. They are a great option when dining with people who aren’t plant-based because they are designed to taste, look, and feel more like an animal burger.
Let’s compare the Actual Veggies Black Burger, Beyond Burger, and a beef burger.
Following is another representation of a subset of the nutrition data to better show the differences that I find the most interesting.
Total Fat
Actual Veggies - 1.5g
Beyond Burger - 14g
beef burger - 17g
Saturated Fat
Actual Veggies - 0g
Beyond Burger - 5g
beef burger - 6g
Fiber
Actual Veggies - 10g
Beyond Burger - 2g
beef burger - 0g
Iron (% of RDA)
Actual Veggies - 10%
Beyond Burger - 20%
beef burger - 11%
When I want something quick for dinner, I drop an Actual Veggies burger in my air-fryer – ready in 12 minutes, including pre-heating. I serve this with a large portion of veggies. It can be topped just as any other burger with one or more of: no-sugar-added ketchup, mustard, tomato, onion, lettuce, etc.
Sometimes I’ll use a plant-based bun or bread, but I also enjoy burgers without the bun. It’s less filling, so I can eat other things. The blog photo shows the burger on Ezekiel Bread, which is a healthier bread option — without sugars or ingredients I don’t understand; and 3 grams of fiber and 5 grams of protein per slice.
Notes:
[FAT] As mentioned in previous posts, I’m not on a low-fat diet, which is typically in the 80% carbohydrate, 10% protein, and 10% fat range. About 20% of my daily calories come from fat. However, my digestion feels best when the majority of my fats come from whole, unprocessed foods.
[SODIUM] Plant burgers are a processed food. Be mindful of your average daily sodium intake.
[MEAL PLANNING] I’m not recommending this, or other processed foods, as daily additions to your diet, but rather as occasional options for variety. As burgers go, this is the healthiest I’ve found.
As of this writing (Sept. 2, 2023), the Actual Veggies’ website is offering a Venmo or Paypal credit of up to $7.99 if you purchase a package of their burgers and send them a copy of your receipt. I have no affiliation with Actual Veggies.
Have you tried the Actual Veggies burger? Let me know what you think of it in the comments below!
Thanks for reading!
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