HAMBURGERS have always been synonymous with beef. What fast-food burger chain has not made the claim that their patties are made with 100 percent pure beef? A thick, juicy and savory hamburger is comfort food for a lot of people. And those beef patties are an excellent source of muscle-building protein.
On a recent trip abroad, I had the chance to visit a grocery and stumbled upon the vegan section, which carried the Beyond Burger brand. Having previously heard of this product, I purchased a couple of packs to bring back home to Manila. The game plan was to freeze the burgers for a few days, place inside an insulated bag, pack it in my check-in baggage and refreeze once I reach home.
What makes Beyond Burger patties unique is that they are entirely plant-based. No animal was slaughtered to give you your 20 grams of protein that each patty contains. Hamburgers and plants are two words that seemingly don’t belong in the same sentence. How the makers of this product have managed to come up with a plant-based burger that somehow manages to taste like a real hamburger is remarkably perplexing.
Those wanting to build lean muscle mass are always focused on getting enough protein in their diet. We all know by now that if we want to maximize gains from a weight training program, we need the right amount of protein to fuel muscle growth. The more popular protein sources have always been animal-based—beef, chicken, pork, fish and whatnot. However, for nonmeat eaters, a wide variety of plant-based protein can also be availed of. And this product is proof of that. Pea protein isolate is the main protein source of Beyond Burger. Other listed ingredients include canola oil, refined coconut oil and water.
Trying out Beyond Burger myself after taking it home, I pan-seared the patty a few minutes each side. Just like a beef burger, it changed color while cooking and had the same savory aroma. Indeed, the texture and flavor did resemble that of a beef burger patty. It was juicy and tasted better than some burgers that I’ve tried. Each patty contains 270 calories, roughly the same amount for a beef burger of the same size (4 ounces).
I discovered that Beyond Burger is available in the Philippines through a local distributor, Pristine Solutions Inc., which sells Beyond Burger per case of 42 patties. The price per case is P12,320 or roughly P293 per patty. Quite steep, but if you consider the effort that went into making a vegetable taste like a burger, then it just might be worth it.