Vegie burgers are a great option for vegetarians or even just for meat-free days. There are a lot of different varieties out there so how do you know which one is the healthiest option? We have compared a few different products to see how they stack up nutritionally.
Meat alternatives do not provide as much protein as animal products, however the best products contain at least 10g per serve. With this in mind the chickpea and sunflower seed burger contains the highest amount of protein with 9.4g per serve, the lentil burger comes in 2nd with 7.4g per serve, and then the mixed vegetable with 7g per serve.
Most vegetable burgers contain a moderate amount of fibre which is great for keeping our digestive systems healthy. A vegie burger is considered a good source if it contains at least 7%fibre. The lentil burger has the highest amount with 8.4% fibre, then the chickpea and sunflower burger with 6.5%, and the mixed vegetable burger is the lowest with 4.8%.
When looking at the sodium (salt) content you should aim for less than 120mg/100g serve as this is considered a low sodium food. A moderate sodium food contains 120mg-400mg/100g serve. All of these burgers are considered a moderate source of sodium with the chickpea and sunflower burger containing the lowest amount of sodium at 130mg/100g.
One thing I love about vegetable based meals is that the total and saturated fat content is quite low in comparison to meat based products. As you can see the mixed vegetable burger has the lowest saturated fat content of 0g per serve. These vegetable burgers also have the benefit of containing no cholesterol.
So which would I choose? Overall the chickpea and sunflower seed burger seems to come out on top with the highest source of protein, a moderate source of fibre and lowest in sodium.