Here's What's Inside an Impossible Whopper From Burger King
Even though Burger King announced that it would be rolling out the Impossible Whopper in its stores as a "limited offer" nationwide in August 2019, the burger has staying power.
Not only is the Impossible Whopper still available at BK, the chain added the Impossible Croissan'wich to their breakfast menu.
You could call these plant-based additions to fast-food menus healthy, except that there's actually no real definition of what "plant-based" means.
And, unfortunately, there has yet to emerge any sound scientific research on whether switching from a diet of meat-based burgers to a one of plant-based burgers (or croissan'wiches, for that matter) can actually make a difference in your health.
(And, no, this study that was bandied about doesn't count. As the press release from the Stanford stated itself: "the small study was funded by an unrestricted gift from Beyond Meat.")
Does that mean that you shouldn't eat plant-based products? Not necessarily. Just know that they're not the same as filling your diet as actual plants, which research has repeatedly shown does improve your health.
"We're looking at what I'd consider to be an ultra-processed food," said Abby Langer, R.D., in this article about Impossible Pork.
"That's not saying that the Impossible product doesn't have nutritional value or that it's the same as eating a can of Pringles," she said. "But it's just reality: Fake meat is ultra-processed, meaning that it contains a lot of extra additives and ingredients to make it what it is."
The Impossible Whopper sells itself on what it is not ("100% Whopper, 0% Beef" per BK advertisements).
So what is inside an Impossible Whopper?
What are the nutrition facts for the Impossible Whopper?
Burger King, to its credit, does publish the nutrition information for the Impossible Whopper. (Albeit under the "Flame Grilled Beef" section of its website.)
In one burger: 629 calories, 25 grams protein, 58 grams carbs (4 grams fiber), and 34 grams fat.
By comparison, the traditional beef Whopper: 660 calories, 28 grams protein, 49 grams carbs (2 grams fiber), and 40 grams fat.
So an Impossible Whopper has 31 fewer calories, 3 grams less protein, 9 more grams of carbs, and 5 fewer grams of fat.
Both sandwiches have about 11 grams of sugar.
What’s Actually in an Impossible Whopper?
While you'll find nutrition information in the "nutrition explorer" part Burger King's website, ingredients lists are non-existent.
That means that if you want to know the ingredients of an Impossible patty, you have to head to their website. Here's what it says.
Water, Soy Protein Concentrate, Coconut Oil, Sunflower Oil, Natural Flavors, 2% Or Less Of: Potato Protein, Methylcellulose, Yeast Extract, Cultured Dextrose, Food Starch Modified, Soy Leghemoglobin, Salt, Mixed Tocopherols (Antioxidant), Soy Protein Isolate, Vitamins and Minerals (Zinc Gluconate, Thiamine Hydrochloride (Vitamin B1), Niacin, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (Vitamin B6), Riboflavin (Vitamin B2), Vitamin B12).
If all that made you clutch your chest in recollection of high school chemistry tests, here's the short of it: the Impossible Whopper is a soy-based Whopper.
Well, Does the Impossible Whopper Taste Good?
If you like the taste of a traditional Whopper, you'll probably like the taste of the Impossible Whopper.
Will it blow you way and will you forever vow to always eat Impossible Whoppers till death do you part? Rabid legions of plant-based fanatics will argue YES.
But I'm going to venture a guess that they have ulterior motives for doing so.
And if they tell you otherwise, they're telling a whopper.
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