Impossible Whopper, Delicious? Yes. Healthy, Not So Fast

I'm not a vegan or a vegetarian. I could never completely give up consuming meat. But I have no problem eating vegan or vegetarian products and in fact, truly love many of them. One of my best friends, Debbie, adopted a vegetarian lifestyle a couple of years ago. We have dinner almost every Saturday evening and she has yet to make a bad meal.

I also find myself searching for vegan and vegetarian recipes to make for her and her husband, and they have all been fairly tasty too. So, when I found out Burger King was introducing a meatless burger to their menu, my curiosity was piqued.

Yesterday, as I was heading home from work up Kiwanis Avenue, I happened to look over and see the BK by the Western Mall and thought, "Today's the day!" I didn't get a drink or fries because I wanted to focus on the burger. I also limited the toppings to lettuce, tomato, mayo, and a squish of ketchup.

I raced home, changed clothes and dug in. The immediate flavor profile was pleasingly smoky, the texture very meat-like. My only complaint was that it wasn't very hot. I made sure to tear a piece of the burger off and taste that alone, sans toppings, to get a clearer idea of what the burger itself tasted like.

It was also good. On a side note, something that surprised and amused me was the fact that my cat Gabby, who begged for and received a bite of the burger, ate it ravenously and begged for more. (I don't suppose there was catnip in there?)

Rumor has it that the "Impossibles" are cooked on the same griddle surface which the beef burgers are. However, you can apparently ask to have them microwaved. In any case, it is not an issue for me.

The question for many people has more to do with the nutrition statistics for the Impossible Whopper. Yes, it is tasty and can be a vegetarian or vegan option, (minus the mayo, which traditionally contains eggs) but is it healthy?

These are the nutritional statistics for the Impossible Whopper:

• Calories - 630
• Total Fat - 34 grams
• Saturated Fat - 11 grams
• Trans Fat - 0 grams
• Cholesterol - 10 milligrams
• Sodium - 1080 milligrams
• Carbohydrates - 58 grams
• Dietary fiber - 4 grams
• Sugar - 12 grams
• Protein - 25 grams

Nutritional stats for a Regular Beef Whopper:

• Calories - 660
• Total Fat - 40 grams
• Saturated Fat - 12 grams
• Trans Fat -1 gram
• Cholesterol - 90 milligrams
• Sodium - 980 mg
• Carbohydrates - 49 grams
• Dietary fiber - 2 grams
• Sugar - 11 grams
• Protein - 28 grams