With the rise of health concerns associated with red meat surfacing, along with the appeal of a vegan lifestyle, plant-based meat has become more and more popular in the United States. Ultra-processed to look, taste, and even seem to bleed like real meat, these imitations present a healthier alternative to one of America's favorite foods. However, current research is showing that these previously preferred fakes might not be as innocently nutritious as we are led to believe.

In order to closely resemble meat, the extensive ingredient list is staggering. Beyond Meat, a company that makes a popular plant-based burger, says their Beyond Burger contains 18 ingredients: purified pea protein, coconut and canola oils, rice protein, potato starch and beet juice extract for coloring. Impossible Foods, another major producer, follows these similar ingredients, but houses its protein mostly from soy and potato, and uses an iron-containing compound called heme to replicate the meaty flavor a burger would have. Both companies use methyl cellulose, a plant derivative commonly used in sauces and ice cream, as a binder. Also, compared to real beef, these two plant-based burgers contain considerably higher amounts of sodium. An uncooked four-ounce beef patty has about 75 milligrams of sodium, compared to 370 milligrams of sodium in the Impossible Burger and 390 milligrams in the Beyond Burger.

The big debate right now, is whether these plant-based meats are in fact healthier than the original burger. We are told to stay away from highly-processed foods, as they can spur weight gain, and yet this alternative is sold with the appeal of adopting a healthy diet. However, the burgers contain similar amounts of protein and calories to a burger, but with less saturated fat and no cholesterol.

A large group of people that these plant-based burgers are popular with are surprisingly enough, meat-eaters. They believe these products are healthier and better for the environment, which is especially the case with millennials. With sales skyrocketing in companies like Burger King and Dunkin', who now sell these plant-based meats in their stores, it seems to be good for the economy.

Like most exciting and new inventions, there is very little knowledge concerning the long-term effects of these alternatives at this time, which is both promising as well as unsettling. Hopefully research will find these products to be innocent of any negative health drawbacks, as more than 200 million consumers have ingested them in just this past year. In the meantime, I encourage you to proceed with caution, and eat responsibly.