Vegetarian Meat Substitutes

If you haven't tried a veggie burger recently, you might be surprised. In terms of flavor, meat substitutes such as veggie burgers, veggie dogs, and vegetarian chicken products have come a long way in the past decade. No longer on the fringes of the health-food industry, these products are available at most large grocery store chains. They are undeniably convenient to prepare, and they offer, for vegetarians and nonvegetarians alike, a lower-fat, higher-fiber alternative to meat products.

But are they appropriate for the population with chronic kidney disease? Most of these products are soy-based, and lack the high protein content of their meat counterparts. In theory, this could make them more appealing to patients with chronic kidney disease who are not undergoing dialysis. The basic no-frills vegetarian products (those that do not contain “spicy” or barbecue seasonings, extra cheese, or breading) are similar to meat products in terms of potassium and phosphorus content (Table 1). As expected, most are also significantly lower than meat in terms of fat and saturated fat.

Table 1. Meat Analogue Nutrient Content

		Calories	Protein	Fat	Trans Fat	Potassium	Phosphorus	Sodium	Fiber
	Breakfast
	MSF Breakfast Starters Classic Scramble	60	6 g	0.5 g	0 g	205 mg	290 mg	150 mg	1 g
	MSF Veggie Bacon Strips	60	2 g	4.5 g	0 g	15 mg	21 mg	230 mg	1 g
	MSF Veggie Sausage Links	80	9 g	3 g	0 g	50 mg	52 mg	300 mg	2 g
	MSF Veggie Sausage Patties	80	10 g	3 g	0 g	120 mg	107 mg	260 mg	1 g
	Boca Breakfast Patties	60	7 g	2.5 g	0 g	102 mg	110 mg	280 mg	2 g
	Boca Breakfast Links	70	8 g	3 g	0 g	80 mg	56 mg	330 mg	2 g
	Amy's Naturals Breakfast Patties	80	9 g	3 g	0 g	100 mg	95 mg	280 mg	2 g
	Gardenburger Breakfast Veggie Sausage	45	5 g	2.5 g	0 g	60 mg	80 mg	270 mg	2 g
	Burgers
	MSF Grillers Original	130	15 g	6 g	0 g	130 mg	124 mg	260 mg	2 g
	MSF Mushroom Lover's Burger	100	7 g	6 g	0 g	260 mg	155 mg	220 mg	1 g
	MSF Philly Cheese Steak Burger	120	10 g	6 g	0 g	130 mg	150 mg	400 mg	3 g
	MSF Tomato and Basil Pizza Burger	120	10 g	6 g	0 g	290 mg	110 mg	280 mg	3 g
	MSF Spicy Black Bean Veggie Burgers	120	11 g	4 g	0 g	250 mg	56 mg	350 mg	4 g
	MSF Asian Veggie Patties	100	7 g	4 g	0 g	260 mg	150 mg	490 mg	2 g
	Boca Burgers Original	70	13 g	.5 g	0 g	220 mg	150 mg	280 mg	4 g
	Boca Burgers Grilled Vegetable	90	14 g	3 g	0 g	200 mg	146 mg	280 mg	3 g
	Amy's Naturals All-American Veggie Burger	120	10 g	3 g	0 g	215 mg	160 mg	390 mg	3 g
	Amy's Naturals Quarter Pound Veggie Burger	220	21 g	5 g	0 g	290 mg	240 mg	640 mg	6 g
	Amy's Naturals Light in Sodium Veggie Loaf	560	21 g	18 g	0 g	330 mg	310 mg	490 mg	6 g
	Gardenburger Portabella Burger	90	5 g	2.5 g	0 g	315 mg	245 mg	360 mg	5 g
	Gardenburger Black Bean Chipotle	80	5 g	2.5 g	0 g	350 mg	200 mg	250 mg	5 g
	Chick'n
	Quorn Chick'n Patties	150	9 g	6 g	0 g	126 mg	200 mg	400 mg	2 g
	Quorn Southwestern Chick'n Wings	180	11 g	11 g	0 g	130 mg	200 mg	440 mg	4 g
	Quorn Naked Chick'n Cutlets	80	11 g	2.5 g	0 g	130 mg	200 mg	420 mg	2 g
	Quorn Chick'n Tenders	80	10 g	2 g	0 g	120 mg	222 mg	390 mg	4 g
	Quorn Turk'y Roast	90	14 g	1.5 g	0 g	150 mg	230 mg	470 mg	5 g
	MSF Chik'n Nuggets	190	12 g	7 g	0 g	320 mg	195 mg	490 mg	2 g
	MSF Chik Patties Parmesan Ranch	170	10 g	7 g	0 g	240 mg	160 mg	680 mg	2 g
	MSF Buffalo Wings	200	12 g	8 g	0 g	410 mg	246 mg	640 mg	3 g
	Boca Original Chik'n Patties	160	11 g	6 g	0 g	165 mg	110 mg	430 mg	2 g
	Boca Spicy Chik'n Patties	160	11 g	6 g	0 g	170 mg	120 mg	560 mg	2 g
	Gardenburger Herb Crusted Cutlet	150	10 g	9 g	0 g	246 mg	230 mg	460 mg	3 g
	Meal Starters
	MSF Chik'n Strips	140	23 g	3.5 g	0 g	110 mg	105 mg	510 mg	1 g
	MSF Meal Starters Grillers Crumbles	80	10 g	2.5 g	0 g	100 mg	41 mg	240 mg	3 g
	MSF Veggie Steak Strips	150	22 g	3.5 g	0 g	180 mg	134 mg	530 mg	1 g
	Boca Vegan Ground Burger	60	13 g	0.5 g	0 g	180 mg	140 mg	270 mg	3 g
	Quorn Grounds	90	13 g	2 g	0 g	128 mg	146 mg	170 mg	5 g
	Dogs
	MSF America's Original Veggie Dog	80	11 g	0.5 g	0 g	60 mg	165 mg	580 mg	1 g
	MSF America's Original Corn Dog	150	7 g	4 g	0 g	60 mg	139 mg	500 mg	3 g
	Yves Jumbo Veggie Dogs	90	15 g	1 g	0 g	240 mg	250 mg	740 mg	0 g
	Tofurky Franks	80	11 g	2 g	0 g	190 mg	230 mg	390 mg	3 g
	Snacks
	MSF Veggie Bites Mushroom Mozzarella	190	9 g	10 g	0 g	220 mg	250 mg	550 mg	3 g
	MSF Veggie Bites Eggs Florentine	240	17 g	4.5 g	0 g	180 mg	200 mg	580 mg	5 g
	Meatless: others
	Gardenburger BBQ Riblets	240	17 g	4 g	0 g	450 mg	230 mg	580 mg	5 g
	Gardenburger Mama Mia Meatballs	110	12 g	4.5 g	0 g	446 mg	250 mg	400 mg	4 g
	Gardenburger Margherita Pizza Wrap	240	12 g	8 g	0 g	460 mg	280 mg	590 mg	5 g

MSF, Morningstar Farms. Product manufacturers: Morningstar Farms (a Kellogg company), P.O. Box CAMB, Battle Creek, MI 49016 (www.seeveggiesdifferently.com); Yves, 4600 Sleepytime Dr., Boulder, CO 80301 (telephone: 1-800-434-4246; www.yvesveggie.com); Gardenburger (a Kellogg company), P.O. Box CAMB, Battle Creek, MI 49016 (www.gardenburger.com); Boca, 910 Mayer Ave., Madison, WI 53704 (www.bocafoods.com); Quorn, Quorn Foods, Inc., P.O. Box 370, Riverside, CT 06878 (www.quorn.com/us); Tofurky, Turtle Island Foods, Inc., P.O. Box 176, Hood River, OR 97031 (telephone: 1-800-508-8100; www.tofurky.com); Amy's Naturals, Amy's Kitchen, Inc., P.O. Box 449, Petaluma, CA 94953 (www.amys.com).

However, dietitians who have steered their patients away from meat substitutes in the past because of concerns about sodium will find that this issue is unchanged. An average veggie burger in the range of 300 to 500 mg of sodium per serving will see that amount doubled when pickles, condiments, and bread are added. Moreover, those products that contain black beans or extra cheese are more problematic, not just in sodium but also potassium and phosphorus content (one company, Amy's Naturals, has a “light in sodium” product available).

An interesting addition to the meat-substitute lineup is “Quorn,” produced in the United Kingdom. This product is not soy-based, but is classified as a “mycoprotein.” Mycoprotein is a generic term for protein-rich foodstuffs made from processed edible fungus. Typically used as a chicken substitute, Quorn is slightly lower in potassium than chicken or most other meat substitutes, but its sodium content averages 400 mg per serving.

All in all, vegetarian meat substitutes are an interesting alternative to meat, and the options are varied and constantly changing. Renal dietitians can hope that as meat substitutes become more widely available and increasingly popular, manufacturers will evolve to meet the special health needs of many consumers on a low-sodium diet.