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Think Twice Before Buying This Type of Burger

4th of July is right around the corner and I really can’t think of a better way to celebrate Independence Day than a good old fashioned BBQ. But I have to be honest here, attending a BBQ produces a bit of anxiety for me every time. Will the host serve only beef hamburgers and hotdogs? (I don’t eat beef or any type hot dog.) Will the meat be organic? Will there be vegetarian options? Will the cook char the meat to death and produce heterocyclic amines that are known to cause colon cancer?

Needless to say, I am honestly a little disappointed when the host decides to serve things I don’t eat but get even more anxious when they offer to pick up some veggie burgers from the store for me. I am downright frightened of the ingredients in those frozen meat flavored patties. My response to their offer is always “No, thank you, I’ll bring a dish” and here’s why:

  • Neurotoxins & Carcinogens – The majority of store-bought veggie burgers contain some form of soy. Non organic soy is extracted using hexane, a chemical byproduct of petroleum refining. The food industry uses the hexane extraction method because it is cheap. Several studies have been published about the neurotoxicity of exposure of humans and animals to hexane, but the most alarming ones link exposure to brain tumors. Currently the FDA sets no limit to the amount of hexane that can be used in non-organic soy products and no one knows for sure how much residue is being consumed by the American public. If you want more info on this – the Cornucopia Institute released an excellent report about several popular veggie burger brands that use hexane. To quote top researcher Charlotte Valleys, “The bigger picture here is that hexane is being released into the atmosphere—since it’s an air pollutant. It leads to smog, which is ground-level ozone, which leads to a whole bunch of health problems, like asthma in kids. These effects are very real.” 
I don’t want this in my body or in the air I breathe – do you?

boca
Table meat v11

*Image taken from Cornucopia Institute’s report on hexane in soy
 

  • Cheap Oils – If you see the words “canola oil, soy oil, corn oil, sunflower, and/or safflower oil” it is likely extracted with hexane too. But what further complicates this matter (if having a neurotoxin byproduct in your burger is not enough) is that the overconsumption of these cheap oils are causing an abundance of Omega 6 fatty acids in our diets. The imbalance of Omega 6 fatty acids increases the risk of inflammation, heart disease, obesity, and prostate and bone cancer.Traderjoes
  • Textured Vegetable Protein, aka “TVP” – Several frozen veggie burgers available are developed using soy products and Textured Vegetable Protein (TVP). TVP is one of those foods I avoid at all costs and no one will ever convince me to eat something this processed. TVP is extracted from soy at a super high heat and made into a powder before it is “reshaped” into strips, chunks and granules and put back into food. The processing can also add artificial and natural flavors, MSG, colorings, emulsifiers and thickening agents, including nitrosamine, which is a carcinogen no one should be consuming. Does this picture of TVP look like nutritious nuggets of real food to you?

Textured Vegetable Protein TVP YL03

  • Chemically Altered Flavorings & MSG – There are several hidden sources of MSG found in vegetarian meat substitutes. The food industry uses MSG to make processed food that is low in nutrition taste good, tricking your taste buds into liking something that isn’t real food. Futhermore, MSG increases your insulin response, tricking your body into thinking you can eat more than you actually should. And this is exactly how scientists make rats obese, by feeding them MSG laced food. I don’t know about you, but knowing there is a potential substance that can trick me into eating more food is reason enough to avoid this at all costs. But MSG is linked to all sorts of terrible reactions in humans like migraines, toxicity, and autoimmune disorders that you can read about in this tell all book about MSG.

Screen Shot 2012 02 06 at 1 05 40 PM

  • Full of Genetically Modified Ingredients (GMOs) – If the burger contains anything derived from corn or soy, you can almost guarantee it comes from genetically modified seeds unless it is certified 100% organic. Genetically modified foods have been linked to toxicity, allergic reactions and fertility issues and have not been studied for their long term effects on our health. Unfortunately, here in the US, companies can get away with including GMOs in our foods without us knowing it. If you want to know if GMO’s are in your food – support the Just Label It.org by signing their petition to the FDA
MorningStarFarmsSpicyBlackBeanVeggieBurgers 345Screen Shot 2012 06 28 at 8 28 21 AM

The Morningstar Farms Black Bean Burger, along with several other brands are guilty of every one of these points above. This burger is marketed as “healthy” and has even more questionable ingredients like caramel coloring (which is linked to cancer) and a slew of other chemical based preservatives. Knowing that I used to eat this particular brand many years ago on a weekly basis, absolutely disgusts me now. I don’t know about you, but I am tired of processed and convenience foods making a fool out of me…share this info with all your veggie burger buying friends and spread the word.

If you know someone who could use this information, please share it with them, you could be a lifesaver!

Cheers,

Food Babe

P.S. This is one of my favorite homemade veggie burger recipes ever.

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381 responses to “Think Twice Before Buying This Type of Burger

  1. love your posts.. I do eat meat but its organic and I have many food allegries but the awesome part is that I have so much knowledge about eating healthy and being healthy.. and I am educating others like you. I have a question.. You said that you checked in a cooler when you traveled. How did you do that? put it in a suitcase? I am wondering I know that I am traveling and would love to do this.

    Connie

    1. Hi Connie – Thanks for stopping by… the cooler I use is this one – http://amzn.to/Nf8hrR

      I add a bit of extra tape to the outside before checking it with the rest of my luggage. I do not use an additional suitcase – this one is really sturdy, but light and has been a blessing on my trips… and it’s not too expensive.

  2. Well, crap! No wonder the Morningstar farm Turk’y burgers are so tasty! If you have a homemade lentil burger recipe, I sure would love to see it! Thanks for the info!

  3. I understand what you mean when you say you are disgusted when you find out what is in food that you have eaten all the time. I have two children ages 15 and 12 and I breast fed them both but used Similac when I stopped. With my 1st I stopped nursing at 3months and my 2nd I stopped at 7-8months. I have always been into health and fitness but the last 4 years I have really been even more so. I recently, just for the heck of i,t google Similac ingredients and I really wished I hadn’t. The things that are put in that are so upsetting it is no wonder our children are obese and full of ailments.

    Also, I have to admit, after stumbling across your website back in January, I follow your blog and want to say thank you for uncovering all the hazards that food companies try (and do) get away with. It makes it easier for me and for that I thank you! Keep up the good work and all that great info 🙂

    Best Wishes,
    Joanne Goldstein

    1. Joanne – I think about the days gone by where I used to eat such dreadful things all the time – at least we are getting it right now! Thank you for the well wishes and taking the time to write a thoughtful comment.

  4. I used to love my Morningstar Spicy Black Bean burger, but last week we made a BBQ Cheddar Chickpea burger that blew all veggie burgers away 🙂 So even my meat-loving husband is now hooked and we’ll be making those instead of buying veggie burgers. Great article.

    1. Hi Lisa, would you be able to share the recipe on the Food Babe FB page? I love(d) those black bean burgers too and would love to find an alternative. : )

      1. Sounds good! Thanks Lisa! I want to make these for tomorrow!! What could I use in place of WW pastry flour?? I have reg ww flour?

        Glad my Morning Star BB Burgers were ruined during our power outage!!

      2. We used King Arthur Organic white whole wheat flour…it was fine! I think using any flour will be fine, it’s such a small amount anyway.

        The burgers are really fragile, just so you know! I wouldn’t put them on a grill, but make them in a pan. But they are also really really delicious 🙂 We are going to make them this weekend again!

      3. Gosh Guys! You make me afraid to eat ANYTHING anymore! So what is wrong with eating Organic Beef now? I LOVE meat! Am I the ONLY ONE on EARTH any more who likes REAL MEAT? (Please, don’t all of you attack me now….I’m sorry, but I am of the old school who thinks that God created animals for us to EAT!!!!) NOW of all things, my husbands MEDICAL doctor is telling him to avoid COCONUT OIL because of his Heart Diet….they said it adversely affects the arteries! And I JUST started using it and LOVING it, and felt I was doing something really good for us! I think that’s a bunch of bunk but I can’t just refute his doctor, can I?

      4. No worries Donna – I don’t eat beef because of religious reasons…Also Coconut Oil is amazing for health. When it comes to nutrition, I always question my primary doctor’s advice because they are not taught nutrition in school. Hope your husband gets to feeling better. IMO – You are doing great if you are buying only organic meat and eating it in moderation (not at every meal and only a few times a week).

      5. Listen to your doctor, ma’am. This woman has no science backing what she says. Your cardiologist will know what is good for the heart and bad for your husband’s condition.

      6. And grass-fed beef is even more important than organic, so look for a grass-fed label or ask your store if their organic beef is also grass fed, since organic beef often is, but not always!

      7. I made these tonight…totally delicious! Loved the extra BBQ sauce on the top (I used Trader Joes…no HFCS). Thanks so much for sharing, I will definitely be making these again!

      8. We made these last night too…we are obsessed! They are so tasty! And my husband accidentally doubled the broccoli in the recipe and it was soooo yummy.

      9. I’ve read a number of times that while coconut oil is generally thought to be “bad” because it has a lot of saturated fat, it actually works completely differently in the body than saturated fats from other sources such as meat, and is not found to be unhealthy. (This does not apply to hydrogenated oils, like those used in many baked goods and elsewhere.) I would suggest following the doctor’s instructions for now and doing some research on coconut oil, and if and when your husband’s labwork hopefully starts improving (cholesterol? triglycerides?) and you’ve found any reputable sources about coconut oil not working in the body like other saturated fats, then you and your husband can show this to the doctor, who probably won’t change his mind (as another post mentioned, doctors are not taught nutrition – it’s rather bewildering), and then decide for yourselves whether to try adding coconut oil back in a bit at a time while keeping track of his lab work.

      10. Re Donna G’s concern re coconut oil & Food Babe’s reply: according to a recent issue of UC Berkeley Health Newsletter, there’s little or no (scientific) data to support the claims for coconut oil.

        Also, just wanted to offer a friendly comment re shopping at TJ’s. I shop at our local one, but an aspect of TJ’s that I’ve noted is that a good deal of their products come from long, long distances away. Minimizing your purchases of products that come from, usually unnecessarly, half way around the world, goes a long way to helping solve our climate change dilema.

        Best wishes for your husband, Donna G.

        Peter Hubbard, Berkeley

  5. Its funny how many processed foods are sold as health food, but anything processed can’t be healthy. I am the same when we go to BBQs, I always worry what will be cooked and what I’ll have to eat to be polite and fit in. Last Christmas, before going to neighbour’s BBQ, my husband asked me to stop being so weird about food, so I just ate whatever was put in front of me, and I felt awful the next day. Proves that being weird is right…..

    1. Your comment made me LOL… your husband sounds hilarious. Does he eat everything you make at home for him? I’m lucky and my husband usually likes everything.

      1. He will usually try things once, but will not eat them again if he didn’t like them the first time. He won’t eat my homemade baked beans, but I have been very impressed that he’s stuck with kefir, I didn’t think he would like it as he won’t eat yoghurt. He got very upset the other day because I didn’t want to have fish and chips takeaway two weeks in a row. Its ok occasionally, but I know I can make nicer food at home. The other night I suggested sweet and sour pork, and he asked if we had a packet for it so he could help with the cooking, of course we don’t, I’ve stopped buying one, but it only takes 4-5 ingredients, so its no big deal, he just needs to learn how to measure them out, and he said it tasted just as good. He will get there eventually……at least I have successfully banished the granulated gravy!

  6. Do you know anything about the Quorn brand of “burgers”? I had tried these to stay away from the soy in other products.

    1. Yes – dreadfully processed. Only 38% of it is “mushroom” and there is still “cheap oils” which I mention in the article along with several other questionable ingredients. Also – where are they getting their eggs from? and whey protein? Is it from chicken treated with antibiotics or milk with growth hormone?

      Ingredients in Quorn: Mycoprotein (38%), partially rehydrated egg white, textured wheat protein (wheat protein, wheat starch), onion, sunflower oil, whey protein concentrate. Contains 2% or less of rusk (wheat flour, ammonium bicarbonate), palm oil, natural flavoring from non meat sources, salt, sugar, tapioca starch, sodium alginate, smoked paprika, pectin, potato maltodextrin, barley malt extract, smoked yeast, potassium chloride, smoke flavoring, citric acid, gum arabic, silicon dioxide, tricalcium phosphate.

      And this is how it’s made in a “factory” and processed – Mycoprotein is made in 40 metre high fermenters which run continuously for five weeks at a time.
      The fermenter is sterilised and filled with a water and glucose solution. Then a batch of fusarium venenatum, the fungi at the heart of Mycoprotein, is introduced.

      Once the organism has started to grow a continuous feed of nutrients, including potassium, magnesium and phosphate as well as trace elements, are added to the solution. The pH balance, temperature, nutrient concentration and oxygen are all constantly adjusted in order to achieve the optimum growth rate.

      The organism and nutrients combine to form Mycoprotein solids and these are removed continuously from the fermenter after an average residence time of five to six hours. Once removed the Mycoprotein is heated to 65°C to breakdown the nucleic acid. Water is then removed in centrifuges, leaving the Mycoprotein looking rather like pastry dough.

      The Mycoprotein is then mixed with a little free range egg and seasoning to help bind the mix. It is then steam cooked for about 30 minutes and then chilled, before being chopped into pieces or mince.

      The product is then frozen. This is a crucial step in the process because the ice crystals help to push the fibres together, creating bundles that give Mycoprotein its meat-like texture.

      The pieces and mince are then sold under the Quorn™ brand and also in wide array of products ranging from escalopes to ready meals, deli slices to sausages.

      1. Thanks for all the info! That’s the brand I usually buy, I didn’t realize…

  7. Thank you so much! Looks like I will be returning those black bean burgers I have in my freezer!!!!

    1. You actually think the retailer is going to take back your nasty fakeburgers?? Think again, buffalo breath.

  8. Wow. Thank you for posting this information. I just pulled a box of Garden Burgers out of my freezer and threw it in the trash. Looking forward to your burger recipe.

  9. I’m wondering how much the beef industry had to do with promoting these claims. A REAL JOURNALIST would have contacted the companies in question and gotten a statement, instead of reprinting speculation from CI.

    1. For the record Mr. Fish – I don’t need to get a statement from each company when their website clearly states all their ingredients. Also CI has already done the hard core research for us. I am one person, they however, have a team of people to go deep into the research. I know plenty of REAL journalists that quote them all the time… Like the New York Times just did in their latest story about organic…. if you missed it, you can read it here.

      http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/08/business/organic-food-purists-worry-about-big-companies-influence.html?pagewanted=all

      1. I am not sayin the food babe is wrong about these things but her statements are rife with unscientific claptrap. She simply FEELS so strongly that “natural” is good. Please use your platform to educate the consumer without your emotional “no one will ever convince me to eat something this processed.”

      2. Rupert rutebaga as well as a few other posters on here are obviously PAID SHILLS of the food industry. People would do well to hone their critical thinking skills it’s pretty obvious really. What kind of normal person would search out a health website and then deride the claims being made there and then go so far as to either try and convince people its too hard or expensive to eat healthy or to just try and convince the less informed that none of this is actually a big deal. Anyone who has done any real amount of reading on the subject should understand that there is a serious problem with our entire food system. Grow your own with every sq foot you have is a good start.
        Btw if you were to read and study nutrition for a week straight you’d probably have a broader understanding of the subject than 90% of doctors out there hahaha.

    2. Absolutely this sounds as though this investigation was done by the meat industry for sure!!! Hehehe – they just can’t get a grip on life!

    3. How are these just “claims” to be “promoted?” Many of us don’t want to eat anything so processed, whether meat, soy, or anything else. I have no idea why you’d accuse these “claims” of being “promoted” by the beef industry.

  10. I got lucky, I did not know about this practice but fortunately for me I always bought Amy’s. Now I have to take into question soy/rice/almond milks ? Any information is appreciated, I mean my god this is criminal shit!

      1. Thank you so much, but now I do not know who to trust, I shop primaily at Trader Joes and The Berkeley Bowl (I live in Berkeley Ca.), the Bowl has a much wider selection. Still I need to know who is legit and who is corrupt regarding organic/natural brands ?

      2. Stay away from any soy that is not organic (and local as far as i am concerned) as it will have GMO soy in it…

      3. I found some organic rice milk, that does not contain carrageenan, nor any of the binding agents that are similiar. However it is impossible to find any ice cream or ice cream alternative without carrageenan? Let no of more ingrediants I should be on look-out for in organic processed foods.

        Thank You

      4. So? GMOs can’t do you any harm. To worry otherwise is a classic Luddite fallacy, that new things are bad and old or natural things good. I’d stay away from fungi if you think that.

        I object to them but for reasons that are utterly irrelevant to whether I eat them or not.

  11. What about DR Praeger’s All Natural California veggie burgers. I see it has canola oil bu there are no other indications. Please advise. Thank you.

    1. I am not 100% sure about them – the best thing to do is write to the company and ask. I know some of their products are gmo free, but some are not.

    2. Canola Oil is a GMO so no, it is not natural and can have many side effects when eaten.
      Do a search on: Side Effects of Canola Oil. There has been much research done and many people can not eat this product.

  12. No oil, nuts or seeds if…
    For people with heart disease Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn recommends a whole-food, plant-based diet that excludes or minimizes animal-based foods such as meat (including poultry and fish), dairy, and eggs, as well as refined foods like bleached flour, refined sugar, and oil.

    See the movie “Forks Over Knives” http://www.forksoverknives.com/about/

    Link to TED talk by T. Colin Campbell (author “China Study”) is a short overview that covers important points.
    http://www.forksoverknives.com/t-colin-campbell-gives-tedx-talk-resolving-the-health-care-crisis/

  13. Thanks for an excellent article. I only wish we had a list to print out. I just wrote to ConAgra about their Healthy Choice, 100% Natural Portabella Marsala Pasta dish. It contains Canola Oil a GMO. It is not natural by any stretch of the imagination.
    It is so hard to know which products are really good. I’m trying to buy fresh products like from the farmers market this time of year and plan to start a garden in my new home.
    The fewer products we buy the better and less expensive.

  14. Hello! I am a dedicated vegetarian and honestly, I knew something was up with these things! Something about more than 10 ingredients in a veggie-burger had me stay away from them ever since I got off meat.

    Recently, though, I found a new type of veggie burger at Whole Foods called Hillary’s, and they are so so yummy. They only have about 11 ingredients (the green package) and they are certified non-GMO by the Non-GMO Project.
    check them out! they are the only veggie burgers I eat. The rest creep me out!

    1. Well, what I mean to say is that at least these are whole ingredients… nothing weird like xantham gum, guar gum, and weird things I can’t pronounce!

  15. does anybody have a heart and soul anymore for innocent cows that are being slaughtered for human taste buds? organic or not they are killed, stop fooling your minds.

    1. I don’t have anything against eating beef in moderation. I stopped eating it because my triglyceride levels were off the chart high. Some simple research into foods and nutritional healing showed that beef contributes to raising triglyceride levels which are bad for your cardiovascular system. My triglycerides are back to a more reasonable level.

      I have recently started using grapeseed oil in place the ever present olive oil. It has a much lighter flavor and is supposed to help with those pesky triglycerides, as well.

      1. Pamela, several studies have shown evidence that the biggest contributor to elevated triglyceride levels are starchy foods and refined carbohydrates, not red meat. I’m in my late 30s and I’ve been a semi-low carb eater for three years (not Atkins low, but I generally try to stay in the vicinity of 50-80 grams of carbs per day); I eat lots of protein, plenty of vegetables, and some fruits with low to moderate amounts of carbs (raspberries, strawberries and peaches yes; grapes and bananas no), and I’m not at all shy about consuming red meat, eggs, or certain dairy products (though I do try to buy beef from free-range grass-fed cows as much as possible – not only healthier to eat but it tastes a lot better). I avoid bleached flours, high-starch and high-sugar foods, sodas (unsweetened iced tea and water are my drinks of choice), and a lot of the chemically processed junk that the Food Babe talks about in this article like MSG, TVP, and most types of mass-produced cooking oils.

        The upshot of all that is that despite my defiance of the “less meat, more grains” orthodoxy preached by the health establishment, my weight and blood pressure are what they should be for my age, and at my last cholesterol screening a few months ago all of my blood readings were within the normal range; bringing it back to the original point, my low-carb triglyceride level was about 65 mg (150 mg is the upper end of normal).

    2. I assure you that any adult eating meat knows that an animal was killed. Good grief. As to that end, cattle and other animals can and should be killed in the most humane way possible and in accordance with religious beliefs to promote humane slaughtering when applicable; and certainly, we should only be eating meat on occasion, not every day.

    3. I totally agree with you that animals are innocent. I just wonder why other people don’t see what we see. My heart goes out to every animal because so many are mistreated and then killed without a thought. This definitely is not a perfect world, and some people don’t deserve to be in it because of the way they treat others.

  16. You wrote “Non organic soy is extracted using hexane” and I’m wondering: how is soy extracted in organic products? As for your employing “scare tactics” (your disclosing manufacturing processes does not constitute fear mongering), the frightening issues surround the labeling of food products. The processed food industry evidently does not want to frighten buyers away from purchasing their products, so, what buyers don’t know won’t scare them. Buyer — BEWARE!!!

  17. Check this out. The fed gov., in all of its wisdom, conducted nuclear tests and the wind blew radioactivite dust into the soil in Idaho. Grass absorbed it, cows ate the grass, produced radioactive milk, kids drank it. 40 years later, they developed an ‘Idaho necklace’; a cancerous goiter gland in the neck. From poisened MILK! // This will take some research: try types of cancer in Idaho. The neck gland may have some other name, and it can be removed safely, but it leaves a neck scar. // Something else interesting: check cancer ‘hot spots’ in the world; northern states in the USA (or people that used to live there) have higher rates of cancer, as do England, Sweden, etc. (tea drinkers). // (wife lived 40 years in N. USA, drank tea, had cancer). // I did research: there is a band of cancer ‘hot spots’ in northern climates across the globe. //
    there is nothing wrong with ‘gene mod foods’. Nature conducts a lot of experiments, and we call it ‘natural’. Just selection. An ear of corn used to be as big as your thumb; today 14 inches long. Sugar content is increased. // Look at small & large dogs, as an example. // long time, horses. // Animals trapped on Islands turn small. // 600 types of tomatos, 200 types of seeds sold (put a black tomato in your salad). Grow violets, flowers on salad, eat them. // 200 type’s of bananas, only two are sold in the USA. // Bananas are ‘grass’ type plants. // 1st Thanksgiving: 60 Am Indians, only 6 quaker. men (they hid the women & children). Indians brought most of the food, lots of game animals then, and corn, beans, fish. // Lots of material here for articles for you. // I’m eating cider vngr., hrd bld eggs, beets, diced onions & thin sliced pots.,cooked, brn sugar, mustard, in a crock pot container (no heat). // I’m a good, but lazy, cook. /// (pretty picture). ///

    1. You can buy GM foods, that’s fine. That doesn’t mean the rest of us have to agree that there’s “nothing wrong with them.” To many of us, there’s a huge difference between breeding crops for desirable attributes, and splicing genes from entirely different species – or even from animals – into their DNA. GM foods most certainly should be labeled, so that we can choose whether we want to support that industry and eat their products.

      I’m not sure what your other points are other than that nuclear tests creating radioactive dust near grasslands should of course be avoided?

    2. You do realise, I assume, that recent research strongly suggests that low doses of radiation (similar to those that would be associated with the “problems” you identify) are not only benign but appear to be benevolent and improve health outcomes on average. The idea that very low dose radiation are harmful comes from the linear no-threshold model of toxicity (in fact radiation panic is the origin of this model) which was never scientifically justified and has recently been shown by many studies to be errant nonsense.

      It can be shown by epidemiology that most cancer hotspots are caused by cross-infection, i.e. by cancer-causing contagious agent such as a bacterium or virus. The hotspots are due to population movement, especially gathering of people from widely-separated areas when a nuclear power plant is opened, and follows the expected pattern of an infectious agent rather than radiation.

  18. I have a question for farmer_liz: Why on earth would you go to a BBQ if you are a vegetarian? What did you expect that they would serve there? I couldn’t care less what people eat or don’t eat, or what their reasons are for it, but to accept an invitation to a BBQ knowing full well that the primary food served would be meat, and then refuse to eat what was served, or eat it under protest, is downright rude and an insult to the host or hostess.

    1. If you read the article, she mentioned that she brings a vegetarian dish. You act like she should never attend a party as a vegetarian. Rude. Check your attitude.

      1. Read his comment. He was referring to a poster not the author of the article.

        However, there are three schools of thought on the accepting an invitation to a dinner or function where the food is not what the invitee eats. First school is decline, second is to accept and let your host know food issues and that you’ll be bringing a dish. Third, accept and let your host know and assume it’s the host’s responsibility to offer something – RUDE to expect it, but some hosts are so nice they will go out of their way to please a guest..

        For the poster who also responded to the comment and said that vegetarians love a BBQ and provided some examples of attending functions when food or drink not to your liking – if I didn’t drink wine I sure wouldn’t accept an invitation to a wine tasting because it would be RUDE to stand off to the side, not participating.

      2. While I agree it’s nice when a hostess is willing to go the extra to accommodate someone, for the average person who doesn’t eat meat, the hostess is most likely defaulting to veggie patties of some sort. If you don’t eat those as well because of content issues, maybe yes, it is better to turn down the invite because honestly, when people bring a dish without having been asked, it can come across as rude. A statement that says ” I think you are a bad cook,” even if that’s not what you mean to present.

        Personally, I had a friend who was eating green and non processed which is fine and her right. What was not her right was to ruin a party I had by getting in everyone’s face about how bad everything they were eating was and how they were poisoning themselves and their children. She made one little girl cry hysterically about being poisoned.

        I can not think of the last time anyone has invited her to any gathering.

    2. Oh don’t be a silly billy. Vegans love a good BBQ as much as anyone because we are social creatures who like to eat. Would you tell someone who doesn’t drink alcohol that they’re rude for ordering cranberry juice at a bar or that they’ve insulted the host by bringing non alcoholic beer to a party? People who carefully monitor what they put in their mouths like to have fun too! It’s not easy making healthy choices in a world where people attack your efforts. Give a girl a break yeesh..

  19. I was on a morning star black bean burger kick in college. TMI alert: aunt flow stopped coming. Very strange, no? I’m sure there were other factors at play, but I was disturbed and bought a bottle of multi vitamins and gave up the burgers. things went back to normal quickly.

  20. All of these “discoverys” are pitiful! Come on, people! if you wouldn’t be sooo lazy to cook from scratch good food, these companys would had never fluorished! Women, stop being lazy,put your family first!

    1. I hate to break it to you Maria but some of us don’t have to luxury of sitting at home all day preparing a from scratch meal! It’s extremely hard to work two jobs and go to school and still eat healthy. Not all of us get to be housewives. But thanks for calling us hardworking folk lazy. Ten points to Maria for being sexist AND insulting at the same time!

      1. Sorry dear Kat! but i speak with knowledge, I was there,I had a husband,3 children,I worked outside the house & studied! My family never ate a “pre-fab” meal,but i didn’t put my time nor material things against their walfare, went to bed very late, get up very early & cook on weekends for the week, so, as u can see i didn’t seat at home watching soap operas,my dear! If ‘U” feel insulted it might be cause “u” feel guilty! come on.
        Oh, & I clean the pool & sew my children clothing too!

      2. Kat,thank you for speaking up for all of us who can’t for one reason or another(in my case its physical disability)-make our veggie burgers from scratch.I am on the lung/heart transplant list(was given radiation for Hodgekins lymphoma that fried my lungs+heart)-but i still want to feed my 13 yr.old healthy foods.I loved to cook,and was always baking goodies.But im now on oxygen,and can barely stand;(it took me 2 days to make pumpkin bread from scratch this Halloween!)For me,and others like me,cooking is an ordeal(by cleanup time im shaking)-so frozen,prepared foods are a godsend.Without our frozen Amy’s foods,we’d have a dismal menu.Maria,every lady who doesnt cook from scratch for her family isnt lazy or uncaring;she may be ill,overworked,exhausted,or simply pressed for time.Many of us wish we could make our dinners from scratch;then we could be sure of what IS in them.But since we dont all have the luxury of being able bodied stay at home moms,we need folks like the FoodBabe to guide us towards the healthiest alternatives.Thank you,FoodBabe;I will put what ive read here to good use(had no idea hexane was used in soy products;thought GMO was all i had to worry about!)-Carol

    2. Yes, the tone is a bit sexist (men can cook, too, of course) but the point is dead on. When I was a kid, I remember asking my mom if I could try instant mashed potatoes because I was curious–I had never tasted them! That’s because my mom, who worked full-time, rarely used prepared or processed foods. Most of our meals were simple–mashed potatoes and biscuits or beans and cornbread (and always “something green.”) The beans were soaked in advance, and just about everything was made “from scratch.” It never took her more than 45 minutes to get a meal on the table during the week.

      Yes, there was meat, too, but it was never center stage. I refused to eat meat from an early age because I didn’t like it, and poor mom lost sleep over it. Because back in the day, my pediatrician insisted I had to eat meat to be healthy. My mom pointed out that unlike many of her friends’ kids, I was very rarely sick–no allergies or ear infections, and I rarely had so much as a cold. My one bout with strep throat sent everyone into a panic because it was just so unusual. But doc said I was small for my age, and every year I got a lecture. Finally mom said, “hey–I’m 5’3″ and her dad is 5’6″–just how big do you want the kid to be?” Today they are both near-vegetarians, thanks in large part to my influence.

      I cook more elaborate meals than my mom, and some things do take more time. I often spend Sunday mornings preparing vegetable stock (to freeze in ice cube trays for convenience later) or making a large batch of homemade pasta, bread or beans to use in recipes throughout the week. I enlist my stepchildren in meal prep–peeling potatoes, shucking corn, chopping vegetables–and we consider this valuable family time. They are learning to cook the same way I did, and they often marvel at the way potatoes so quickly turn into amazing french fries or pancakes or gnocchi. (Yeah, homemade fries–not everything has to be fat-free…) Another huge advantage–kids who participate in meal prep are much more likely to try new and different things. When I met her, my stepdaughter’s entire diet consisted of mac and cheese, cheeseburgers, tater tots and the like. I haven’t purged all of these things from her diet, but at least they are now made the old-fashioned way. That includes veggie burgers–mix the ingredients up the day before, and dinner the next night can be assembled quickly. Most people never even consider making homemade salad dressing, but it’s remarkably easy, and the taste is far superior to even the priciest brands at the store–many of which have mile-long lists of unpronounceable ingredients.

      Yes, our lives are busy and rushed, and sometimes reliance on processed or fast food seems unavoidable. But all of those bags, boxes and cans are not created equal. Even if you don’t want to make a big batch of homemade bread dough to freeze for later, you can at least make your choices at the supermarket with a little more care. Frozen vegetables are often just as healthful as fresh and can be prepared zippy-quick. Canned organic tomatoes or beans are a great time saver.

      I think we need to ask ourselves what the shortcuts we take in feeding our families are really costing us. Obesity and other “lifestyle diseases” are an epidemic. Our reliance on foods of convenience have led to ever-increasing rates of heart disease, cancer and stroke. Diabetes used to something that happened to an unfortunate minority–as a child in the 70s, I don’t remember seeing ads on TV for insulin monitors or huge displays of diabetic supplies at the front of the pharmacy. Children today view this as normal, perhaps even inevitable. How sad is that?

      Personally, I would rather spend more time in the kitchen now and less in the hospital later. We all want to spend more “quality time” with our families, but if we don’t make some radical changes in our diet and lifestyle, we may find that the time we save now is costing us dearly in the long run. If you are overweight and unhealthy, you may have a lot less time with your loved ones than you think.

      1. fantastic response! i agree that despite being very busy (i have two businesses that i run myself), i would rather spend what time i have left attending to the important tasks (that can also be enjoyable hobbies) of creating yummy foods that lets me for many months eat right from the garden and avoid buying packaged foods or create more garbage/recycling, so focusing on home food prep serves more than a single purpose; it also saves me money and ensures i know exactly what i am eating.

        i run a little guesthouse and urban farm and i show people how easy it is to make simple, tasty ‘fast food’. they are often amazed! i think people are afraid to cook…i used to think it was a droll duty until i realized it was really difficult to eat very healthily unless you do it yourself, and then it became a creative outlet.

  21. FYI – this isn’t really about eating beef vs veganism (yikes), etc. I’m a prime beef lover. The subtle, seemingly over-looked point here is NON-ORGANIC SOY has this hexane stuff in it. Now, start reading labels on cereal, crackers, whatever – EVERYTHING has SOY in it. If the food isn’t organic, it’ll have have SOY with the hexane in the processing. So, we’re looking at ALOT of foods with soy in it, meat eater or vegan….

  22. I used to live in a very health concious place organic and real food abounded everywhere now I live in a food desert and even the not healthy options you mentioned are the only things available. There used to be this awesome blackbean burger at a veggi cafe that was so freaking good! It wasn’t a soy burger with black beans embedded (gag me, I hate that morning star burger everyone else seems to rave about) it was first and foremost blackbeans all pressed together, plus onion and seasonings (thats the most I could tell you just by taste). Do you have a recipe like that? I would be soooo stoked. I miss that burger so much.

    Thanks a bunch
    Carissa

  23. I do believe this article makes one very important point “Know what is in your food!” Be informed, read the labels, and buy appropriately.
    On the flip side… I get tired of vegeterians or vegans or anyone else who arbitrarily chooses to refrain from eating an entire class of consumables (e.g. meat) because it is “unhealthy”. Believe me, an organic grass-fed buffalo burger is a heck of a lot healthier for you than a veggie pattie that’s 90% frankenfood, or a tortilla made from 100% genetically modified corn.
    Just because it’s meat doesn’t mean it’s bad for you. Just because it’s a fruit or vegetable doesn’t mean it’s good for you. Yes you should educate yourself about what you’re eating. But education is the best weapon in the arsenal of eating healthy. Arbitrary avoidance is not.

    1. Speaking of arbitrary, and being informed….what is “frankenfood” and why did you use that term? Why do people think that if something sounds weird to them the first time they hear about it/think about it, then it’s automatically bad? Can you tell me–without googling or asking anyone else–why it is that “frankenfood” (I’m assuming that means foods using GMO technology) is to be avoided? I challenge you to do that in your own words, with convincing logic instead of scary language.

      Barring that, I challenge you to google away and find me one peer-reviewed study that concludes that GMO foods are a threat to human health.

      1. Terri, there are not plenty of tests supporting the long-term dangers of GM food. The paper discussed in your link was the first paper ever that claims to have demonstrated a causal link between GM foods and cancer.

        It wouldn’t matter that it was the first paper to claim to demonstrate a causal link except for the fact that dozens of papers have previously been published finding absolutely no such relationship (see http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0278691511006399 for a literature review of 24–yes 24–studies that found no detrimental effect of GM foods). The sort of paper that overturns longstanding and well-tested principles is, many times but not always, a fraud.

        So the first red flag that should go up is “Wait a second, why did this study show such radically different results from similar studies found in the literature?”

        Enter the greater scientific community. Have you read what scientists are saying about your rat tumor study? You can read about it here in Nature: http://www.nature.com/news/rat-study-sparks-gm-furore-1.11471#/b2. Given the oddly sensationalistic results of the rat tumor study and the doubts that many other scientists have about the study, I would venture the following guesses: the results in this study will not be reproduced by another study (reproducibility is a burden that so far the “GM foods are not harmful” camp has lived up to), and that further examination will show that the study was ironically produced by a group of ideologues tweaking the science to produce the results that they wanted to see in the first place.

  24. Please supply us with some scientific studies that demonstrate the dangers of GMO foods to human health. What I read in your article above was vague innuendo regarding GMOs. What exactly (and I mean it, *exactly*) do you mean by “toxicity,” “allergic reactions,” and “fertility issues”? You can’t be a responsible commentator and just throw these terms around to scare your readers without justifying them with facts.

    I am just like everyone else, honestly trying to eat healthy food and live a healthy life. However, I also study biology and understand more than the average Jane/Joe about how biological systems work. My understanding is that there is no scientific evidence of any kind to suggest that GMO foods are harmful to our health. That is not to say that they shouldn’t be studied by science; they absolutely should be. Given the lack of real evidence for asserting their dangers, conscious and honest people shouldn’t sow fear among people who will believe something without understanding it.

    1. If I could give a title to my above post, it would be “Think Twice Before Scaring Your Readership with Unsupported Assertions”.

    2. Doug, why is the burden of proof on those who question the safety of GMOs? Doesn’t it seem to you that someone introducing a radically new food technology should have the burden of demonstrating its safety? And please don’t tell me there’s nothing “radically new” about splicing a mosquito gene into a corn plant.

      1. —And please don’t tell me there’s nothing “radically new” about splicing a mosquito gene into a corn plant.–

        Drew, humans share genes with mosquitoes, worms, fish, grass and many other organisms. Having an organism share genes with other life-forms isn’t radically new; that we as part of nature are directing it, is not in itself a problem. While I wouldn’t give a wholesale approval to all GMO’s or chemicals, it would be more prudent to give this information without unfounded facts or based on one isolated study.

  25. I went to your research (since you offered the link) and didn’t find it as damning as you claim. It said something to the effect of there wasn’t enough info to make a conclusion on human consumption and also, it mentioned that the study group had so many other chemical variables as to make it impossible to make conclusions about the subject chemical. So, I’m not as upset with Morningstar farms as you seem to be. Inconclusive means inconclusive, I guess. BUT I am grateful for your article because it means I have gained an awareness of your subject and may decide to make choices based on that.

  26. I always knew something was wrong with these frozen burgers, but I have just not educated myself enough. I have been a dedicated vegetarian for over 5 years, and sometimes I make my own veggie burgers, but sometimes I am just lazy and buy the frozen.

    I am glad I came across your article and took the time to educate myself further. People are always asking “why” do I feel this way 20 or 30 minutes after they eat something that is not good for them, and all they need to do is take some time to educate themselves a little each day.

    I subscribed to your newsletter and am looking forward to reading all of the wonderful information and recipes that are to come! Thanks again.

    Michelle Thompson

  27. Healthy or unhealthy, these so-called vegetarian processed foods are so outrageously priced, I would avoid them any way. It’s cheaper and easier for me to create my own veggie burgers and other vegetarian dishes. I am not a vegan, but I do enjoy meals heavily balanced in favor of vegetables. My tofu chili is highly popular as well as tofu smoothies.

  28. I’m new here so don’t know the proper netiquette, but responding to a few posts. To Tre..thank you for sticking up for the animals. To Donna G…what makes you think animals were put here for humans to kill? That is simply your meat-fed mind working overtime to justify your blood lust. Admit it, your homones are probably off the Richter scale as well. You need to Grow a Conscience and get some compassion for the OTHER ANIMALS on this planet who are beaten, clubbed, mutilated, terrrribly killed and live pathetic suffering lives so you can sink your teeth into some FLESH. Notice how I said other animals? that’s because you are an animal too. We are all animals. You’re are a prime example of the heartless, non-thinking, non-caring animal murderers of this planet. BLOODLUST rules your empty mind. Nuff said!

    1. You make me laugh. Please don’t reproduce. You should become a better reader; Donna G stated why she thinks it ok to eat meat in her post, but that won’t fly with you, because I’m absolutely sure you’re one of those people who say we all need to be tolerant of each other, but that tolerance means agreeing with you.

      1. True story Bruce.

        Reminds me of the saying,
        I respect all opinions…as long as they are the same as my own.

  29. I love TJ’s Masala Burgers and consider them a healthy choice. You don’t know the canola oil in these patties is extracted with hexane. In any event, I will continue to eat these delicious Indian style burgers.

  30. Also keep in mind that Monsanto now owns Morningstar, I boycotted their veggie burgers once I learned that…..after reading this article, I am sure glad I did.

    1. No. Morningstar is owned by Kellogg North America. It’s right on the bottom of their Website (http://www.morningstarfarms.com/msfhome.html) and all links to anything related to their company lead to the Kellogg website.

      I don’t know where that bizarre rumor came from, but it might be inspired by the fact that both Kellogg corp and Monsanto are involved in the Field to Market Alliance which is a “non-profit” agricultural think-tank. Maybe this alliance is shady, I have no idea, but no, Monsanto does not OWN Kellogg’s and thus does not OWN Morningstar Farms.

      If you like their products, why didn’t you at least do a Google search yourself to confirm the claim?

  31. Great post. I didn’t know Morning Star is not healthy stuff. I just ate 2 a month ago. Now, I really need to read the label. Keep up the good work.

  32. Ohhh totally bummed. Morningstar Burgers are delicious, and garden burgers only slightly less so and they both get regular rotation into my grilling repertoire. (can’t eat beef all the time)

    I must take this under advisement.

    really beginning to hate the agribusiness. I wish they would stop poisoning me.

  33. I know this article was posted months ago, but I’ll still add my $0.02

    In the link you posted that you claim indicates a link between n-hexane and brain tumors actually says, “No relationship was found between exposure to n-hexane and the occurrence of intracranial tumors. While the results of this study indicated that exposure to n-hexane may have contributed to the occurrence of brain tumors, specifically gliomas, the small number of cases, the large number of chemicals to which the employees were potentially exposed, and the high correlation between some of the parameters because of co-exposure to several other chemicals do not permit a conclusion about carcinogenicity from exposure to n-hexane alone.”

    Among other things, it also says that n-hexane essentially failed every standard test for determining the mutagenicity of a small molecule. Thus it is likely not carcinogenic even in the high amounts used in these tests.

    There are a lot of studies showing that the metabolite of n-hexane 2,5-hexanedione is toxic to neurons, mostly in vitro, but some animal studies have been done. One study (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17492505) that actually looked at neuron death by looking at markers of apoptosis (programmed cell death), had positive results. They injected mice with 200 or 400 mg/kg of 2,5-hexanedione 5 days a week for 2 months, and the lower dosage showed only marginal effects. In North America, the average adult has a mass of 80kg (http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2458/12/439/abstract). Thus, in order to potentially see neurotoxic effects in a human under the same conditions, you would need to inject 32 grams of 2,5-hexanedione 5 days a week into the gut. I won’t even consider the fact that 2 months is at least 5% of the lifespan of a lab rat, or almost 4 years for a human that would live 75 years total.

    That’s not all though, that is injecting the actual KNOWN pure neurotoxic metabolite of n-hexane. It is unlikely that all n-hexane gets converted to the metabolite when it enters the system. Most of it likely is not oxidized and is simply filtered by the kidneys and excreted. Though I’m only speculating here.

    Bottom line is, it is exceptionally unlikely that enough residual hexane would remain in veggie burgers to be of any concern to an otherwise healthy human being. The carcinogenicity association is practically non-existent. And the link to neurological pathologies, while biologically sound under some conditions, is highly unlikely provided the dosages.

    Sure, the argument still remains that n-hexane is a pollutant (but causing smog? that doesn’t even make sense unless the hexane is combusted). But, buying a box of veggie burgers once a week is probably not quite as damaging to the environment as driving your car to work 5 days a week.

    Anyway, I hope that if anyone reads this they’ll actually consider the actual science instead of their knee-jerk reaction to “omg chemicals bad”.

    PS. I have no bias. I am just a scientist that doesn’t like science being misused or misunderstood unnecessarily.

    1. Nice to have both sides of the argument here! The post from Food Babe, and then this lengthy and informative post from lethalenoki. I appreciate reading both and thinking things over. Thanks, both of you. 🙂

    2. Just to clarify smog production does not need to come from something that is combustible – although it often does. Hexane is a Volatile Organic Compound (VOC). Organic, is the chemistry definition meaning it contains carbon molecules. Not the food processing definition of organic.

      VOCs have a common property of being able to evaporate at around room temperature (some faster than others), although heating them will also do the same and speed up the process. Once VOCs escape into the atmosphere they (with various other chemicals in our atmosphere) contribute to Ozone (O3) and Particulate Matter (PM) production. These two factors react with sunlight and create smog.

      VOCs should be minimized to help clean up our air, but they do come from a variety of sources. Lemon Oil (essential oils) and acetic acid (the base chemical for vinegar) are also VOCs and thus air pollutants that contribute to smog production – albeit their impact is much smaller in comparison to the rest of the chemical pollutants.

  34. Garden Burger is on the no list. And when I go to the Cornucoppia link about kexane, it lists The Veggie Medley variety as being produced by Kellogg, and therefore not organic. But the Veggie Medley does not contain any soy product in it. Any thoughts on how this one is to eat?

    I am newly vegan, (never going back to meat and dairy), and want to make sure we are making the correct choices.

    Thanks for the information.

    Brad

  35. Thanks for the information! I’ll put in a plug for a Southeast grocery store called “Earthfare”. I checked, and the box of “Savory Soy Burger” has only 8 ingredients besides filtered water and salt. It does have carmel coloring, but everything else looks in line with your recommendations. The box says “made in Canada”. It seems to me that Canada has higher standards for food than the U.S.A. I won’t buy any more of the Morning Star Farms – I have never realized how many odd ingredients go into their “Bacon Strips”! That’s what happens when a big company takes over a small start-up and ruins their products – like Boca. Keep sharing – good info!

  36. Why don’t you meditate a while, ask for a blessing from the Pope, then pull out a gun and blast your brains out. I think you would be much happier.

  37. Wow! Looks like Veggie Burgers not only taste terrible, they are made from a cocktail of chemicals and genitically modified goo. I’ll stick to beef, which members of my family have been raising and consuming for generations, and about everybody has lived into their eighties.

  38. Typical vapid american girl. You see, being organic is “in” this week along with Facebook, twitter et al. Next week it will be something else. Food Broad, you need to be deprogramed NOW! Those marsala burgers look like goat turds and the pistachio milk would make me hurl. It looks like bird droppings shook up with warm water.

      1. Food Broad is the one being “nasty and totally inappropriate” and spewing so much misinformation- she must be called on it. Check out the travel tips. I mean, she said they add NITROGEN to the air on the plane! Air is mostly NITROGEN last time I checked. Get real and stop being a sheep for fashion- life is not a reality tv show. Bet you believe those too.

      2. What does nitrogen in air on a plane have to do with veggie burgers produced in less than ideally desired ways? Are you commenting on the wrong article?

      3. (Or with your nasty, yes, totally inappropriate comments to what you felt her recipes look like? What possible benefit could your uncouth comments add to this post? If you made a recipe of hers and didn’t like how they tasted…just say that. Otherwise, you’re just being a troll. Why, I don’t know, but it seems that you have issues that you’re taking out in the wrong places. Have a nice day.)

      4. Frank – I got an e-mail from the site with a comment that isn’t showing up here. I don’t see how I’m defending anyone by asking what nitrogren in airplanes has anything to do with an article on veggie burgers. Two, I’m certainly not defending anyone by noting that your vulgur descriptions of what you think the foods you mentioned sound or look like are totally inappropriate. Three, why are you reading this blog at all if you don’t want to? Please remember that if you have criticisms, to express them in a constructive manner, without unnecessary vulgarities; and if you don’t want to read the blog, then don’t. It appears that you’re on this site just to be a troll, so I hope you start to spend your time bettering your own life so that you don’t feel the need to continue to spew unnecessary nastiness online. Have a good day.

  39. I think personally that if you worry about everything you are just gonna die of stress. Eat what you want and exercise to remove toxins thru sweat. And if you are particular and go to someone else’s home to eat, bring a prepared ready to eat dish and make enough for everyone. Then you can try to not seem rude while explaining that you won’t eat like a normal person. I do bet you don’t get invited to the same home too often.

  40. If you people understood the chemical processes, you would not worry much. The numerous chemicals that are used in the making of natural Vit-E would almost always be deadly, but they are all extracted out and the end product is totally pure. As for things like Hexane they are recovered for the most part and do not pollute as much as your car does.

  41. The key word above is “overconsumption”. I am healthy – I eat everything, but not much of anything. I weigh the same as I did 60 years ago. Eat Smart is my motto.

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