What do veggie burgers taste like?

[DocDolittle]

My parents won't allow me to go veg until I leave the house because I'm still going through puberty, I'm a growing ril, etc. etc.(I'm fifteen), but just out of curiosity, what do veggie burgers taste like? Do they actually taste like meat? And also, was it hard to cut meat products out of your diet?

[critterlover]

Veggies burgers don't really taste like meat (at least not to me anyway). There are many different kinds of veggies burgers; it's hard to describe the taste but most of them are delicious. You can experiment with vegetarian dishes, products etc. while you're still living at home. As long as it's a small part of your diet or an extra side dish, maybe your parents won't mind.

The easiest way to become vegetarian is to do it gradually. You can start by making substitutions like instead of cooking chicken, cook tofu one night. Or instead of meat in your burger, veggies patties. The key is to do some experimenting until you have a repertoire of vegetarian dishes that you like (and can cook). So just replace one meal at a time until you are totally meat-free. This way you're not stuck with nothing to eat and it's much easier to make the transition.

[Piglet]

I'm fifteen to, and I just became a vegetarian 2 months ago. It wasn't hard for me, but I still eat fish for protein. There are many other sources that have protein as well, not just meat.

[citronsoul]

I think qourn tastes like chicken. When I first ate a quorn burger, I actually thought I was eating chicken & thought the burgers had gotten mixed up.

There are several different types of veggie burgers. Some of the meat suppliments taste kind of like meat, but not all. There are some veggie burgers where you can really taste the veggies in there.

I didn't think it was that hard to cut meat out of my diet (I now eat fish though.) Like critterlover says, you just need to slowly start subsituting.

I find that lately, eating out has become much easier too. A lot of restaurants around here highlight vegetarian meals on their menu.

[chrishall1979]

I disagree with the slowly substituting thing. I stopped eating meat in 1 day. One day 32oz. steaks and chicken fish, and the next day, nothing and never again. After 3 years if it was unhealthy to go cold turkey I would have noticed it. But it's fine. Those fish arent saving themselves! the have just as much right to live, and to live now. Not when you feel its time to substitute.

Congrats on stopping everything else, I just dont think you should sell yourself short and make excuses. You can do it!

Plus you can't be a vegetarian if you still eat fish. Once you kick that out of the diet, I crown you with the title vegetarian! It's a hard one to earn, but its so worthwhile and you'll look back at your old self in disgust. I do!

[citronsoul]

I don't call myself vegetarian. I started eating fish again after being vegetarian for three years. I wasn't getting enough protein in my diet & it was effecting me healthwise.

I don't think there's anything wrong with going vegetarian right away, it just depends on the eating habits of the person in question, & their family. I cut things out slowly because it made the impact on my family easier. If you can cut all meats out cold turkey, then all the better for you. Some people have a harder time though.

[Treen]

I prefer things like spicy bean burgers to the pretend meat ones - much tastier! Although the meat substitutes do sometimes resemble meat, I don't think they're that close to tasting like meat. But then again a lot of meat-based burgers don't resemble meat either!

I think whether you do it gradually or instantly depends on what works for you and your motivation for going vegetarian. For some people, it's like a switch flicks and they don't want to eat meat at all anymore. For others, they still enjoy eating meat and need to get their head around things while they adapt to a new diet - whatever works best for you is the best way to do it.

[heabrook]

My favorite "burger" is a tofu burger by wildwood harvest foods. The only place I have seen them at is Whole Foods. I highly recommend them.. they are so very tastey! I'm not a fan of the boca burgers or their competitors. I usually go for tofu or tempeh.

[mncavylover]

I know this isn't about the burgers, but I like boca "brats" and "chick'n"--I think they're pretty good. I have yet to find a veggie burger that I like, so I can't really post it here. The one brand I've tried was just ok, GardenBurger if I remember.

[Mim&Monty]

On the plus side, if you bite a weird bit you don't have to worry about what it is...

[mncavylover]

Ha, so true. Try Boca burgers, they're the best I've found this far.

[kalrik]

You should tell your parents that you will do it gradually, only cutting out red meat first. Maybe compromise by saying you'll eat fish while youre still living with them.

I have been a vegetarian my entire life, and I have never had a burger. (My parents are way into it.) But since I have been one for so long, I can say that I've pretty much tried every brand of veggie burger out there. They all taste bad except for the ones at Coney and like mAx and Erma, in my opinion. What does taste good are chicken patties by morningstar or boca (both actually taste the same), sausage links, and veggie slices. I hate the burgers generally. The best brands I think are morningstar and worthington which are at like farmer jacks and krogers and meijer if your in the midwest area, definitely not hard to find. Test em out.

[My Baby Mu]

It kinda depends on where you live and where your parents used to live and stuff. In the south it would be harder to go veggie and in the north it may be easier. It also depends on how much meat you would normally eat. You should try to cut out some of the meat but not all of it since your parents wont let you. You should try to cut out all meats then poultry and/or fish since they are smaller or something like that.

I myself like veggie burgers.

[Emily F.]

I wouldnt know, I'm too scared to try one. LoL

[crittermom]

I've been lacto-ovo veg for years and salute those at any stage in the process, from those whose diets include some animal products to complete vegans. The more plant-based items in your diet, the better, and any degree of vegetarian living is better than none. There is a great deal of misunderstanding about plant-based diets, but even vegans can get plenty of protein daily by being mindful of their requirements and selecting the proper foods, just as in any type of diet.

I suspect the term "vegetarian" may be too different and perhaps a bit scary to your parents. Instead of using the words "vegetarian" and "meatless" (which makes many people envision radical hippies), try to eat beans a few times a week........beans and legumes are truly a veg diet mainstay and not too threatening to the unenlightened. Most importantly, educate yourself (as I'm sure you already are) on veg nutrition. There are numerous books to guide those beginning a vegetarian lifestyle. Boca burgers can be zapped in the microwave in a minute and taste great...not like meat, but get your expectation off that and appreciate its own taste, which is good! Soy milk (especially Silk) is delicious. Nearly all of the energy bars on the market now have soy protein. These are very simple ways to start incorporating plant protein a bit at a time. You may not be very successful in persuading your parents to allow you to change the dinner-plate-needs-to-contain-meat practice, but your control over your diet is increasing and in a few years you will have not only decision-making control but the sole responsibility to care for your body. I think it's awesome that you are educating yourself now about your body's needs and the options you have to care for it, as well as balancing that against your moral beliefs concerning the food chain, so that when you soon become adult you will be able to live your life with strength, confidence, and conviction. Best wishes!

[fawnmarie]

I absolutely LOVE Garden Burgers (fried crisp). I think they have cheese in them, but no meat.

I am a meat-eater (health) - and I LOVE Garden Burgers. I eat them all the time just because I like them so much.

Since you don't really have much of a say about whether you can be veggie or not, you can at least make better choices where you can. Eggs, nuts, cheese, etc., where you can, instead of burgers or chicken. If you make your own breakfast or lunch, you can at least have some control over that. If your parents see you eating "normal" non-meat protein, like eggs, cheese and yogurt, they probably won't fuss as much as if you started eating tofu burgers all the time.

Good luck. Just stay healthy.

Fawn

[2boar1sow]

Good question. There are many different kinds of veggie burgers. Garden Burger, Boca, and Morningstar Farms are the three biggest brandnames I know for easy to find frozen veggie food. I don't like garden burgers taste, even though the texture of their meat can be most like real meat I think Boca and Morningstar Farms stuff tastes better. All three brands really do have a nice variety of meat too. I think I like Morningstar Farms the best though. I have MF sausage patties, chick(en) patties, chicken nuggets, buffalo wings (which are just like the chicken nuggets only spicy), corn dogs, and Griller Prime flavor hamburgers in my freezer at all times. I strongly suggest trying to the Morningstar Farm: Griller Prime burger patties. They aren't as juicy and hearty as a real hamburger, but imo they taste just as good, specially compared to other veggie patties. I'll stick a pattie in the microwave for 40 seconds to defrost it some, then stick it in a frying pan on medium heat, gets done in a couple minutes, and thats how i like uhm. They're also good with cheese and don't be afraid to stick two patties in one bun if you have a craving. (Yes I'm not a vegan, but do my best to buy animal treated better dairy products and eggs). Veggie bacon is another option to buy and spicy chicken patties and loads of different types of veggie burgers. There are veggie hotdogs, and veggie bratwursts. Buying the Morningstar Farms and Boca frozen food to me kinda seems like the easy path to being a vegatarian, not the better one, just the easy/lazy one. If you do become a vegatarian, don't forget to find iron replacements too. There is more nutrients in meat than just protein that vegatarians are missing out on.