Vegetable burgers are a real business .

Whether they are of legumes, seitan or tofu, vegetable burgers have become an easy alternative to meat or fish dinner not only for vegetarians and vegans, but also for those who want to introduce more vegetable proteins in the perspective of a more healthy and controlled.

They are also often tasty, and everyone agrees.

They can be a way to offer vegetables and legumes to children, for example.
But if products for vegetarians and vegans or healthy and alternative products have expanded in recent years, the big problem remains that the consumer is being duped twice.

On the one hand, the use of terms such as vegetable or natural is always seen as something healthier.

On the other hand, there is also the presumption of many to believe that, if it is vegetable, it is always and in any case harmless.
This is the result of a massive and dangerous media simplification, so if it is of animal origin (beyond the ethical discourse, of course), it will necessarily hurt, if it is of vegetable origin it is undoubtedly good.

Logic that falls apart with a simple example: hemlock is also vegetable.
So is it good?

Furthermore, another big presumption is to consider all the fruits of the Earth, both those of the plant world and those of the animal world, as edible and safe for humans.
Almost as if man is the sovereign species par excellence, in front of which anything must be transformed into food.

And so, nobody thinks about the antinutrients of legumes and whole grains, which should always be treated before being consumed.
Nobody thinks about the damage of untreated soy , ending up eating soy every day, resulting in a slower metabolism due to the problems that unfermented soy can cause to the thyroid (and here it has nothing to do with NO GMO).
And no one thinks of the excess of omega6 , or polyunsaturated fatty acids that from sunflower oil to peanut oil are present in many vegan or vegetarian products.
But let’s just come to our vegetable burgers.

VEGETABLE BURGERS: WHAT I FOUND IN THE LABELS

I look at 3 labels of famous veggie burgers that are on the shelves of our supermarkets.
I find vegetable oil or vegetable fats (in general, sunflower oil is written elsewhere), starch, flour, wheat flour, soy in flour and juice (i.e. the results of the two industrial processes), dehydrated vegetables, vegetable nut, of course salt, in some cases there is also sugar.
Perfect, isn’t it?

Really a healthy product.
Contains industrially treated soy or flours (tell me again that your gluten problem comes only from pasta), vegetable fats and oils (metabolism sinks even just hearing about it), not to mention the rest.

A survey by One Green Planet advised consumers NOT to buy veggie burgers with these ingredients.

1. Vegetable oils and fats.
   From canola oil to sunflower oil to refined palm oil, these oils are derived from refining processes, and often from GMO raw materials (corn oil, soybean oil).
2. Vegetable protein powder.
   Soy protein powder, pea or legume protein, wheat protein. They are extracted at high temperatures from raw materials, preservatives and dyes are added.
3. Natural dyes.
   Often used to give a dark color to your burger, they naturally contain nothing.
4. Nut.

The solution?

Let’s make our own veggie burgers. Pureed legumes, a little breadcrumbs (even gluten-free) or wholemeal bread or whole grains, pieces of vegetables, aromatic herbs and spices are enough.

Here are two recipes to try them out.
VEGETABLE BURGERS
WITH CHICKPEAS LENTILS BURGERS