Plant-based fast food isn't any healthier than the originals — and that's the point

Plant-based meat is taking over fast food. But that doesn't necessarily mean your lunch is getting healthier. Fast-food menu items created in partnership with companies like Impossible Foods and Beyond Meat are typically pretty similar nutritionally to the originals they are imitating. The Impossible Whopper has 630 calories; the Whopper has 660. The Impossible Whopper has 12 grams of saturated fat; the Whopper has 11. The Impossible Whopper has 1,240 grams of sodium; the Whopper has 980. "Processed foods, whether they're meat-based or plant-based, aren't a nutritional need in our diet, especially when they involve low-quality oils," Whitney Stuart, a board-certified and licensed dietitian-nutritionist, recently told Insider of KFC's new Beyond Chicken. While some people are seeking plant-based products because they want healthier options, nutrition isn't at the core of these new menu items. As one chain after another rolls out new menu items, the core similarity is clear: These aren't intended to reinvent the menu, but imitate it. When imitation is the goal, pushing for a lower-calorie or lower-fat option comes second to perfectly recreating textures and flavors. The new menu items don't have to be healthier or even 100% vegan— they just need to pull off the magic trick of swapping meat for plants. For many people, plant-based meat isn't tied to health at all, but reducing meat consumption to combat climate change and factory farming. Others are just curious about whether chains can pull off the trick of turning meat into plants without anyone noticing...MORE