Veggie burgers have become a staple in many vegan diets; however, you may want to look for an alternative option if you are concerned about your sodium intake.
The sodium content of a hard-boiled egg is approximately 25% of a veggie burger, according to the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) most recent Total Diet Study (TDS) published on July 15, 2022. Specifically, the TDS report found hard-boiled eggs to have 1332 ppm of sodium on average and veggie burgers to have 5467 ppm.
The report summarizes the analytical results collected by the FDA from retail outlets during the fiscal years 2018 - 2020. The results are determined by measuring concentrations of various nutrients and contaminants in the collected food samples. Over the time frame, the FDA performed 87 food collections, which resulted in 3241 samples of 305 foods.
Are eggs healthy?
While the relationship between sodium consumption and cardiovascular disease is well established, the relationship between egg consumption and cardiovascular disease has been debated.
A study published in March 2020 by Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health found that consuming up to one egg per day was not related to cardiovascular disease risk. Another study published in May 2022 by the China Kadoorie Biobank (CKB) found that people who eat one egg per day have a significantly lower risk of heart disease and stroke compared to people who eat eggs less frequently.
Interestingly enough, CKB discovered that “individuals who ate a moderate amount of eggs had higher levels of a protein in their blood called apolipoprotein A1- a building-block of high-density lipoprotein (HDL), also known as good lipoprotein.”
Therefore, the researchers found that the study participants had more large HDL molecules in their blood. The molecules helped clear cholesterol from the blood vessels and protected against blockages that can cause heart disease and stroke.
All I know is that next time the doctor tells me to watch my sodium content, ill be reaching for the eggs, not the veggie burger.
