HAPPIDEZZ: Veega Meat-free Burger Patty (Review)

I am a living proof that quarantine weight gain is real. For the past six months of quarantine, I gained a total of 15 lbs. My average weight used to be 125 lbs and currently, I'm at 140 lbs.

I admit, I lost control over my diet and it doesn't help that the gym I'm going to closed down because of the pandemic. The weight gain has affected my health and has brought about insecurities. Given my depressing state, I decided to rectify the problem and start correcting my unhealthy eating habits.

To jumpstart my weight loss journey, I decided to stock up on healthy food. At the grocery store nearby, I saw my plant-based friend's recommendation — VEEGA products. Veega is the plant-based (vegetarian) food line of San Miguel Foods. First on my list of Veega products to try is their meat-free burger patty.

Priced at Php 99 per pack (160 g), the Veega meat-free buger patty has two thick patties (80 g per patty). The texture of the patties almost looks like tofu while the color is reminiscent of the normal ready-made meat patties. The patties are around a third of an inch in thickness, so they are really filling and well worth its price.

I pan-fried my patties and used canola oil to cook it. I fried each side of the patty for around 5 minutes in low-medium heat since it wash thick. The smell of the patties as they were being cooked is similar to that of ready-made meat patties (e.g., CDO ulam burger).

My burger consisted of Gardenia loaf bread (since I didn't have buns), lettuce, tomatoes, a tablespoon of tomato ketchup, a tablespoon of all-purpose dressing, and of course, one Veega meat-free buger patty. All these ingredients sum up to 400 calories (give or take) and are enough to satiate your hunger. It's the perfect meal in the evening if you want something light. Substitute the white bread with whole wheat bread and then do away with the all-purpose dressing and the ketchup if you want your meal to be a bit healthier. On the right are the macros you get per serving of the Veega meat-free buger patty.

The taste is such a pleasant surprise for me! Although I already expected the texture to be nothing like meat, the flavor made up for it. The patty has a rich smoky flavor to it and it definitely tastes like meat. In my opinion, it tastes even better than the CDO ulam burgers. The patty is somehow comparable to the grilled burgers of Wendy's and Burger King. It was amazing!

Overall, I can say that the Veega meat-free buger patty is worth a try. If you are a vegetarian, this is definitely a good meat replacement. If you are on your way to eating healthier, this is something you should consider including in your diet. Also, if you're in a low-carb diet, one patty has just 15 grams of carbs! Just two things that I wish was different is the sodium content of one serving. It's at 680 mg per serving and that is a LOT of sodium. Also, I wish it had more than just 11 grams of protein in it.

I'm so excited to try the other meat-free products of Veega! I also bought their meat-free nuggets and giniling! I'll surely write about them once I've tried them.

Have you tried any of the Veega meat-free products? Let me know what you think!!