Vegetarians get salty surprise in meatless burgers

As you know, I've got my issues with vegetarians. So it's hard not to smile a bit when some minor disaster befalls these anti-meat crusaders. But as a doctor, I can't in good conscience just let this story slip past without passing on the news of a report saying that the sodium levels in vegetarian hot dogs and burgers are through the roof.

No carnivore out there needs to be told that sometimes vegetables need the helping hand of a sprinkle of salt to approach palatability. But because the vegetarian versions of hot dogs and hamburgers are such poor imitations of the originals, the companies that make them add liberal amounts of salt to goose the taste.

According to the American Dietetic Association (ADA), the sodium level in veggie burgers can be as much as 15 percent higher than the recommended daily intake. One burger can have a whopping 350 milligrams of sodium!

And that's not all: the ADA says that vegetarians with food allergies should be careful of some brands of veggie dogs and burgers because it's not uncommon for them to be made up of eggs, nuts, and dairy products in addition to vegetables.

Personally, I think all vegetarians who look for "meatless" meat products are living a lie. After all, if it were really natural for humans to live as vegetarians, why are they craving something that tastes like meat in the first place?

What's wrong with just salad, veggie people?