My coworker left this alpha plant-based breakfast sandwich, chik’n & maple waffle flavor, in the freezer for me. I don’t know how much it cost, so I can’t comment on the cost effectiveness of this, but what I can say is that it was very, very tasty!
I had an early morning bridge inspection, so I popped into the office around 6:00 AM, and I had not had a chance to make my usual “leftovers breakfast.” I popped this plant-based breakfast sandwich in the microwave while I was picking up some of the equipment. Then, I grabbed the piping hot sandwich while I was rushing from the cubicle area to the vehicle so I could drive to the bridge inspection site.
I was able to eat this while I was driving along, and it was so greasy and tasty! Very yummy! It’s not the typical thing I have for breakfast … as you all know, I typically either have my Chia pudding with oats, protein powders and fruit, or I have a heated up leftovers plate of beans and vegetables and rice, etc. I didn’t have time for any of that, on this particular morning, so the alpha chicken and maple waffle sandwich came in handy. At least I got some food in my tummy!
On the back of the package, it says, “all the taste minus the meat.” Based on how greasy and tasty this was, I would definitely agree with that. Of course, I don’t normally eat “real” meat / cheese / egg things, so perhaps I’m not a very good judge.
Besides taste and cost, another thing that interests me is the nutrition. I would love it if it could boast, “all the nutrition and all the taste, minus the meat.” Is that the case for this particular product, the Alpha chik’n & maple waffle plant-based breakfast sandwich?
I included a picture of the nutrition label here. At some point in the future when I have more time, I can go back and search for the information from the Alpha webpage and include a more readable copy of the nutrition label.
Right now, what I see here is that the Alpha chik’n & maple waffle plant-based breakfast sandwich has:
- 460 calories
- 23 g fat
- 4,5 g saturated fat
- O mg cholesterol (of course)
- 500 mg sodium
- 49 g total carbohydrates
- 3 g fiber
- 12 g sugars
- 11 g added sugars
- 16 g protein
- 0% daily value vitamin D
- 6% dally value calcium
- 15% daily value iron
- 6% daily value potassium
Nutrition wise, at least it does have some protein, but I guess the main features are carbs and calories. If I were to eat a quick meal on the go that was about 500 cal, I would like the protein to be at least 25 g.
That being said, I’ve been surprised when I looked at the nutrition labels for the full-on animal product versions of some items like frozen burritos and such. Sometimes they don’t pack a big protein punch either. Therefore, I can’t comment on whether the nutrition of the Alpha chik’n & maple waffle plant-based breakfast sandwich is better or worse … not until I have the nutrition label for a “real” meat / cheese / egg version of breakfast sandwich for comparison.
With regards to taste and convenience, though, I definitely give the Alpha chik’n & maple waffle plant-based breakfast sandwich a thumbs up. Super easy and tasty as heck.
Yes, many times I have noticed vegan mock meats pack in more protein per calorie than their meat counterparts. For example, a lot of real meat products seem to have more fat than the vegan version. Bacon is not a great way to get protein, more of way to get in fat. But some vegan bacon, like Lightlife, have more protein and less calories. Same with Yve’s bologna and Lightlife hot dogs, way more protein than the real meat they’re mocking. Now some people might not like them, so that’s a whole other can of worms, but the nutrition can be better IMO, at least macronutrient-wise. Then of course there’s the issue with the mock meats that use konjac, jackfruit, etc. which can feel realistic but offer almost nothing nutritionally.
This reminds me of the Morningstar Incogmeato breakfast sandwich I had which also was chicken and waffles. It was pricey, i think about $8 for two sandwiches. Alpha products seem to be pricey too. I did like it though, mostly for convenience, so I will/have bought them again. The Morningstar ones I want to say have more protein?