Veggie burgers and dogs are generally lower in calories and fat than hamburgers and hot dogs. While veggie burgers have little or no cholesterol, a 3.5 ounce hamburger made with extra lean ground beef has 90 milligrams of cholesterol. Veggie burgers, especially those made with soy, contain generous amounts of protein and iron. Vitamin B-12 is added to some veggie burgers. The only negative for veggie burgers is that most are higher in sodium than ground beef.
Veggie dogs are also lower in calories, fat, and cholesterol than hot dogs.
Some veggie dogs have more protein and iron and less sodium than do hot dogs. Both hot dogs and veggie dogs contain little or no fiber. Our top picks, nutritionally speaking, are low in fat and sodium and contain no animal-based ingredients. These are identified in the table accompanying this article. Of course, when you're choosing a veggie burger or dog, think how many you're likely to eat at a time.