Meat Substitutes (2024)

FAQs

Meat Substitutes? ›

Final answer:

Cooked legumes such as beans, chickpeas, and lentils can be swapped for a lot of ground beef recipes. Buying canned or dried beans instead of meat can also save you money. In addition to protein, beans, and legumes are packed with health-beneficial fiber, vitamins, and minerals.

Many newer plant-based meat products are similar in calories and protein to animal-based protein sources. But they could potentially be lower in calcium, potassium, magnesium, zinc and vitamin B12 and higher in sodium and fat after being prepared.

High impact of meat consumption can be reduced with substitute products. Plant-based meat substitutes have on average 50% lower environmental impact.

Health is one of the main reasons people are actively reducing the amount of meat they eat each week and with good reason. Research shows people following a balanced plant-based diet are healthier and often slimmer than meat eaters.

Tempeh. Tempeh is a soy-based food product made from fermented soybeans. The natural fermentation and culturing process transforms the soy beans into a kind of 'cake', which means it is a whole soybean based food and therefore has a higher nutritional profile than tofu.

Con #1: Plant-based meat can be more heavily processed than animal meat. As some plant-based meat and mock meat products are created to replicate animal meat, they may undergo more processing. This leads to a high content of saturated fat, sodium, and added sugar.

'However, many of these products lack the nutrients found in meat and are high in sodium, saturated fat and sometimes sugar or refined starch,' she said. Dr McMillan says some people also choose plant-based diets in the belief that it is better for the environment.

Why Should You Switch from Meat for Plant-Based Proteins. Plant-based protein is tied to a number of positives for people and the planet. Swapping meat for plants reduces saturated fat, and increases the fiber and vitamin content of dishes.

Why do they make fake meat? ›

Plant-based meats not only provide a psychological trigger, but they're necessary from a culinary perspective in creating optimal flavor and texture combinations in traditional dishes.

The Impossible Burger can be a sustainable alternative to regular burgers and does contain higher amounts of several important nutrients, including vitamin B12, folate, and thiamine (3, 4 , 5 ). However, the Impossible Burger contains more sodium than regular ground beef and is lower in some vitamins and minerals.

Not only can humans obtain all the necessary protein and nutrients from a no meat diet, but there are a plethora of health benefits associated with offsetting meat intake with plant-based foods.

Warner added that other factors at play include the more complicated manufacturing processes involved in the production of meat alternatives and the lower volumes which reduce the access to economies of scale.

Many plant-based products of the past were a relatively straightforward mash of vegetables and whole grains that included oats and beans. And many of these foods can serve as plant-based meat alternatives, such as tofu, tempeh, seitan, and pulses.

Meat eaters often miss the texture of animal-proteins, but you can easily capture the mouthfeel of meat with only plant-based ingredients. Foods like mushrooms, jackfruit, and eggplant, as well as plant-based proteins such as tempeh, seitan, and tofu are all great substitutes.

Choose fish, poultry, beans, and nuts; limit red meat and cheese; avoid bacon, cold cuts, and other processed meats. Eat a variety of whole grains (like whole-wheat bread, whole-grain pasta, and brown rice).