New to plant-based eating? Bored with plant-based eating? Looking for a healthy alternative to animal-based meat products with less environmental impact? The Vegetarian’s Guide to Plant-Based Meat Alternatives answers all of your fake meat questions!
Tara’s Tuesday Tips:
The Vegetarian’s Guide to Plant-Based Meat Alternatives
Admittedly, as a food blogger + plant-based enthusiast, I have tried to turn oats, chickpeas, lentils, even walnuts into something that resembles meat. Sometimes I am super successful. Other times, not so much. I try to make my own as often as I can, but I do have a few mock meats that have become my favorites. If you know me, you know I am not one to primarily choose a food that comes in a bag or a box or a can. So, if I am going to eat a packaged food, it’s got to pass the Tara test. Here at MVF, we take plant-based food very seriously! I’ve done my research on these faux meats + Mr. MVF helped me with the taste-testing. This week’s tips answer the questions I get asked most often about these plant-based meats. So, let’s do a little Q & A. You asked, I’m answering!
What Is Fake Meat?
Vegan meat, plant-based meat alternatives, faux meat, all appropriate terms. These fake meats mimic animal-based meat products. They provide plant-based eaters the taste, texture, flavor + experience of meat while being free of meat.
What Are Plant-Based Meat Alternatives Made Of?
They are all different! Be careful + read the labels because some are just clumps of gluten or soy + not worth the cost or calories. Most times, they are made of beans, wheat gluten, texturized vegetable protein, mushrooms, vegetables, soy or pea protein. The newer more innovative ones are made of pea protein and get their ‘meaty’ color and taste from the addition of “heme”. Impossible Foods and Beyond Meat are diving deeper and deeper into the science of creating meatless meat products that can fool even the pickiest of meat eaters.
Does Meat-Free Mean Vegan?
No! Some contain eggs or milk or even whey powders. Read the ingredient list if this is a concern for you.
Are These Mock Meats Better For the Environment?
YES!!!! Overwhelmingly, YES! This is one of the best things you can do for the environment. Plant meats use far less water, land, and energy to produce! Hands down, no brainer here.
Are Plant-Based Meat Alternatives Healthier Than Animal Meat?
Typically, plant-based meat products are a healthier option than the animal-based products. Animal meat does not contain fiber, but plant-based meat alternatives do! If you know me, you know I love talking about fiber. Especially how fiber can help us with gut health, weight control, appetite suppression, and even disease prevention. (I go on and on about this here: How To Improve Your Health With Fiber). In addition to fiber, fake meats pack in extra vitamins + minerals that the real thing won’t give you. This improved nutritional profile gives the faux meat the advantage, but these products are all processed foods. Given that fact, be careful with the sodium content, oils, flavor enhancers, and sugars added to these products to get the taste profile right.
How Does the Saturated Fat Content Compare?
Proceed with caution here. Some of the newer mock meats can be almost as high in saturated fat as the real thing. You must know your ‘why’ in this situation. Why are you choosing a meat alternative? Would you eat the real thing if it had less saturated fat? For me, the answer will always point to the plant-based alternative. If I want a burger, a meat burger is not an option for me. I am happy to have a meatless option that I can enjoy occasionally regardless of the fat content.
What About the Cost?
This is a valid concern. The cost is very high right now for fake meats. With more and more products hitting the grocery store shelves and restaurants, the price point will hopefully come down with more affordable options becoming available.
Do Faux Meats Have as Much Protein as Real Meat?
These are great sources of protein for plant-based eaters! Some of the new meatless burgers have as much protein as the real deal. This can be a perfect choice if you are trying to add a little protein but are getting bored of veggies + tofu or beans.
Tara, Do You Eat Plant-Based Meat Alternatives?
Yes! These faux meats are a part of my plant-based diet. However, I am very conscious of the fact that they are a processed food. So, they are part of the foods that I call “sometimes” foods, and I include these in my meal rotations about one time per week. I would love to go through the products and rank them + give you a nifty little guide but they are changing so quickly! I authored an article on this blog a few years ago, The Fake Meat Guide. For this article, I researched every available fake meat there was at the time. Today, that list would be triple in size + outdated in no time at all. This is a rapidly growing market so my best advice is to read the lablels + do your taste testing!
My current favorites are Beyond Meat for burgers, Alpha Foods for chicken nuggets, and Light Life for veggie dogs. Here in the MVF house, we are known for throwing the biggest + best Vegetarian Fourth of July party with meatless dogs + all the traditions included. That being said, I do believe these products have a place in your diet to keep the life + health + tradition in balance.
Tara’s Top 5 Reasons to Choose Plant-Based Meat Alternatives:
- Helps ease the transition from a carnivorous diet to vegetarian diet by replacing meat with mock meats in your favorite recipes. (This might help too! How To Stop Meat Cravings As A Vegetarian)
- Prevent boredom. Let’s face it, we all get in food ruts. Maybe a few fake chicken nuggets might ward off the food boredom.
- Some celebrations or holidays are just not the same without traditional foods. Welcome in the veggie dog on Fourth of July, fake turkey on Thanksgiving, Beyond Burgers at a birthday BBQ.No meat? No problem!
- If you can eat plenty of food without causing harm to another living creature, why wouldn’t you?!? Now you can eat plenty of food that still tastes like meat without any harm ever being done to an animal!
- Save the planet! We could debate all day about plant-meat vs animal-meat except on one point. The environment. Meat made from plants BY FAR uses less water, land, and energy to produce making the environmental impact significantly less. If you consider yourself in favor of saving the planet, you should consider eating plant-based meat alternatives 🌎
Tara’s Recipes Using Plant-Based Meat Alternatives
Beyond Meat Sausage and Peppers (Vegan!)
JUST Egg Muffin Breakfast Bites
Vegan Sausage and Pepper Pizza (Beyond Meat!)
Hope this helps you decide if plant-based meats are right for you! 💚
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