They are designed to mimic the flavour, texture and appearance of conventional meats such as beef, hog and chicken, rendering them ideal for recipes involving meat. It ends up expanding the gastronomic choices for health freaks. But is vegan meat healthy? Experts warn that plant-based meats include a high concentration of ultra-processed meals, which increase heart disease, stroke, and premature death by 12%.
Is vegan ‘meat’ processed?
We do know that consuming a high quantity of processed food, specifically ‘ultra-processed’, is bad for health.
“Plant-based meat has been in vogue for a while. However, using natural produce to mimic the shape and texture of meat requires the use of numerous nutritious ingredients,” says Ruchi Shrivastava, a food researcher adding, “Almost all meat substitute products undergo processing to mimic the texture, flavour, and appearance of conventional meat, or to achieve a similar protein contribution.”
According to The Grains & Legumes Nutrition Council, plant-based meats tend to be lower in kilojoules than animal meat varieties, reaching significance in sausages and mince. “Only burgers and sausages showed a significant difference in total fat and saturated fat, favouring plant-based products. As expected, plant-based products were high in carbohydrates, sugars and fiber. Sodium in plant-based mince was almost six times higher than the sodium of meat mince; however, the reverse was true for sausages, where meat sausages contained 66% more than the plant-based sausages,” says Ruchi.
Vegan burgers, sausages and minced ‘meats’ simulate the colour change from ‘raw’ red-pink to brown during cooking. Ingredients like beetroot powder and reducing sugars like dextrose, xylose and arabinose turn red to brown when heated.
A marketing gimmick
Companies are exploiting individuals who follow popular culture, rather than conducting their own research.
“Marketing makes these mock meats sound like another health heaven without showcasing that they don’t carry even half of the nutrients that the raw material would have had. We need to educate people about plant-based diets, emphasizing that cooking ingredients directly in your kitchen is far more beneficial than buying mock meats,” says Ruchi.
The fundamental principle that individuals must comprehend is that processing vegetables, legumes, or any other natural produce will invariably result in harm and eliminate the rich natural nutrients already present. “Cooking in your own kitchen will help you retain the flavor, nutrients and benefits. It might not have the texture of mock meat, but real food is worth consuming,” adds Ruchi.
