We are living in a time where people are more conscious about what they put into their bodies. With the rise of plant-based lifestyles, it should be no surprise that this trend has extended to food. Vegetarianism is becoming more and more popular and some people have even taken it up as a lifestyle with veganism.
But if you're thinking veganism is too extreme, you might want to look into becoming a vegetarian instead. Research suggests that eating meat is linked to cancer, heart disease, diabetes, stroke, and even dementia ( 1 ).
Vegetarians have a reduced risk of all these diseases. They are also thinner and live longer than their meat-eating counterparts. This is why more and more people are trying to find alternatives to meat products.
In two decades, the plant-based foods market has doubled in the US. Plant-based milk (like Almond Milk) now accounts for over 30% of the milk sales in the country ( 2 ).
However, the food industry has not yet come up with a good solution to keep people wanting meat. Many of the products on the market today are not very convincing in their vegetarian alternatives. In fact, they are downright lame.
This is why we need to embrace plant-based meats that can truly replace animal products and make any meal healthy and tasty.
What Are Plant-Based Meats?
Before we talk about what plant-based meats are, let's go over some background information on similar foods that you might be more familiar with. It's important to understand these things before we move on to discuss today's modern plant-based meats.
Take tofu for example. Tofu is a solid food made from soybeans. It's rich in protein, minerals, and a good source of fiber.
A lot of people have used tofu to replace meat in their diet, but the problem with tofu is that it has an unmistakable flavor that's hard to mix with any other ingredients due to its strong soy flavor. You can't just throw tofu onto a plate and expect it to taste good.
This is why you will not find tofu on most menus today. Instead, chefs are using meats that are made from plants instead of animals. These products do not taste like meat, but the texture and flavors are very similar to meats like beef or pork. This is the reason why these products are sometimes called meat analogs to avoid misleading customers.
Let's take another example. There is a popular restaurant named Impossible Foods that makes a burger out of plants (3). This ingredient looks like meat, tastes like meat, and is even treated as such. The main difference between animal products and these plant-based foods though, is that they do not require the slaughter of animals to create them. Instead, they use plants to create the food we eat today.
We will talk about plant-based meats in this article and all popular varieties of plant-based proteins (like burgers and sausage) because these types of meat can easily replace animal products in any meal today.
What Are The Benefits of Plant-Based Meats?
The main benefit of using these alternatives to animal products is that they are much healthier than typical meat products. They do not require the slaughter of animals and as a result, may cause fewer negative impacts on the environment.
According to a recent study conducted by researchers from Oxford University, if every vegetarian in the world would eat just one more meal per week, it would save about 2.5 million metric tons of grains each year ( 4 ).
This means that a veggie burger made from soybeans can reduce the number of grains we need to grow each year by almost half. This will be very useful when considering how overpopulated our planet has become.
In addition, scientists have found that there is no difference in the amount of fat in plant-based foods as compared to animal products. The type of fats you get from these foods are actually considered healthier than those you get from the meat products we're used to today ( 5 ).
Another benefit of these products is that they can be used to solve several environmental issues. They require fewer resources and land for growing than animal products. In fact, 18% of all agricultural land in the US is utilized for growing food for animals ( 6 ) while only 9% is devoted to growing food for humans ( 7 ).
As a result, when people start using plants instead of animals, they will have less demand on our precious planet. They will also have more space to grow food for human consumption.
In addition, livestock is one of the top contributors to greenhouse emissions. This is because livestock emits a lot of methane and other gases that contribute to climate change ( 8 ).
Around 17% of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere are mainly due to livestock and their manure ( 9 ).
As a result, if we decrease our consumption of meat, we can drastically reduce the number of greenhouse gases in our atmosphere. More importantly, we can decrease the number of animals that are going through traumatic experiences every day.
How Do These Plant-Based Meats Taste?
Plant-based meats today do not actually taste like meat. However, they do have a similar texture to meat products and are very easy to mix with any ingredients.
The reason why these foods do not taste like meat is because of the process used to create them. When creating these products, manufacturers isolate plant proteins and put them together in a way that creates a similar texture similar to animal protein products.
How Do They Taste?
When it comes to plant-based meats, each brand has its own formula for creating its products. As a result, it may be different from one product to another. Just like wine, what you will get out of any brand is up to consumer preference and your personal opinion of how the product tastes.
Some people like the taste of seitan and soy, while others prefer textured vegetable protein. Each meat product is made with different proteins, so it's hard to make a general statement about how they all taste.
What Are The Different Types of Plant-Based Meats and How Do They Taste?
Soy
Soy is one of the popular choices for plant-based meat products. Soy contains over 40% proteins and has similar characteristics to animal products. As a result, it can easily be used as an ingredient in many popular recipes for meat dishes.
There are two main types of soy: whole soybeans and soy flour ( 10 ). Whole soybeans are classified based on the fat content in them. Soybeans with higher fat content are used to make soy burgers and are also popular as a meat substitute.
Soy flour is made from soybeans that have been ground to remove the oil in them. It is mixed with water and then combined with fiber so that it can be used like any other flour or used on its own for making various foods.
Soy products have their limitations when compared to animal products, but they still provide an alternative to meat for many people. They may taste similar to animal products, depending on your preferences and the brand you are using ( 11 ).
Whey protein
Another popular type of protein for plant-based meats is whey protein. Whey protein actually comes from milk. When milk breaks down in nature, it separates into two parts: whey and casein. Whey is the liquid part leftover after the milk has been processed for cheesemaking.
Whey protein is great for making baked goods, smoothies, and gravy. The majority of whey protein used today comes from milk, but some companies are also using whey made from soy or other plant-based sources.
There are also different types of whey protein available, including concentrate, isolate, hydrolysate, hydrolyzed collagen, and a few others ( 12 ). Whey concentrate, isolate and hydrolysate have higher amounts of the essential amino acids. The only thing to keep in mind is that whey concentrate is a little more bitter and can sometimes be difficult to digest.
Different flavor types have different blends of protein, including soy, rice, and others. So choose what you like the best!
Other Plant-Based Protein Sources
There are also other sources of protein available for plant-based meats beyond soy and whey. Some people like to add kale or tofu into their mix to increase the amount of protein per serving. These can be great options if you are vegan or vegetarian but want a little more variety in your diet. Adding in plant-based meats can be a great way to increase the amount of protein in your diet without overdoing it.
However, you don’t have to go for the soy or whey varieties. You can still eat up to 10 ounces of non-vegan foods per day and be just fine (but check with your doctor if you are taking any medications). Chicken, beef, ground beef/turkey, pork, and lamb are all excellent options. But don’t stop there. There are many great options available when you go meatless. Try the likes of tempeh, seitan, jackfruit, and more in your next meat-free meal.
IMAGE REFERENCE:
https://www.everydayhealth.com/diet-nutrition/plant-based-diet-food-list-meal-plan-benefits-more/
https://www.eatthis.com/plant-based-diet-benefits-nutrition-food/
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/vegetarian-diet-plan
Fantastic article! The food industry hasn't come up with a good alternative to meat because the major players don't want people to stop eating meat. Who would fill their pockets then? That's why it's up to us to take the first step instead of playing the waiting game.
To those who think even vegetarianism is extreme, I usually advise to start slow. Go meatless for just one day a week. Once that's no longer a challenge, up it to twice a week, and so on and so forth. I like to also remind people to go easy on the shaming and guilt, on others and on themselves. Have a cheat day if you need it. Or a cheat week. But pay close attention to your body when you eat meat and when you don't. Also pay attention to the nutritional content of what you eat, this I cannot stress enough.
We've been brainwashed our whole lives and each person is on their own unique journey of unlearning and learning so comparison does more harm than good.