The whole point of a meat substitute is to replace meat with something made from plants. If you are vegan, vegetarian or you want to strive to eat a mainly plant-based diet, you are probably not a stranger to crumbling beef products that taste good enough to fool your friends or vegan “seafood”. you do a double take. Although vegetable meat substitutes can mimic the taste and texture of the right thing, some do not offer nearly as much protein.
According to a new survey conducted by Safefood, a quarter of meat substitutes do not have enough protein to be considered an adequate source of protein. The survey considered 354 meat substitutes and vegetarian ready-to-eat meals, including vegetarian versions of chicken, meatballs, meat, sausages, nuggets and fish. Researchers have found that most are highly processed, and many are not as rich in nutrients as you would expect. If you expect a meat substitute to meet your daily protein intake, consult the nutrition panel.
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meat replaces protein
“If you find ‘protein’ on the nutrition panel, you will see grams and if you look to the right, you can see a percentage. That’s the daily percentage value,” says Melissa Rifkin, RD. . “Unfortunately, it will not be listed on all food products, but you can use the listed grams to calculate the percentage of daily value on your own. To consider one meat substitute product as high in protein, it must contain at least 20 percent of determine the daily value for proteins. ‘Personal protein needs vary according to the age and activity level of an individual, but the Food and Drug Association (FDA) has determined 50 grams of protein as the daily value for a 2000-calorie diet.
It is also important to pay attention to the source of the protein, as well as what other ingredients are listed. “Many meat substitutes contain long ingredients,” says Rifkin. “It’s not bad because a lot of the items listed are vitamins and minerals that are added to create a rounded food product.” However, many meat substitutes contain preservatives (including sodium) and chemicals that are also used for food coloring.
This is what a registered dietitian from Impossible Foods and Beyond Meat thinks:
Meat substitutes are often made with soy, tempeh, peas, quinoa, lentils, chickpeas, beans or mushrooms. By themselves, each of these ingredients is full of nutrients – and most are actually good sources of protein (with the exception of mushrooms). Still, Rifkin says it’s a good idea to pay attention to the protein content in the nutrition facts panel to make sure it’s the most important ingredient.
“As with all dietary approaches, it’s good to use a variety of food products to get a wide variety of nutrients,” says Rifkin. “While meat substitutes can be one source of protein for a herbivore, they can also consume beans, lentils, nuts and seeds to meet their nutritional needs.”
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