![\"vegan](\"https:\/\/upmail.co.in\/kindhubs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/201_image-asset.jpg\")
<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/figure><\/div>\n
The facts.<\/span><\/h3>\n\n- \n
Vegan meat started as far back as 1896 when John Kellogg created a peanut based meat substitute. <\/p>\n<\/li>\n
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They have evolved from veggie burgers to \u201cburgers which bleed\u201d<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
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Vegan meats mimic everything from beef to chicken to fish.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
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As of November 2022, there were more than 60 plant based meat companies in the USA with over <\/span><\/a>800 companies involved in making meat<\/span><\/a> for the end consumer.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n- \n
The industry is expected to be worth more than $40B by 2028<\/span>.<\/a><\/p>\n\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n
\nThe big picture. Context matters.<\/span><\/h3>\nVegan meats have had quite the ride lately \u2013 from being very popular in 2020 with everyone wanting to increase their consumption for health reasons to now being labeled \u201cultra-processed\u201d and getting a bad rap. What is the truth? Is vegan meat, such as Beyond Meat or Impossible beef patties, healthy?<\/p>\n
Let\u2019s start by discussing what these meats are meant to be substitutes for:<\/p>\n
\n- \n
A beef patty is meant to replace the beef hamburger. <\/p>\n<\/li>\n
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They are not meant to replace a whole food diet rich in vegetables or fruits. <\/p>\n<\/li>\n
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They are not meant to replace your salad or replace your pasta. <\/p>\n<\/li>\n
- \n
Many people argue that a bean burger is healthier than a beyond beef patty \u2013 yes AND a bean burger is also healthier than a beef hamburger.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
It is important to remember that the purpose of this innovation is to replace comparable items (ie) a beef burger for a beef patty. A vegan chicken nugget for a chicken nugget. With that context in mind, let\u2019s dig in.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\n\nVegan meat is nutritionally similar to their replacement<\/span><\/h3>\nImpossible burger vs chuck<\/strong>
(80% Lean \/ 20% Fat \u2013 The most common choice<\/span><\/a> among burger chefs for its fat content which makes juicier, more flavorful Burgers). Restaurants often are a higher fat content up to 25-30%.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n <\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/upmail.co.in\/kindhubs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/vegan-meat-chart-1.jpg\")
<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n\nChart courtesy of healthline<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n\nBreaded chicken nuggets vs common plant-based options<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n <\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/upmail.co.in\/kindhubs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/vegan-meat-chart-2.jpg\")
<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n\nChart courtesy of Nutrition Overeasy<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n\nChicken breast vs plant-based<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n <\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/upmail.co.in\/kindhubs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/vegan-meat-chart-3.jpg\")
<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n\nChart courtesy of Nutrition Overeasy<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n\nSummary: Vegan Meat<\/span><\/p>\n\n- \n
Plant-based meats are nutritionally very similar to traditional meats.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
- \n
In general, plant-based meats have more fiber than animal meats which is a plus as the standard American diet is lacking in fiber.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
- \n
In general, plant-based meats have more sodium than animal meats. This is not ideal but note that animal meats need added salt while cooking while the plant-based meats will not. The final sodium content will be different than above depending on how much salt is added.<\/p>\n
Other Health Data<\/span><\/p>\n\n- \n
The link between red meat and colo-rectal cancer<\/span><\/a> is clear.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n- \n
The connection between red meat and high blood pressure<\/span><\/a> is becoming very evident<\/p>\n<\/li>\n- \n
The connection between meat and increased mortality<\/span><\/a> was clearly shown as more Japanese adopted an American diet.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n- \n
The connection between ultra-processed foods and cardiometabolic<\/span><\/a> problems like obesity and diabetes is clear. This applies to meat hotdogs as well as vegan hotdogs.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n
\n\nThey are not more processed than meat<\/span><\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/upmail.co.in\/kindhubs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/202_image-asset.jpg\")
<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/figure><\/div>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/upmail.co.in\/kindhubs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/203_image-asset.jpg\")
<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/figure><\/div>\n
\nThis is an interesting area of discussion as the common narrative tends to focus on the number of ingredients. Most recently, Plant-based meats are being portrayed as \u201cultra-processed\u201d while animal meat is being portrayed as \u201cnatural\u201d. <\/p>\n
Animal meats being described as natural or \u201cpasture raised\u201d is misleading. In reality, 70% of beef produced in the U<\/span><\/a>S<\/span><\/a> comes from four giant meatpacking companies. 8.9 Billion chickens<\/span><\/a> (99.97% of those consumed in the USA) are grown in factory farms.<\/p>\nThese animals are not simply raised on a farm, allowed to graze naturally as the marketing photos imply. Instead, they are reared in feedlots with a manufacturing or assembly line formula to get the right size, weight and fat content of the finished product. <\/p>\n
How do feedlots process the cows to artificially create the desired fat content for consumers?<\/strong> <\/p>\nThe feedlot sector<\/span><\/a> represents an intensive production system with the goal of growing and or fattening cattle until they reach slaughter weight. This is divided into growing (backgrounding) and finishing (fattening) phases. <\/p>\nIn North America, the backgrounding phase focuses on engineering the diet so that the calves can be as large and lean as possible. Next, the finishing phase focused on feeding the calves a high grain diet until they reach a prescribed amount of fat so that they can be marketed for slaughter. <\/p>\n
Ground meat products undergo yet another level of processing. This is the mixing of fat and lean meat from various batches of animals to create a precise formula of lean muscle:fat ratio.<\/p>\n
Feedlots are associated with many welfare issues<\/span><\/a>, \u201cpredominantly related to the feeding and include free gas bloat, acidosis, liver abscesses, and laminitis, all of which are associated with high concentrate feeding typical in North America\u201d. This is often managed with regular, high dose antibiotics.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n
\nThey don\u2019t create food safety concerns<\/span><\/h3>\nThe US has an alarming rate of food poisoning compared to many other countries. The source is E.Coli from downstream fecal contamination of our water and agriculture stemming from animal agriculture. Watch the Netflix documentary, Poisoned<\/span><\/a> and learn for yourself. I have not been able to eat cantaloupe ever since!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\n\nThe choices. <\/span><\/h3>\n<\/div>\n <\/p>\n
\nLife-focused<\/span><\/h3>\nIf your focus is on being kind to living things\u2026<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n\n- \n
Vegan meats are reasonable alternatives to the products that they are meant to replace (ie) a beef burger for a vegan burger, a ballpark hot dog for a vegan hot dog.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n- \n
Focus on reducing and eliminating animal products from your diet<\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n
Vegan meat started as far back as 1896 when John Kellogg created a peanut based meat substitute. <\/p>\n<\/li>\n
They have evolved from veggie burgers to \u201cburgers which bleed\u201d<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
Vegan meats mimic everything from beef to chicken to fish.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
As of November 2022, there were more than 60 plant based meat companies in the USA with over <\/span><\/a>800 companies involved in making meat<\/span><\/a> for the end consumer.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n The industry is expected to be worth more than $40B by 2028<\/span>.<\/a><\/p>\n \n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n Vegan meats have had quite the ride lately \u2013 from being very popular in 2020 with everyone wanting to increase their consumption for health reasons to now being labeled \u201cultra-processed\u201d and getting a bad rap. What is the truth? Is vegan meat, such as Beyond Meat or Impossible beef patties, healthy?<\/p>\n Let\u2019s start by discussing what these meats are meant to be substitutes for:<\/p>\n A beef patty is meant to replace the beef hamburger. <\/p>\n<\/li>\n They are not meant to replace a whole food diet rich in vegetables or fruits. <\/p>\n<\/li>\n They are not meant to replace your salad or replace your pasta. <\/p>\n<\/li>\n Many people argue that a bean burger is healthier than a beyond beef patty \u2013 yes AND a bean burger is also healthier than a beef hamburger.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n It is important to remember that the purpose of this innovation is to replace comparable items (ie) a beef burger for a beef patty. A vegan chicken nugget for a chicken nugget. With that context in mind, let\u2019s dig in.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Impossible burger vs chuck<\/strong> <\/p>\n Chart courtesy of healthline<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Breaded chicken nuggets vs common plant-based options<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n <\/p>\n Chart courtesy of Nutrition Overeasy<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Chicken breast vs plant-based<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n <\/p>\n Chart courtesy of Nutrition Overeasy<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Summary: Vegan Meat<\/span><\/p>\n Plant-based meats are nutritionally very similar to traditional meats.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n In general, plant-based meats have more fiber than animal meats which is a plus as the standard American diet is lacking in fiber.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n In general, plant-based meats have more sodium than animal meats. This is not ideal but note that animal meats need added salt while cooking while the plant-based meats will not. The final sodium content will be different than above depending on how much salt is added.<\/p>\n Other Health Data<\/span><\/p>\n The link between red meat and colo-rectal cancer<\/span><\/a> is clear.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n The connection between red meat and high blood pressure<\/span><\/a> is becoming very evident<\/p>\n<\/li>\n The connection between meat and increased mortality<\/span><\/a> was clearly shown as more Japanese adopted an American diet.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n The connection between ultra-processed foods and cardiometabolic<\/span><\/a> problems like obesity and diabetes is clear. This applies to meat hotdogs as well as vegan hotdogs.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n This is an interesting area of discussion as the common narrative tends to focus on the number of ingredients. Most recently, Plant-based meats are being portrayed as \u201cultra-processed\u201d while animal meat is being portrayed as \u201cnatural\u201d. <\/p>\n Animal meats being described as natural or \u201cpasture raised\u201d is misleading. In reality, 70% of beef produced in the U<\/span><\/a>S<\/span><\/a> comes from four giant meatpacking companies. 8.9 Billion chickens<\/span><\/a> (99.97% of those consumed in the USA) are grown in factory farms.<\/p>\n These animals are not simply raised on a farm, allowed to graze naturally as the marketing photos imply. Instead, they are reared in feedlots with a manufacturing or assembly line formula to get the right size, weight and fat content of the finished product. <\/p>\n How do feedlots process the cows to artificially create the desired fat content for consumers?<\/strong> <\/p>\n The feedlot sector<\/span><\/a> represents an intensive production system with the goal of growing and or fattening cattle until they reach slaughter weight. This is divided into growing (backgrounding) and finishing (fattening) phases. <\/p>\n In North America, the backgrounding phase focuses on engineering the diet so that the calves can be as large and lean as possible. Next, the finishing phase focused on feeding the calves a high grain diet until they reach a prescribed amount of fat so that they can be marketed for slaughter. <\/p>\n Ground meat products undergo yet another level of processing. This is the mixing of fat and lean meat from various batches of animals to create a precise formula of lean muscle:fat ratio.<\/p>\n Feedlots are associated with many welfare issues<\/span><\/a>, \u201cpredominantly related to the feeding and include free gas bloat, acidosis, liver abscesses, and laminitis, all of which are associated with high concentrate feeding typical in North America\u201d. This is often managed with regular, high dose antibiotics.<\/p>\n \n<\/div>\n The US has an alarming rate of food poisoning compared to many other countries. The source is E.Coli from downstream fecal contamination of our water and agriculture stemming from animal agriculture. Watch the Netflix documentary, Poisoned<\/span><\/a> and learn for yourself. I have not been able to eat cantaloupe ever since!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n <\/p>\n If your focus is on being kind to living things\u2026<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Vegan meats are reasonable alternatives to the products that they are meant to replace (ie) a beef burger for a vegan burger, a ballpark hot dog for a vegan hot dog.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n Focus on reducing and eliminating animal products from your diet<\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\nThe big picture. Context matters.<\/span><\/h3>\n
\n
\nVegan meat is nutritionally similar to their replacement<\/span><\/h3>\n
(80% Lean \/ 20% Fat \u2013 The most common choice<\/span><\/a> among burger chefs for its fat content which makes juicier, more flavorful Burgers). Restaurants often are a higher fat content up to 25-30%.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div><\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div><\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
\n
\nThey are not more processed than meat<\/span><\/h3>\n<\/div>\n
<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/figure><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/figure><\/div>\nThey don\u2019t create food safety concerns<\/span><\/h3>\n
\nThe choices. <\/span><\/h3>\n<\/div>\n
Life-focused<\/span><\/h3>\n
\n