If you want to reduce your meat intake or give up meat altogether, meat analogs are sure to catch your eye in the grocery store. Every store offers – available off-the-shelf – meat-free sausages, chops, gyros, chicken and even veggie fish. Not all such products are equally healthy, and not every meat analog is healthier than meat. Here’s everything you need to know about vegan alternatives to processed meat.
Meat analogs – what is the choice?
Are you cutting back on meat but, because of flavor, you want to have meat substitutes every now and then? Stores offer a wide range of plant-based products designed to mimic meat products. In Poland, you have no problems finding vegetarian equivalents of sausages, cold meats, minced meat, patties (for burgers and not only), gyros and kebab, chicken nuggets and many, many more.
The production of excellent plant-based meat substitutes has been one of the biggest trends in the food processing industry and technology for the past several years. Manufacturers are outdoing themselves with ideas for molding and seasoning products that mimic ham, steaks, and meatballs. Some meat substitutes are so similar to the real thing you will have trouble recognizing any difference. For example, after biting into a meatless chop, a red liquid resembling meat juices may ooze out of it. This is the plant equivalent of heme found in meat: leghemoglobin.
What are the most common ingredients found in commercially available meat substitutes?
The recipes for the best meat analogs, which most closely resemble meat in terms of flavor and texture, are very closely guarded. However, reading food labels and ingredients lists can give you an idea of what additives are present in the plant-based meat substitute.
The key aspect is the plant base with a texture imitating the original animal-derived products. The most common plant bases include:
- Soy and textured soy protein – soy has no distinct taste, so it accepts all flavors perfectly, and it’s an excellent source of valuable protein.
- Legumes (beans, lentils, chickpeas); well processed, they perfectly mimic the texture of minced meat and provide the body with a lot of protein. In addition, legumes are rich in antioxidants, multiple minerals, fiber... and they’re simply very healthy!
- Pea protein – one of the favorite proteins used by manufacturers of plant-based meat alternatives. Pea protein is technologically convenient and easy to process. At the same time, it’s an excellent source of protein. Besides its high nutritive value, pea protein has a low allergenic potential (unlike soy, gluten or nuts), which makes it a great choice for vegetarians suffering from allergies.
- Cereals (oatmeal, quinoa, rice, groats); properly processed, they can also be used as a base in vegetable-based meat analogs. However, you should know that cereals are lower in protein and mainly fuel the body with carbohydrates. Even though they may mimic meat in taste, they don’t have a similar nutritive value. You don’t have to avoid them, but it's best to choose veggie meat substitutes that combine cereals with legumes. In this way, you get a complete set of amino acids in your meal.
- Seitan (pure gluten extracted from wheat) – has a flexible structure that is suitable for reproducing the characteristic texture of meat in plant-based substitutes. Seitan is naturally compact and firm, and it’s often used to imitate chicken and pork.
- Mushrooms – extremely diverse, perfect for sprucing up plant-based substitutes imitating marinated meats. What’s more, they’re a natural source of umami or a ‘meaty taste’.
- Jackfruit – a type of exotic fruit; eaten raw, it has a sweet taste resembling jelly beans. After processing, jackfruit takes on a fibrous ‘meaty’ texture and, properly seasoned, mimics beef and pork products well.
In addition to the plant base, vegetarian meat substitutes contain a range of other ingredients including:
- Food colorings (natural or artificial) – to give products the desired color.
- Thickeners and stabilizers – to give meat substitutes a texture and structure resembling meat (cellulose, modified starch, bamboo starch, fiber, various gums).
- Emulsifiers – to help mix the water and oil phases.
- Seasonings and flavorings (natural and artificial) – to give meat analogs the desired taste.
- Oil – fat is the carrier of flavor.
- Antioxidants – used to protect meat analogs from changing color.
- Sugar – glucose, fructose, sucrose and maltodextrin – improve the texture and flavor.
How do you read the labels of plant-based meat analogs – what are the things to look out for?
- Opt for a plant base to match your expectations
Take a look at the ingredients list. Listed first are those with the highest content. Adjust your choice to what you expect of a given product.
Soy is very healthy for most people. However, it may cause food allergies. Also, you should avoid soy in the morning if you take medications to treat hypothyroidism. Contrary to popular opinion, soy is healthy and safe for men as well. Stories about ‘growing breasts’ and ‘loss of physical strength’ during workout are just urban legends.
Meat substitutes based on legume proteins are the healthiest, safest and most recommended options, but be aware that legumes have a reputation for causing bloating and gas, especially for those who don’t eat them regularly. It’s the best choice for active people with higher protein needs.
Do you see grains or groats at the top of the ingredients list? This meat analog provides a lot of carbohydrates, but it doesn’t reflect meat in terms of macronutrients.
Seitan is a type of gluten that some people try to avoid. Also, despite providing the body with protein, it’s not the healthiest meat analog on the market.
To get other useful information, read: 7 Signs from Your Body to Go Gluten-Free.
- Check for salt content
High salt content is one of the main reasons why meat substitutes are criticized. The lower the salt and sodium content in a meal, the healthier it is. Remember that the maximum daily salt intake in the Polish population is 5 g. If one product accounts for several dozen percent of the recommended dietary allowance of salt, that’s a lot. However, processed meat is also full of salt.
- Have a look at the type and content of fat
Meat substitutes should contain healthy plant-based fats, preferably made from seeds and nuts. Saturated fats are less healthy: coconut and palm oils are bad for the cardiovascular system. Check the product labels for ‘saturated fatty acids’ in the nutrition facts table. Their maximum daily recommended intake is about 20 g for those on a 2000 kcal diet.
- Check the protein content
A good meat substitute should be a good source of protein. Approximately 15 to 20 g of protein per 100 g is a decent amount. In legume-based meat analogs, an appropriate protein content is achieved naturally. But if your veggie patty is made of oatmeal, there may not be enough of protein in it.
- Calcium, iron, and vitamins – good-to-haves
Vegetarian meat substitutes can be nutritionally enriched with minerals and vitamins. If you see calcium chloride, calcium carbonate, iron salts or vitamin B12 listed on the label, they are an added benefit.
- Keep in mind that not all additives are harmful, but some are controversial
According to popular opinion, the shorter the ingredients list, the better the quality of the product. This is partly true, but meat substitutes rarely contain just a few ingredients. This is because producing a plant-based meat analog that resembles meat in taste, texture and flavor requires many additives. Most of them are not harmful, but some are considered controversial:
- Emulsifiers – suspected of having adverse effects on the gut microflora.
- Methylcellulose – used to improve the texture of meat substitutes; it could potentially have a pro-inflammatory effect on the gut.
- Carrageenan – used in meat substitutes to help them thicken, gel, and stabilize. It’s approved for human consumption, so it’s officially recognized as safe. However, some data suggest that it may promote inflammation in the digestive tract, affect the composition of gut microflora, and aggravate the symptoms of IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome).
Plant-based versus meat burgers – comparison of ingredients
Below, you’ll find a comparison of macro- and micronutrients in a beef burger patty and a plant-based substitute from a well-known brand of veggie burgers, recognized as one of the better imitators of meat.
| Ingredients per 100 g | Veggie burger | Beef burger |
| Energy | 252 kcal | 254 kcal |
| Protein | 19 g | 17.2 g |
| Fat | 19 g | 20 g |
| Saturated fatty acids | 5.6 g | 7.58 g |
| Carbohydrates | 3.5 g | 0 g |
| Fiber | 1.3 g | 0 g |
| Salt | 0.75 g | 0.17 g + salt as seasoning |
| Cholesterol | 0 mg | 71 mg |
| Iron | 3.27 mg | 1.94 mg |
| Calcium | 71 mg | 18 mg |
The content of macro- and micronutrients in both burgers is similar. In addition, they’re comparable in terms of calories, and in the content of protein and saturated fatty acids. However, the plant-based version is cholesterol-free, contains fiber, and has more calcium.
The beef burger naturally has less salt, but many people will add extra salt to the meat when seasoning it, so ultimately there will be no difference in sodium content. The veggie burger has more iron, but it’s non-hemic, so less readily absorbed by the body than the iron in beef burgers.
What follows is that both products are very similar in terms of their potential health effects. However, the vegetarian option has another unquestionable advantage: its production is associated with much lower greenhouse gas emissions (by about 60%) and less water consumption (by about 80%). Consequently, it’s a much better food choice for those who want to be eco-friendly.
Food matrix – the missing link in the debate on meat analogs
Food matrix is a concept that has been gaining a lot of attention in nutrition science. According to that concept, the physical structure, texture, and all the relationships between different food ingredients can be central to how food interacts with the body. Scientists specializing in this field claim that the way food is processed (even cooked) can have a big impact on how nutritious and healthy your meal is.
Let’s take an example to illustrate this. A portion of beans that is cooked and eaten in a soup is minimally processed. However, the same portion of beans made into a vegan burger – cooked, blended, combined with gelling agents, dried and prepared for long shelf-life – has a different nutritional value for the body. Processing changes the structure of the plant fibers, making the product easier to digest. The carbohydrates are released more quickly, and some of the nutrients change their form. Scientists claim that processing may have a greater impact on the health value of foods than previously thought. They’re using the concept of the food matrix to investigate this phenomenon.
The more processed the product, and the more removed its structure is from the natural state, the less nutritionally valuable it is for you. Plant-based meat substitutes (but also meat-based products!) are indisputably processed foods. Consequently, they’re not equivalent to ‘natural’ mushrooms, legumes, cereals or vegetables.
Meat analogs make it easier to maintain vegan, vegetarian and flexitarian diets. However, they’re still processed foods, so their consumption should be limited. Vegan meat substitutes are cholesterol-free, contain more dietary fiber, and have added vitamins and minerals. However, if you want to have a healthy eating plan, they should not be eaten on a daily basis but enjoyed as a treat or occasional meal. This ever-expanding group includes a wide variety of products, so it’s always a good idea to cast your eye over the ingredients list and evaluate different meat substitutes for their benefits. The key tip is to look out for products that are as low in salt and saturated fatty acids as possible, with few additives, and high in protein.
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References:
1. D. Bogueva, D.J. McClements; Safety and Nutritional Risks Associated with Plant-Based Meat Alternatives; FoodSafety magazine; 2022.
2. Aguilera JM. The food matrix: implications in processing, nutrition and health. Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr. 2019;59(22):3612-3629. doi: 10.1080/10408398.2018.1502743. Epub 2018 Sep 10. PMID: 30040431.