Plant-based meats have sprung onto the scene in recent years, and some believe that a large scale shift to plant-based meats may occur in the US in the near future. While the prospect of a healthier alternative to red meat may sound intriguing, these plant-based options may not be all they’re cracked up to be. In today’s blog, we take a closer look at whether or not plant-based meats are truly as “healthy” as they claim to be.
A Deep Dive On Plant-Based Meat
Plant-based meats are purported to be a healthier alternative to red meat, but are they really as healthy as they claim? Let’s take a closer look at how plant-based meats stack up to red meat.
Ingredients
Let’s start by looking at the ingredients. In one corner we have red meat, which is made up of….meat. Conversely, many plant-based meats are packed with additives to get it to taste as close as possible to natural red meat. Some common additives include:
- Soy protein concentrate
- Sunflower oil
- Synthetic vitamins
- Cocoa butter
- Salt potassium chloride
- Potato starch
- Refined coconut oil
All these synthetic additives can cause issues for our bodies because our bodies aren’t as used to processing these synthetic components.
Nutrients
Although it is only comprised of meat, red meat contains a host of healthy nutrients, like protein, zinc, magnesium, iron, B vitamins, calcium and vitamin D among others. In order to offer a similar array of nutrients, plant-based options once again oftentimes rely on synthetic additives, and even then they may lack the biodiversity found in animal products.
Gut Health
Our bodies know how to process red meats because we’ve been consuming them for ages, but these new plant-based options can sometimes throw our gut health for a loop. Studies have found that common additives to plant-based meats like carrageenan or seed oils containing linoleic acid can have detrimental effects on a person’s gut.
From a purely health-focused view, it’s easy to see how these plant-based options simply don’t stack up to the “healthier alternative” they are being championed as. We certainly understand the ethical and environmental implications of red meat, but we just want everyone to make an informed decision about their diets. We just don’t want people to assume that plant-based meats are some kind of wonder food that truly mimics the nutritional side of red meat. You can certainly find ways to eat a nutritious diet without red meat, but be aware of the additives that are common used in plant-based meat to get it to taste similar to standard red meat.