The Real Deal on Fake Meat

WRITTEN BY HANNAH BAKOWSKI

Last week’s blog focused on the benefits of plant-based eating and a discussion centered around products that replicate the taste and texture of real meat, but are actually completely plant-based! These products are often referred to as “fake meat”, and there are many popular brands such as Gardein, Beyond Meat, and Impossible Meat. While eating plant-based food can be great for our health, are these popular products - that are highly processed - good for us, too? To dive deeper, this article focuses on comparing the nutritional value of some of the leading companies in meal alternatives (Gardein, Beyond Meat, and Impossible Meat) against lentils, a popular plant-based alternative.

Gardein

They have a wide range of different fake meat products; one of their most popular products is their meatless meatballs. These meatless meatballs are certified vegan, Kosher, and dairy-free1. One serving is three meatballs which contain 160 calories, 7 grams of fat, 370 mg of sodium, 9 grams of carbs, and 15 grams of protein. Since this is a processed fake meat product, there is a long list of ingredients, the first six being water, textured soy protein concentrate, canola oil, vital wheat gluten, soy protein isolate, and enriched wheat flour1. While you may be familiar with a few of the ingredients, some of them may be unfamiliar. I’ve defined these ingredients below:

Textured Soy Protein (TSP) Concentrate: a processed food that is made from soybeans. In this form, the soybeans are processed into a protein concentrate2 which helps to increase the protein in a food product.
Canola Oil: an oil derived from the canola plant, a tall plant with yellow flowers and seeds that are harvested then crushed for oil. This plant was developed by scientists in Canada, making all varieties genetically modified3
Vital Wheat Gluten: A powdery flour that contains the highest amount of gluten while also containing very little starch. It’s made from wheat and can be used in vegan and vegetarian dishes to provide protein as well as a meat-like texture4
Soy Protein Isolate: a protein that has been isolated from soybeans5
Enriched Wheat Flour: When talking about flour, the word “enriched” means that nutrients were added into the flour. This does not mean that more nutrients were added in, but instead it means that the nutrients that were lost in the process of fortifying the flour were added back in. Although there is the word “wheat” in the name of this ingredient, it does not mean whole wheat. Instead, it simply means that the grain the flour was made from is wheat6.

Beyond Meat

Another popular plant-based company that specializes in their most popular product, Beyond Beef. This product is 100% plant-based protein, non GMO, gluten-free, soy free, and Kosher7. This product is sold in the form of patties, ground “beef”, as well as meatless beef crumbles. For the patties, a serving is 1 patty which contains 230 calories, 14 grams of fat, 390 mg of sodium, 7 grams of carbohydrates, 2 grams of fiber, and 20 grams of protein. The main ingredients for the Beyond Beef patties are water, pea protein, expeller-pressed canola oil, refined coconut oil, and rice protein7.

Pea protein: This form of protein is extracted from peas and provides a plant based protein. It can be made into protein powders and is commonly put into processed fake meat products8

Expeller-pressed canola oil: This type of canola oil is similar to the one discussed earlier, however, this oil is physically squeezed from the seed with an expeller press, instead of being solvent extracted with a chemical. Expeller-pressed canola oil is not as efficient, however, it does involve less chemicals9.

Refined coconut oil: All coconut oil is made from coconuts and is mostly saturated fat, making it solid at room temperature. Refined coconut oil undergoes additional processing to make it more suitable for cooking. This processing gives the coconut oil a higher smoke point (400-450 ℉), makes it flavorless and odorless which makes it an easier substitute for butter10.

Rice protein: Rice protein is similar to pea protein, except the protein is extracted from r rice instead of peas11.

Impossible Burger

The leading product from the Impossible brand, the Impossible Burger is their most popular food item and is “made from plants for people who love meat”12. One serving of the Impossible Burger is 113 grams and contains 240 calories, 14 grams of fat, 370 mg of sodium, 9 grams of carbs, 3 grams of fiber, and 19 grams of protein. The main ingredients include water, soy protein concentrate, coconut oil, sunflower oil, and natural flavors12.

Soy protein concentrate: Soy protein concentrate contains 70% protein and has higher fiber than sooy protein isolate. One thing that makes these protein sources similaris that they are both derived from defatted soy flakes13.
Coconut oil: This ingredient is simply the oil derived from the meat of a coconut14.
Sunflower oil: This ingredient is oil derived from sunflower seeds. There are four different kinds of sunflower oil in the United States, each one having a different composition of fatty acids. This oil contains unsaturated fats, which are typically healthier for us compared to saturated fats15.

Lentils

According to the USDA, 1 cup of boiled lentils contains 230 calories, 0.8 grams of fat, 4 mg of sodium, 40 grams of carbohydrates, 16 grams of fiber, and 18 grams of protein16. When you cook lentils in boiling water, the only ingredient is lentils and water (sometimes salt if you salt the water - be careful because this will increase the amount of sodium!)

So, now that we know what’s in these fake meat products, you may be wondering if these are actually healthy for us and something we should be eating. Well, that honestly depends on who you ask! Recently, the U.S. National Institutes of Health have found that these fake meat products can be a good source of fiber, iron, and folate. They contain less saturated fat than ground beef, but they also contain less protein, vitamin B12, and zinc. These processed products are also higher in sodium17. So these products can be a healthier alternative to meat, but they contain more processed ingredients, chemicals, and sodium than a plant protein like lentils or beans! If you are concerned about eating this processed meat, then try to limit how much you eat it. Instead of having it every day, limit yourself to having it once or twice a week. You can get the rest of your protein from plant based sources that are less processed and more natural such as chickpeas, beans, and lentils! Here is a recipe for a Vegetarian Chickpea Sandwich that’s great to pack for lunches18!

Recipe: Vegetarian Chickpea Sandwich Filling

Ingredients

1 (19 ounce) can garbanzo beans (chickpeas), drained and rinsed
1 stalk celery, chopped
½ red onion, chopped
1 tablespoon mayonnaise (substitute with ½ an avocado)
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon dried dill weed
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Drain and rinse chickpeas. Pour chickpeas into a medium size mixing bowl and mash with a fork. Mix in celery, onion, mayonnaise (to taste), lemon juice, dill, salt and pepper to taste.
Serve on whole grain bread, or in a whole grain pita pocket! Add fresh lettuce, tomatoes, celery, and red onion to boost the nutrients and flavor!