Does plant-based meat taste like real meat?Ī meaty taste may not necessarily be a selling point if you're vegan or vegetarian. It certainly looks convincing: Naturli Minced (left) and regular beef mince (right). These foods boost dietary variety and can be a valuable, affordable source of protein and other nutrients found in meat. "If your goal isn't just to reduce your meat intake but to also increase your vegetable intake, you'd be better off eating a burger or Bolognese made from whole foods such as lentils, grated carrot and zucchini."Īustralian Dietary Guidelines suggest nuts, seeds, legumes, beans and tofu as alternatives to animal foods for everyone, not just for those following vegetarian or vegan diets. "At the end of the day they're still processed products, with little in common with the plants they're derived from.
"But if you're substituting these patties for meat in your menu on a weekly basis as a means of improving your health, you'll probably get more value from eating a piece of good quality lean meat," says Dynan. So swapping out a regular commercial meat patty for a plant-based alternative at a barbecue or when eating out might leave you nutritionally better off. "And a number have added fibre, which you won't get from meat. "Quite often they're lower in fat – particularly saturated fat (with a few exceptions)," says Dynan.
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On the plus side, plant-based meat can compare favourably with animal meat for certain nutrients. What's your beef? Beyond Burger (left), Next Gen 2 (right), regular beef burger (back). "Add a bread roll, cheese and some sauce, and you've met your sodium quota in just one meal," she says. A single plant-based patty can contain as much as 50% of a person's daily intake of sodium. "The 'plant-based' and 'high-in-protein' claims are having a halo effect, but they're not telling the whole story." Salt contentĪccording to Dynan, one issue is salt content. "But they're still processed foods – they're not the same as whole plant foods that we should be eating more of, like legumes. "These burger patty and mince products can definitely provide a convenient option for people who are time poor and wanting an alternative to meat," she says. Nicole Dynan, accredited practising dietitian and gut health specialist, suggests we take all that positive spin with a grain of salt. Most products carry protein-content claims, alongside a host of others including 'gluten free', 'vegan friendly', 'no GMOs' and 'preservative free'.īut are they as healthy as the marketing would have you believe?Īt the end of the day they're still processed products, with little in common with the plants they're derived from Nicole Dynan The packaging claims and even the concept of plant-based meat alternatives scream 'good for you'.
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