Benefits of plant-based meats! Are they healthy?

Benefits of plant-based meats! Are they healthy?

Introduction

The accessibility of plant-based meats is rising around the world. These meat-free or vegetarian goods manufactured from plant-based components can be used in cooking which often calls for meat. When it comes to health, the environment, and animal welfare, plant-based meat used to only be discussed in small communities by those trying to lessen their negative effects on the environment and the animals. Plant-based meats are one of the fastest-growing sectors in the world today because millions of people across the globe are making more informed dietary selections.

What is plant-based meat?

Meat that is manufactured entirely from plants is referred to as plant-based meat. It’s interesting to note that plant-based meat contains a variety of necessary nutrients, including vitamins, fats, minerals, water, protein, and more, much like meat derived from animals. The amount and quality of nutrients in a plant-based diet can vary.

Despite the fact that a sizable portion of people prefer to consume plant-based meats for environmental or animal welfare reasons, many others do so because they think it is better to do so than to consume chicken, steak, or other types of meat. Regardless of why a person chooses to consume these meat substitutes, it is obvious that this trend is here to stay given how rapidly plant-based meat businesses have expanded.

What main components are found in plant-based meat products?

The elements derived from these plant-based sources give off a feel that is truly similar to that of meat. Here are a few well-known plant-based/ vegan meat items:

• The wheat protein/ seitan
• Pea protein
• Soy
• Pea protein
• corn starch
• Peas and beans
• Vegetables
• Coconut oil
• Nuts
• Seeds
• The herbs and spices that give a meal its flavor also define its flavor profile and the cuisine under which it might be categorized.

Benefits of Plant-based meats

• Rich in minerals, fiber, antioxidants, vitamins, and other nutrients
• Low in fat and calories, making it a weight-friendly food
• Reduces the chance of heart illnesses
• Helps to reduce inflammation
• Lowers blood pressure and hypertension risk
• It contains a lot of fiber.
• Reduces the intake of saturated fat
• Decreases the likelihood of cancer
• Helps with the reduction of cholesterol
• It improves digestion
• It promotes heart health.
• It emits 90 percent fewer greenhouse gasses
• It gives diversity to the food dish on meatless days or during meatless meals and is a fantastic source of protein.

Drawbacks of Plant-Based Meats

• They are heavily processed and less nutritious than whole meals.
• Greater cost than meat
• The majority of plant-based meats are high in sodium
• They don’t have the nutrients that meat made from animals has, but you can maintain your body’s nutrient levels by taking health supplements.
• Many packaged plant-based meat products have additives such as processed oil, dextrose, added sugar, or modified cornstarch that you might not want to eat.

How to select more nutritious plant-based meats

People can choose healthier plant-based meats whether dining out or shopping by reading the ingredients or nutrition labels. Among the things to check for are:

• Components high in protein that could help people meet their daily protein requirements, like pea protein
• A list of whole foods rich in nutrients, such as vegetables, legumes, grains,beans, nuts, and seeds
• Lower sodium since the government recommends consuming no more than 2,300 mg daily
• Less than 10% of calories come from saturated fat
• Additional nutrients and vitamins, like vitamin B12 or vitamin D

What to avoid

• Added sugars: Even if they don’t completely avoid them, a person may want to limit their intake of components with the suffix “ose,” such as maltose, fructose, and glucose.
• Higher calories: If someone wants to reduce weight, this may be particularly true.
• Artificial ingredients: Lengthy list of artificial ingredients, fillers, or additives may be something some individuals want to stay away from. There is, however, no proof that these additions are dangerous.

Are Plant-Based Meats Healthy?

Are plant-based meats healthy in light of the benefits and drawbacks? Because there are so many different kinds of plant-based meats and manufacturing processes, there isn’t a simple answer. Some have hardly any components and go through little processing. They are rich in high-quality protein and contain some fiber, and they combine organic soy with other veggies. Protein, fiber, complex carbs, and antioxidants are all abundant in plant-based meats derived from pea protein and other legumes.

However, just like their processed meat counterparts, plant-based meats that are heavy in salt or that use sticky and sweet sauces and seasonings can have harmful amounts of sodium, sugar, and processed fats and oils.

The warning signs on food labels

Nutrients	Ingredients
Dietary fiber	Brown rice, lentils, black beans, wheat fiber, chickpeas, quinoa, red lentil, locust bean gum, buckwheat, adzuki bean, split peas, green peas, whole pear millet, soy fiber, bamboo, methylcellulose, mushrooms, mung beans, carrot, pumpkin
Protein	pea protein, soybeans, soy protein, hydrolyzed vegetable protein, mycoprotein, almonds
Carbohydrate or sugars	Potatoes, tapioca, rice flour, sweet potato, corn starch, potato starch, sugar, fructose, apple, tomato paste, wheat flour.
Fat or saturated fat vegetable	Vegetable oil, canola oil, sunflower oil, sunflower seeds, rice bran oil, coconut oil, flaxseed, cocoa butter, peanuts

Plant-Based Dietary Guidelines

When choosing plant-based meat, it’s important to keep the following in mind:

• The nutrient content, particularly proteins.
• The selection of ingredients used to make the meat.
• To learn about additives, read the label of products made with plant-based meat.
• This is the proper technique to safely enjoy plant-based meat-related food options.
• Verify that healthy fats were utilized.

Does plant-based meat have the same nutritional value?

Meat and plant-based meats are not nutritionally equivalent, although they may resemble one another in terms of appearance, flavor, and texture. Although they are different creatures and should not be viewed as interchangeable, it does not mean that one is superior to the other.

It makes sense that great effort has been made to make plant-based meat more resembling meat. This increases its appeal to those seeking a believable plant-based meat alternative as well as, possibly, to those accustomed to eating traditional meat. Leghemoglobin, a chemical generated from soy, red beet, berries, and carrot extracts that mimic the “juiciness” of meat, is frequently used in plant-based meat products as a result. Digestible fibers are used to mimic the texture, and plant-based proteins from sources like soy or peas are put in to reinforce the meat alternative. To imitate the nutritional benefits of meat, additional substances, such as vitamins and minerals (such as zinc and B12), are frequently added.

Ending Notes

Plant-based meat substitutes are a fantastic choice if you want to reduce your red meat intake. They enable people to switch to a plant-based diet without giving up the satisfying qualities of eating meat since they are so close to offering the nutrients and sensory qualities of a burger or sausage. While more study is required to determine their environmental effect (particularly as manufacturing scales up to meet customer demand), it currently appears that plant-based meat substitutes utilize less land, water, and energy than animal meat.

Writer: Ziana Jesin Bhuiyan

BRAC University

Edited and Designed By: Al-Resalat