All the vegetable alternatives to meat products are currently booming. More and more consumers are looking for rich plant foods that promise to provide the same intake protein of food of animal origin. But what if this wasn't true? What if plant food and meat substitutes they will not really give you the proteins necessary? New studies They are revealing interesting facts about this matter. Here we tell you the conclusions of one of the last ones.
Is there a lack of protein in meat substitutes?
There are many studies that address the issue of plant food. And recently, it has been discovered that One in every four Alternative vegetable products to meat do not have enough protein that our body needs. And not only that, but they are not substitutes for other protein sources.
This issue is very important, since there is a deficiency It would be of this nutrient in our diet. Therefore, you need to take a good look at the product labels to see if that food really meets Your nutritional needs. You should not only look at whether or not it is vegan.
What do plant products give us?
Plant foods mimic appearance, organoleptic qualities, the cooking behavior and the delicious taste of meat products. In addition, they are low in calories, high in vitamins and minerals, and high in fiber and complex carbohydrates. But the problem is that a good part of them does not replace the protein intake of animal food.
The public body of food, responsible for educating consumers on issues related to food safety and healthy eating in Ireland, has been in charge of sharing and contributing the study that talks about the lack of proteins in this type of products.
To reach these conclusions, they have analyzed the nutritional content of 35 products of plant origin. These were advertised as meat substitutes and they could be purchased in any Irish supermarket between the months of April and May of last year 2020. Among them were hamburgers, minced meat, nuggets, sausages, falafel, etc.
After all this process of analysis, they observed several things. First, plant products had less fat and less saturated fat, something good and what plant foods boast about. In second place, they had more salt, something to control if you have high blood pressure or other complications. And, thirdly, that they contributed less protein, something more harmful to our body, since we ingest them to strengthen and maintain bones, muscles and skin, among other things.
Another piece of information from this important study is that a large part of this type of food analyzed is ultra-processed. Something that you should also take into account to have a healthy eating habit. The ultra-processed are industrial formulations, mainly based on substances extracted or derived from foods, in addition to additives and cosmetics that give color, flavor or texture to try to imitate the real ingredient. In this case, that of animal origin.
How much protein do we need?
The minimum percentage of energy necessary that you have to obtain from proteins to carry a healthy diet is between the 12 and 19% per product. This means that this food is a good source of protein. And if its content in said nutrient exceeds 20%, it can be talked about a product rich in protein. The problem comes when many plant foods, a quarter according to the Safefood study, cannot be considered neither a source of nor rich in protein.
Obviously the meat substitutes they are still suitable for eating without eating real meat and for following a vegetarian or vegan diet. But you must bear in mind that the fact that a product has been made with vegetable raw materials does not mean that it is healthier than other made from animals. It is also important that you read the food labels. These will give you the necessary information to know what and how much protein the product provides you. You will also check if it meets all your nutritional needs, despite discarding meat from your usual diet.
