Plant-Based Meats: An Emerging Trend
More people are starting to eat plant-based meats these days. These are foods made to look and taste like meat but are made from plants instead.
They’re often made from things like soy, wheat, or peas, or from fungus. People eat them for health reasons, but we don’t know a lot about how healthy they really are.
Comparing Plant-Based Meats to Real Meats
A group of researchers looked at different types of plant-based meats. They compared them to the real meats they were meant to replace.
The team checked things like burgers, meatballs, sausages, and bacon. They looked at their nutrient content and overall healthiness.
The Results: Healthier, but Not Perfect
In general, plant-based meats were healthier than the real meats. They had less saturated fat and salt. They also had more fiber and fewer calories. However, they often had more sugar.
The big issue, though, was nutrients. Only a small number of the plant-based meats had important nutrients like iron, vitamin B12, and zinc. These are nutrients you usually get from meat.
The Importance of Balanced Diet
Daisy Coyle, a dietitian, warned that eating only plant-based meats isn’t enough. If you don’t eat real meat, you need to get these nutrients from other foods.
You could eat things like eggs, cheese, milk, and yogurt. You could also eat vegetables like spinach and broccoli, or foods like tofu, nuts, and seeds, and beans and legumes.
She suggested that people should eat plant-based meats in moderation. They can be part of a healthy diet, but they shouldn’t be the only source of protein.
If you’re not vegetarian or vegan, you can also eat lean meats and seafood.
Final Thoughts
Plant-based meats can be a good alternative to real meats. They’re generally healthier, but they might not have all the nutrients you need.
So, if you’re thinking about eating more plant-based meats, make sure to balance them out with other foods. The study is published in the journal Nutrition & Dietetics.
If you care about brain health, please read studies about how the Mediterranean diet could protect your brain health, and a quick, easy scan can reveal your dementia risk.
For more information about brain health, please see recent studies about antioxidants that could help reduce dementia risk, and higher magnesium intake could help benefit brain health.
The study was published in Nutrition and Diabetics.
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