In Norway there are over ten brands that make several plant-based meat alternatives. Among them we find burgers, mince, sausages, nuggets, and veggieballs. This is ideal for anyone that wants to reduce meat consumption or quit animal products.
In this article I’m going to brainstorm some of the pros and cons of plant-based meat options available in our stores and I will finish with a reflection about the use of these products. If you would like to learn more about mock meat from a nutritional approach, Fueled by Science has a simple yet well explained article in this regard.
When is mock meat a good choice?
Mock meat is processed food, usually made from pea, soy or wheat protein, created in colour, shape and taste close to meat. Despite its processed nature, mock meat can be really convenient in a lot of situations. For example:
When transitioning to a vegan diet. Mock meat will become your sidekick and help you change your diet faster. There is a wide variety of products, shapes, flavours and brands available in any regular supermarket, and that’s fabulous!
When socialising with non-vegan friends. Fake meat definitely makes socialising and spontaneous meetings much easier. When meeting with friends for a bbq, Friday taco or a grill in the park, you can bring the appropriate food for the event and stop worrying about what to eat.
When looking for comfort food. Plant-based alternatives give you the chance to recreate specific dishes you might be missing. Also some products are enriched with vitamins, are high in protein and can keep you full for a while.
When lacking time to cook your meals. They are usually cooked very quickly. Besides, some of these products are frozen, being very useful for hectic days when eating fresh products is not an option.
When caring about your environmental impact. If your main reason to go vegan is to reduce your impact on the Earth, then switching to plant-based alternatives is a wise decision.
When should mock meat be avoided?
When trying to save money. As mentioned above, plant-based options have many advantages but they are expensive. It may be possible to buy it every now and then or for special occasions, but it’s definitely not a daily or weekly option if you are a student or your budget for food is tight. For the same amount of money you can have fresh veggies or legumes that will serve you for more than one or two meals.
When you want to eat healthily. It is well known that you can be vegan and still not be healthy. Giving up animal products doesn’t necessarily mean that you follow a balanced plant-based diet, so you can surely be vegan and eat junk food. The main con with mock meat is that it’s highly processed and contains high saturated foods, which can become unhealthy if you eat a lot of them.
At the end of the day, however, what matters is how balanced your diet is together with physical activity. Most of the time it’s not about what you eat, but what you are not eating instead. A good way to look at these products is as if it was a treat, like an ice cream, consuming it every now and then but not making your diet rely on these products.
We are very lucky in Norway to have such a huge variety of plant-based alternatives available. Companies that create these products should be supported and encouraged by the vegan community to keep improving the range of the products available and making healthier, more environmentally friendly alternatives.
