You would have to live under a rock to not know about the Plant-based, meat-free meat health trend currently going on. Burger King, Dunkin Donuts, Sport Stadiums, and Grocery Stores are providing this healthier option for customers. Various articles, commercials, and activists are talking about and/or advocating for this meatless meat product that supposedly looks, smells and tastes like meat, without any meat at all. Hence, the impossible in Impossible Burger. BUT is it really all that's it worked up to be? Is fake meat fulfilling the need for a healthier, more sustainable meat alternative?

I was working with a recent patient, when towards the end of our conversation, he sat up a little higher and with pride, told me he ate the impossible burger at Burger King the day prior. Now, I could tell he expected me to congratulate him, to tell him what a great job he did by choosing the impossible burger instead of the regular beef one. For, in his past, Dietitians, myself included, have encouraged and recommended he incorporate more of a plant-based diet. This burger, made of plants, should surely fall under this diet and healthy living shouldn’t it? Now, its important to know, my facial expressions have gotten me in trouble more than a few times (ask my mother and husband haha) and so, as the patient’s look of pride switched to surprise, I can assume here, my face told it all. So, I sat back down and discussed with him, my thoughts and the science around, plant-based meats, the good, the bad and the ugly.

I want to share this with you as well because, yes, I believe there is a place in the world for meatless burgers however, that place is much much smaller than what the fad has evolved into.

The Ingredient List

Being a dietitian, I am an ingredient stickler more times than not... so you can guess what my thoughts are on the 17-22 ingredients founds in the Impossible Burger, Beyond Meat burger and other fake meat products. Meat, on the other hand, has one to two ingredients...beef. Let's look deeper into the ingredients in these ‘meat alternatives.’

The first in the Impossible Burger and therefore, the ingredient with the greatest amount in the product is Soy Concentrate, while Beyond Meat Products are Water and Pea Protein Isolate. Soy is controversial with health and especially in some female cancers. I discussed this in great detail in my recent Is Dairy Healthy? article. But, to put it simply, I do not recommend unnatural soy products (soy isolate/concentrate), to anyone due to the unnatural higher level of isoflavones. There are better options like Pea Protein. Pea Protein, as discussed in the same article mentioned above, is one of the highest quality and better alternatives to animal proteins due to its natural high protein content. Hence why, you are now seeing Pea milk, protein powder, bars and so forth.

*“they are super highly processed foods…eating highly processed foods is not healthy…people thrive on eating whole foods."*

Whole Foods CEO & Vegan, John Mackey comments on Plant-based ‘meats’

The other ingredients are plant-based fats (sunflower, coconut or canola oil) as well as various fillers in order to get the product to a texture consistent with real meat.

More ingredients, most often means more processing and engineering. Makes sense for the fake meat products to need many more ingredients in order to become something it is not, right?

But, What about the Environment?

Just like most nutrition topics, there are many inaccuracies and misconceptions on this topic, that continue to be repeated. but meat production results in an immense amount of greenhouses gases right? I am an advocate to keep our earth healthy and restored for. I limit my use plastic bags (trying to 100% cut these out with reusable bag like Stasher & Useable Mesh Tote Bags ), try and eliminate food waste in our home, rarely ever buy paper towels/plates or plastic water bottles, use Tupperware and bamboo silverware instead of plastic, and moreover, continue to cut back on decreasing what we throw out, whether materials or food. But, I think it is important to note that eliminating meat is not the answer to helping the environment.

Diana Rogers, Dietitian, Organic Farmer and international speaker on health and sustainability issues in the food system can help us debunk these claims. She states, “meat itself isn’t evil, it’s the method by which we farm it (feed lots and CAFOs-Confined Animal Feeding Operations) and how we prepare it (breaded and deep fried), and what we eat alongside it (fries, and a large soda).” Taking cows, chickens and pigs out of stalls and factories and into a pasture is one step in the right direction to help the environment. Moreover, Regenerative Farming is what needs to be spoken about more.

“meat itself isn’t evil, it’s the method by which we farm it, prepare it & what we eat along side it.”

Diana Rogers, Dietitian, Sustainable Farmer

Many think, moving into a more pasture raising/feeding process, livestock are then taking acres away from crops. Livestock on pastureland, however is a separate type of land that, many times, can’t be used for vegetable production, and the grazing of cattle on pasture actually helps improve the soil. Regenerative agriculture, a soil-focused farming technique is where many believe, we need to move into. I was lucky enough to visit a small farm in Kankakee, IL a few years ago that follows this practice. This sustainable farm has chickens, cows, and crops that rotate in order to improve soil (manure to fertilize vs chemicals that deplete the soil ) and allow for more nature feeding for chickens and cows. This sustainable farm practice can actually reduce emissions, hence why companies, Like General Mills are beginning to employ regenerative agriculture practices as you can read in this article.

Water is another misunderstood area of meats impact on the environment. PS Regenerate Farming can actually improve water retention as well (another win). But back to meat and water usage, it’s important to know, there are different types of water sources (blue, green, gray). Gray is waste, blue comes from lakes, streams and underground, while green is from natural rain. Diane Rogers explains that “94% of the water “used” to make typical beef and 97% of the water used to make grass-finished beef is naturally occurring rainfall.” The water focus is on meat, have you ever looked at what the water production looks like for plant-based foods?

A recent LCA study showed ground beef take takes 280 gallons of water to produce. Grass-finished beef takes 50 to 100 gallons per pound to produce. While a pound of rice requires about 410 gallons to produce. Almost three times as much as grass-fed beef. It is not only rice, as avocados, walnuts, and sugar have similar water requirements.

What I am trying to open your eyes to is that MEAT is not evil and it is not the ONLY food that uses water or gives off greenhouse emissions. We need to change how it is done, not its existence. AND, even more important, it can also be an answer to help reverse emissions and restore our depleted top soil.

Is Meat Alternatives Healthier than the Real thing?

Vegans and carnivores have one thing in common, eat real foods! Meat can be a very nutrient-dense option, providing various vitamins and minerals that many plants are unable to provide, and if they do, it is in much smaller amounts. Meat, is a good source for selenium, B vitamins, Zinc, Iron, as well as phosphorus. Vegans, eliminating all animal proteins, for example, are recommended to supplement their diet with B12, calcium, zinc, and iron in order to obtain adequate nutrients. Animal proteins can be apart of a healthy diet. And, I believe, animal proteins can be nourishing. The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (AND) recommends one-fourth of your plate be protein. One-Fourth! The remainder of the plate is non-starchy vegetables (half) and starchy carbohydrates (one-fourth). AND also recommends leaner animal proteins the majority of the time in order to limit saturated fats to 7-10% of total calories. The American Institute of Cancer Research suggests limiting red meat (beef, pork, veal, lamb, goat) to three portions/week or 12-18 oz cooked weight as well as to limit processed meats (sausages, hot dogs, bacon, ham). So again, all animal proteins are not created equal, certain amounts of them can be part of a healthy & nourishing lifestyle and diet.

My Protein Intake

I will admit, in 2019, one of the biggest changes I have made has been adding in more plant-based proteins. I will add hemp seeds, chick peas, hummus, lentils, black or white beans, oats, and even tofu sometimes to my meals and snacks for the main reason of adding in more variety to my diet. I eat enough meat and I will continue to eat meat. The amount of meat has decreased slightly, while natural plant-based foods have most definitely increased.

For dinners, I’ll make a whole chicken every week or every other, as well as ground turkey, shrimp and then 2-3 servings of red meat/week in the form of burgers, chops, loins, or a skirt steak. We will smoke some sausage or have some on our pizza every now and then, and the occasion baby back smoked ribs, ahh so good. Lunches are usually meat free using hemp seeds, nuts, lentils, and maybe cottage cheese. Animal proteins at breakfast would only be eggs and diary mixed in with oats and other plant-based foods. We have also decreased our deli meat consumption, as I only buy occasionally and when I do, I Get Green Ridge Naturals. Can you see the balance? Somewhat similar to what is recommended above right? It is also important to note, that I try and buy more sustainable & local animal proteins as much as possible as well.

Michele…yes or no, are alternative meats healthier for you?

Fake Meats, I would say absolutely no, however whole real food alternatives aka black bean, quinoa, mushrooms burgers, I believe are absolutely, nutritious alternatives. I would love to see Burger King, White Castle, Dunkin Donuts etc. start selling black bean vegetarian burgers, where the first ingredients is an actual food, that you can also make at home yourself, than something made in a lab aka not real food.

One of my favorite black bean burger recipes, Homemade Black Bean Veggie Burger, is delicious, nutrient dense, made with REAL food and can easily be made at home.

What a Plant-based burger should be, made with real food.

Black beans, green pepper, onion, garlic, flax egg, bread crumbs, and spices.

Jack Fruit is another meat alternative due to it’s similar texture however, it is limited due to lacking protein. My tip for you, split a burger and fill the rest of your plate with veggies and 1/2 a baked (sweet) potato. Or, if you want to opt in for a non-meat burger, go for a real food one, like the black bean recipe above. Simply put, I believe, a man-made, fake meat, engineered food is not healthier and I do not want you to think you are healthier for choosing it. Let’s first focus on decreasing processed high sugar/fat foods and adding in more vegetables to our diet instead of trying to hide our veggies in our meat. For, if you want to improve your health by eating more nourishing foods, there are far better and more impactful actions that can be taken rather than ordering an Impossible Burger at Burger King.

Where Fake Meat Fits

Before, I leave you I want to share where I believe these Fake Meat Burgers can fit, as I do believe there is a place for them. First off, I am 100% believe all foods can fit. If you really enjoy a plant-based burger (even over the real thing) why not enjoy it every so often. Similar to other “not as nourishing,“ highly processed food options. We try to not eat them too often, right? And when we do, we enjoy and savor them.

The other more specific place for plant-based ‘meat’ is for vegetarians and vegans. A vegan actually brought this to my attention and I could not agree more. Going to a football game, burger joint, or many fast food restaurants, many times there are not a lot of options for vegan/vegetarians minus a pretzel or fries. What if they could also enjoy a burger when out with friends and not have to compromise their lifestyle choices? Real food plant-based burgers can be hard to fine, but the Impossible/Beyond Burger are now an option for this population. So, for me, I will choose the meat burger, but, if you choose to not eat meat, you now have the option to enjoy a (meatless) burger as well.

Michele Fumagalli, RD, LDN

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The Fake Meat Fad: Is Plant Based 'Meat' Healthy?