Has anyone ever said to you, “I don’t understand why someone would want to eat fake meat!”? Or the common “If you want to be vegetarian, then just eat vegetables. Stop trying to mimic meat if you hate it so much!”? Whether it’s the vegetarian bacon in the grocery store or the faux chicken on the Chinese menu, someone, usually an omnivore, has something to say about it. As a plant-based eater and someone who loves eating out at vegetarian restaurants and happily orders “beef” bourguignon and General Tso’s “chicken”, I’d like to explain. I’ll discuss why plant-based eaters may like it, whether or not it’s “healthy”, and recommendations on incorporating it into your own plant-based life. 

People follow vegetarian diets for many different reasons whether it’s ethical, religious, health, environmental or a combination of some or all. Rarely have I heard of someone going vegan or vegetarian simply for the fact that they don’t like meat. Most of us were not raised on a plant-based diet though kudos to you if you were! On a personal level, I didn’t stop eating meat because I didn’t like it. In fact, I loved it. But, I loved animals and their wellbeing a lot more. Prior to going veg, salami and Big Macs were my jam so when I find something similar to either of these in vegetarian form, you can only imagine how excited I get to try them. 

Just like we all have our own reasons for being plant-based, we each have our own version of comfort foods and reasons for eating them. You can still be plant-based and find the taste and texture of meat or a meat-based dish comforting but not want to consume it because of x,y,z reasons. That’s why fake meat is so wonderful. It allows you to experience these flavors and memories without the downside of actually consuming an animal. Additionally, it’s pretty amazing that there are so many inventive brands that are able to make these meat analogues without harming a single living being! Shouldn’t that actually promote a plant-based style of eating even more?

Is “Fake Meat” Healthy?

Now to the real “meat” of this debate (hehe, I like puns!), is “fake meat” healthy? There are two (or more) ways to look at this. First off, no matter what, “fake” meat is going to be processed and I’d potentially dare to call it “ultra processed”.  Based on scientific research, like this recent study, we know that eating whole, unprocessed foods in their natural form is the healthiest way to eat. But, there’s also time, convenience, taste, variety, accessibility etc to consider. Most of us don’t always eat the healthiest forms of food, nor should we have to. Let’s strive to be as healthy as we can without beating ourselves up while allowing ourselves to enjoy some of that processed stuff every once in a while. Secondly, is “fake meat” healthier than real, actual meat? This is a hard one to answer because we’re not comparing apples to apples. To be fair, I’m only going to consider processed meats, such as ones you’d find in the freezer aisle or in the deli section of a grocery store. I also didn’t bring in the big hitter plant-based burgers like Beyond and Impossible because those have been written about extensively like here and here. Below are comparisons of meat and plant-based versions of chicken nuggets, ham and sausage.  

Chicken Nuggets Vs “Chik’n” Nuggets

Upon first glance of the nutrition facts labels, the nutrient content is very similar between the meat and plant=based nuggets. However, the serving size of the vegetarian nuggets is smaller than the chicken nuggets, 4 nuggets vs 6. This actually means that the plant-based option is higher in fat, sodium, carbohydrates, and protein. Not looking great for the “chik’n” although one thing it has going for it is that it has some fiber; the chicken nuggets don’t have any. As far as the ingredients, they are also very similar - a long list and clearly very processed.

Ham vs “Ham”

Unlike the chicken nugget comparison, the veggie ham has a bigger serving size of 4 slices where the ham has a serving size of 2. Therefore, the plant-based “ham” is much lower in calories, fat, sodium, and protein. The “ham” also has some iron where the actual meat ham has none. However, there are a lot less ingredients on the actual ham, 6 in total. The Lightlife version contains 14.

Sausage vs “Sausage”

Again, we’re not getting similar serving sizes but we can double the meat sausage to equal the veggie version (to get them similar in grams). Calories are very similar however the meat version has a lot more fat (12g vs 8g total fat, 4g vs 0.5g saturated fat) and sodium. The meat sausage is also lower in total carbohydrates, protein, and iron. The Field Roast sausage has a lot more ingredients though. 

Comparison Analysis

Based on these three comparisons, we can conclude that the fake meat is not really any healthier than the real meat with the exception of the Field Roast sausage which is better for heart health due to the lower fat and sodium content. As suspected, we’re comparing processed to processed and neither are going to improve your health in general. However, these plant-based options are good in a pinch for protein and even iron. Plus these are just 3 examples of so many different types of meats and fake meats so it’s always good to take a look at the nutrition facts and ingredients list when shopping. Some fake meat that you can find at a restaurant may not be this processed and may be tofu or tempeh based, in which case they are likely a lot healthier than their meat counterparts, particularly when comparing fat. You can also buy seitan at the store as a meat substitute which, again is processed, but much lower in fat than most meat. It’s also important to consider that no matter what the “health status” on these plant-based meats are, they’re still going to be much better for the planet than actual meat from a sustainability point of view.  

The Bottom Line

To put this all into perspective and answer the ultimate question, are fake meats healthy and should you include them in the diet? Honestly, it really depends on you and what you’re comfortable with. Based on the comparisons above and what we know about processed foods, it’s going to be a healthier choice to eat whole foods in their purest forms. Plant-based proteins such as beans, tofu, tempeh, lentils, whole grains, nuts, seeds, etc, are the better choices. Plus, it is truly remarkable what you can do with these types of foods and how they can be transformed from bland options into beautiful and luxurious dishes! However, it’s unlikely that those types of foods are all going to come together in 15 minutes or less and you’ll probably dirty some dishes in the process. Plus, are those more natural options going to replace the BBQ ribs that you used to love at your family’s Fourth of July BBQs or the sandwiches that you used to bring on picnics at the beach? Probably not. Ultimately, there is and should be room for fake meats if you like them and they provide comfort and good flavor for you. To summarize, let’s all enjoy them sparingly, such as only once a week or less. Don’t let the haters bring you down. It’s ok to like fake meat and it’s perfectly fine to eat them once in a while too!