The Dark Side of Vegan Convenience Foods: More Salt, More Fat, Less Health?

7 mins

Vegan meat substitutes come with a health halo. But all is not what it seems.

The inexorable rise of veganism shows no signs of slowing. According to research conducted by Statista, the meat substitute market in UAE will be worth over AED 67m (US$18.3m) this year and is forecast to grow 7 per cent each year for the next four years.

The trend results from growing concerns about the consumption of conventional animal-based food products and the adoption of vegan diets in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic due to rising health awareness. Several food and beverage companies have launched plant-based or vegan meat and dairy products in Middle East and African markets, including Al Islami, Sadaf Co and Beyond Meat.

Switch Foods, the plant-based meat brand based in Abu Dhabi, is now available across the UAE in retailers including Carrefour, Organic Food Café, Grandiose, Geant, Union Coop, Sharjah Coop, Al Maya, Abella and Spinneys. 

More Harm than Good?

In addition to the ethical considerations, vegan diets are often perceived as a healthier way to eat. And vegan diets rich in a variety of vegetables, fruits, pulses, wholegrains and legumes are proven to provide health benefits, protecting against a range of life-limiting conditions including diabetes, heart disease and certain cancers.

But not all vegan products are created equal. And as our research shows, some of the most popular alternatives to processed meat products may be worse for your heart than the ‘junk’ food they are designed to replace. This is due to high levels of salt and fat. One popular meat free burger, Moving Mountain B12 burger, for example, contains considerably more fat, saturated fat and salt. and lower protein than a McDonald’s hamburger of the same weight.

A recent study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition appears to confirm that vegan diets which rely on processed meat alternatives, rather than wholefoods, can be detrimental to heart health. The study compared the cardiac effects of a meat diet to a diet where animal protein was substituted with plant-based ‘meat analogues’ (PBMAs), a category which includes products such as vegan sausages and vegan burgers.

The results showed glucose levels were more stable in the animal meat eaters.. suggesting that PBMAs are potentially more detrimental to heart health than the meat products they are designed to replace.

Researchers at Singapore Institute of Food and Biotechnology Innovation tested 89 participants who had an elevated risk of type 2 diabetes. Over eight weeks, 44 substituted animal meat with PBMAs, while the rest ate normally. Cardiometabolic markers including ‘bad’ LDL-cholesterol, blood pressure and glucose levels were monitored.

The results showed glucose levels were more stable in the animal meat eaters who also displayed modest improvements in blood pressure, suggesting that PBMAs are potentially detrimental to heart health than the meat products they are designed to replace.

In addition to high salt and fat, PBMAs are also ultra-processed foods (UPFs), which are increasingly linked to a range of conditions including certain cancers and heart disease. And it is not just vegan meat alternatives that are nutritionally inferior in terms of heart health. Many vegan dairy replacements also contain higher saturated fat levels.

The Not-so-Healthy Vegan Swap

Vegan diets are often seen as being healthier by default and while the evidence bears this out, replacing meat for ultra-processed facsimiles is not necessarily a healthy swap as in order to make vegan replacement products palatable they often include high levels of saturated fat, salt and sugar.

Indeed, as our analysis shows, in some cases small amounts of good quality meat could be a healthier option than some of the most popular brands.

According to McDonald’s nutritional calculator, a basic quarter pounder beef patty has 193cal per 100g with 13.3g fat, of which 6g are saturated fat. It also provides 17.5g of protein and 0.42g of salt per 100g. By comparison a Moving Mountains B12 burger provides 266cal and 20g of fat, of which 18g are saturated. It has 15g protein, and more than double the salt of a McDonald’s patty, at 1.1g per 100g. It is made from a cocktail of ingredients including coconut oil, pea protein, soya protein  concentrate, mushrooms, wheat gluten, starch, oat fibre, methyl cellulose, lactic acid and ascorbic acid.

Another popular brand, Beyond burger, provided 252cals, 19g fat, of which 5.6g is saturated, 17g protein and 0.75g salt. It has more fat and salt than a McDonald’s patty with comparable saturated fat and no wholefood element. Instead, ingredients include synthetic compounds such as methylcellulose and maltodextrin.

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‘The term plant-based conveys a health halo,’ says Larissa Zimberoff, author of Technically Food. ‘Depending on the burger, it could be ultra-processed and full of ingredients like fillers and additives.’

Just because a burger is made from plants instead of animals doesn’t automatically make it ‘healthier’ for you, says registered dietician Kara Lydon.

‘Compared to a meat-based burger, Beyond and Impossible contain roughly the same amount of saturated fat and more sodium,’ she adds, both of which, when over-consumed, can increase the risk of heart disease and stroke.

Benefits include helping to combat climate change because conventional animal agriculture represents 20 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions, and is the single largest source of methane emissions.

Despite the ‘plant-based’ label, most processed meat analogues contain no whole plants. The various proteins used such as soya protein and pea protein are chemically extracted from the source. In doing so vitamins, minerals and beneficial plant polyphenols, which have been shown to have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant qualities, are lost.

The Silver Lining

It is not all bad news however. Less processed meat substitutes which contain beans and whole vegetables are healthier and there is a place for limited consumption of meat free burgers, chicken and kebabs.

In a recent report, the Good Food Institute Europe concluded that beyond reducing the harmful overconsumption of red and processed meat, plant-based meat can deliver important public health benefits. These include helping to combat climate change because conventional animal agriculture represents 20 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions, and is the single largest source of methane emissions.

‘Switching to plant-based meat can cut these emissions by 80-90 per cent,’ the report says.

Meatless meat can also help counter antimicrobial resistance because plant-based meat production does not require antibiotics. It can also contribute to reducing pandemic risk, as using animals for food is a key driver of pandemics, both from exposure to diseases circulating among farmed animals and increased exposure to wild animals resulting from deforestation.

The report acknowledges the health concerns around PBMAs and points out that there is a large body of evidence on the numerous benefits of plant-based whole foods, such as whole grains, beans and vegetables. However, the authors believe that plant-based meat can offer consumers convenient options that are easy to incorporate into their diets as they transition towards more plant-based eating of whole foods.

This, say the experts, should be the goal. Whole foods are not only UPF-free, so we aren’t ingesting unwanted compounds, they provide a wide range of micronutrients, often in synergistic combinations which are easier for the body to absorb. Although many vegan alternatives are fortified with vitamins and minerals which goes some way to improving their micronutrient profile, the body is better designed to digest whole foods, not foods that have had synthetic substances added.

Ultimately, for those looking to reduce their meat intake, rather than rely on processed alternatives, it is healthier to eat high protein plants such as lentils, chickpeas, nuts, quinoa, tofu, tempeh, chia seeds and beans.

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