Are Plant-Based Meats Healthy?
True to form, one of our frequent commenters cherry-picks a few aspects of plant-based meat that are sub-optimum for health. In fact, here’s one he missed: Both the Impossible Burger and the Beyond Burger have more than five times as much sodium as an unseasoned beef patty.
Yet, in the interest of fairness, they:
• have zero cholesterol, as opposed to the 100 milligrams of cholesterol in an 85-percent lean-beef burger.
• contain more of the essential mineral iron than a beef burger does.
• are not linked to increased risk for colorectal and other cancers.
• are not fed antibiotics, a practice that contributes to the rise of antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
• have more protein and less fat.
I’m sure the debate about red meat, in terms of human health, will continue ad infinitum. By contrast, there is very little debate about the ethics of industrial meat farming or it horrific effects on the environment. I know that our “frequent commenter” takes issue with all this. Whatever. I urge anyone with an honest interest in this to simply Google the subject and take a peek at the many millions of articles that result.
Craig,
My objections to your enthusiasm for the aptly named Impossible Burger and Beyond Burger are not based on a few ” cheery picked ” dietary facts, but the dishonesty of the two organizations.
My objections would equally apply to the coy and sly manner the ingredients of all synthetically manufactured or highly processed are labeled.
I firmly believe the correct information should be freely available on the packaging in clear and plain language easily recognizable for consumers to understand.
If, armed with enough proper information, a consumer to purchase and consumer a chemical synthetically produced product, that’s their right as a consumer.
But these product should not be labeled deceptively. They are not “meat” , not even “meat substitutes”, since they don’t contain the same nutritional benefits.
If correctly labeled using clear and easily understood terms for the process and ingredients were provided to describe the constituents of these synthetically produced chemical burgers, I doubt whether many people would opt to consume such concoctions.
I think from memory I listed more than 12 dangerous or dubious chemicals used in the production of these burgers, as well as the metabolic unsuitability. That’s not “cherry picking” !
The reason the companies and advocates are afraid of correct labeling is because they know there claims are dishonest.
Over hundreds of thousands of years evolution has provided human beings with probably one of the most diverse, complex and efficient metabolic systems of processing food of any animal that ever existed.
An essential part of human dietary health is the consumption of all the food groups, including meat. As a species we probably owe our high intelligence and survival to our ability to split bones and consume marrow. We invented fire to cook meat !
Meat eating is built into the human diet. We need VB12, unlike other animals, our bodies can’t synthesize B12, we need a balanced diet that includes red meat.
The human dietary system evolved to easily absorb heme iron from red meat. Red meat also supplies vitamin B12, which helps make DNA and keeps nerve and red blood cells healthy. Red meat (including pork) provides easily absorbed zinc, which keeps the immune system working properly. Red meat is also provides the most easily absorbed form of protein,especially in growing boys, which is essential for building bones and muscle.
There is a lot of debate about dietary value of different types of Cholesterol. Cholesterol is produced by the liver and by most cells in the body. Carried around in the body in the blood stream by lipoproteins, Cholesterol builds cell membranes, assists in the production of hormones like oestrogen, testosterone and adrenal hormones. Cholesterol is also essential to produce vitamin D and bile acids, allowing the body digest fat and absorb important nutrients.
Cholesterol is produced by the human liver, and some researchers argue consumption of additional cholesterol is unnecessary and even harmful in excess. Other research points to evidence that red meat consumption aids the liver in producing “good” cholesterol, (High-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol. Commonly called ‘good’ cholesterol, because it helps remove excess cholesterol out of the cells, including cells in the arteries)This is especially for humans where the liver is deficient or suffering from stress.
Evolution equipped the human species to eat meat. Humans evolved largely because of our ability to consume meat and a wide variety of food sources, we are the planet’s most advanced Omnivore. Any dentist will confirm the human jaw is equipped with an array of equally important tools (Teeth) specialized to allow the consumption of the widest possible diet. The include large canine teeth adapted to cut flesh (meat).
These excessive use of antibiotics in livestock production has been a matter of debate. Essentially, excessive over use of antibiotics in cattle production is largely a myth, or obsolete in most most nations. Expense, government regulation and the growth of cheaper and more effective methods (such as probiotics) of dealing with health issues in raising cattle has rendered excessive antibiotic use a thing of the past.
The widespread use of livestock drugs such as the ionophores, are often erroneously confused as being antibiotics which they’re not. Ionophores and other livestock medicines pose absolutely no potential risk to human health.
But for those still concerned, most western nations have certified “organic” cattle farms.
In the US Organic meat production is governed by USDA’s national organic standards implemented in 2002.
These standards state that animals must be raised using organic management practices and that organically-raised livestock must be separated from their conventional counterparts. The use of growth-enhancing hormones and sub-therapeutic antibiotics is prohibited.
Cattle can receive preventive medical care (e.g., vaccines) and dietary vitamin and mineral supplements. Cattle can only be fed 100% organically-produced feed that is free of animal by-products. Furthermore, cattle must have access to the outdoors, shade, exercise areas, fresh air, and direct sunlight. Organically-raised cows must have access to pasture.
[US Dept of Agriculture).
Organic Beef cost a little more, but so does everything worthwhile. Organic farming is not environmentally harmful. (I’m an organically certified farmer).
As for only consuming meat as a “treat”, well, there’s some truth in that statement. The US in particular probably over consumes meat and corn at the expense of other dietary needs.
A daily intake of animal products are essential for human health, but humans are not carnivorous and need to consume a balanced diet. A balanced diet depends upon many factors and is different for every individual.
As a large male of Anglo-Saxon genetic background entering late middle age(reluctantly)with a fairly sedentary lifestyle, I should definitely reduce my consumption of rich foods eaten at night accompanied by too much alcohol.
For most of us in the affluent nations, diet is largely a matter of lifestyle and choice.
Regrettably, it’s the nature of human culture that some over-consume while others have no choice but to forgo the essential needs of a well balanced diet.