Why do vegans eat fake meat? Vegans and vegetarians eat fake meat because it's familiar, convenient, and tastes good. Let's explore each of these reasons in more detail.
After going vegan, people may still crave some of the animal-derived foods they're familiar with, since our taste buds can take time to adjust. Vegan meats, nondairy milk, and other vegan products can help bridge the gap and make it easier to enjoy the same flavors without harming animals.
As vegans we're very passionate about our ethical beliefs in regards to animals. But consuming meat analogues does not harm animals, nor does it compromise our ethics. And although there may be some uncanny similarities in names, appearances, flavors and textures, there is no cruelty involved.
Controversial Ingredients
Plant-based meat alternatives often contain more sodium than animal meats—in some examples up to six times more—and some of them contain added sugars, artificial coloring, and controversial additives like carrageenan and methylcellulose, which are bulking agents.
While a grilled chicken breast would count as minimally processed, or possibly “processed” if you include a bit of salt and oil, those “plant chicken goujons BBQ” are indubitably ultra-processed, containing over 30 ingredients, including methylcellulose, maltodextrin and dried glucose syrup.
Veganism can also be a precursor to disordered or obsessive eating, which may have health consequences. Veganism is a very restrictive diet and cuts out many foods, which may prove difficult to those who are at risk for developing eating disorders or who already struggle with unhealthy relationships with food.
Fake meat does not have good nutrition value
Fake meat is high in sodium, containing at least 16% of your daily requirements (the Impossible Burger and the Beyond Meat burger sodium content.) Real meat contains only 4% of your daily value of sodium, in comparison. Fake meat is low in overall nutrition.
Despite the media hype and investments in marketing, lobbying and advertising, synthetic and vegetable meat do not solve environmental problems, and pose a health risk. This was revealed by the new IPES-Food report.
One of the major arguments used to justify meat-eating is the hypothesis that animals don't have sentience (at least, not on the same level as humans do). This argues that animals don't suffer, at least not like humans, because they aren't as aware of their surroundings.
Most meat, dairy and eggs are produced in ways that largely or completely ignore animal welfare – failing to provide sufficient space to move around, contact with other animals, and access to the outdoors. In short, industrial farming causes animals to suffer without good justification.
Taking a digestive aid or doing something lightly active like taking a walk may also help alleviate discomfort sooner rather than later. In most cases, your body will process the animal product appropriately, even if you're experiencing mild discomfort.
We've all spoken to vegans and vegetarians who say they “don't miss meat”, and they are likely telling the truth, however with that being said, craving meat and dairy early in the transition of your diet is completely normal and those very people who don't miss the stuff, have likely been through this phase too.
Nutritionally, adding meat to your diet isn't harmful unless you have an allergy, which is very rare. Still, some people may have a sensitivity to certain foods or even anxiety related to what they eat, which can cause symptoms like heart palpitations and indigestion.
It even says quite plainly in the research findings: “84 percent of vegetarians/vegans abandon their diet.” As some argue, trying a plant-based or mostly plant-based diet for less than three months does not “make” you a vegetarian or vegan, and so to claim that may be overstepping the mark.
They avoid meat for various reasons such as taste preferences, religion, animal welfare, the environmental impact of meat production (environmental vegetarianism), health considerations, and antimicrobial resistance. Vegans also abstain from other animal products, such as dairy products and eggs, for similar reasons.
In Leviticus 11, the Lord speaks to Moses and Aaron and sets out which animals can be eaten and which cannot: “You may eat any animal that has a divided hoof and that chews the cud. There are some that only chew the cud or only have a divided hoof, but you must not eat them.
Well … Although many humans choose to eat both plants and meat, earning us the dubious title of “omnivore,” we're anatomically herbivorous. The good news is that if you want to eat like our ancestors, you still can: Nuts, vegetables, fruit, and legumes are the basis of a healthy vegan lifestyle.
One of the earliest followers of what we now consider a vegan diet was Arab philosopher and poet Al-Maʿarri who abstained from animal products for his health and beliefs on the transmigration of souls and animal welfare.
Demand for meat is only going up
And production is expected to continue to grow. By 2050, global meat consumption is projected to reach between 460 million and a staggering 570 million tons.
1. Quorn Meatless Patties. Of all the meat-substitute products out there, the British company Quorn has done the best at nailing the flavor and texture of the food it's emulating—a rare fake meat that can actually stand tall next to the real thing.
Plant- and fungus-based substitutes are frequently made with soy (e.g. tofu, tempeh, and textured vegetable protein), but may also be made from wheat gluten as in seitan, pea protein as in the Beyond Burger, or mycoprotein as in Quorn.
Unfortunately, even though an alternative to beef is better for the environment, it may not necessarily be better for your health. The Beyond Meat burger has 18 ingredients, the Impossible Burger has 21. Both are highly processed and contain several additives and inflammatory oils.
Like any eating plan to restrict specific food groups, vegan diets can come up short in essential nutrients such as protein, calcium, iron and vitamin B12. If planned and supplemented (as needed) appropriately, vegan diets can certainly be a part of a healthy lifestyle.
And this checks out – a summary of multiple trials found that vegetarian diets result in lower LDL levels than those which include meat. In a more general sense, massive studies of thousands of people agree that vegan diets are associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular disease than omnivorous ones.
Popular animal-derived fining agents used in the production of wine include blood and bone marrow, casein (milk protein), chitin (fiber from crustacean shells), egg albumen (derived from egg whites), fish oil, gelatin (protein from boiling animal parts), and isinglass (gelatin from fish bladder membranes).