Whether or not people should continue to consume animal products is always a personal choice and no one can change unless they want to. It’s often noted that most people avoid consuming meat for religious reasons, while some, because of their health conditions, avoid red meat.

 

However, the concocting debate of how much meat to be taken in a regular diet remains a mystery. Long-term food has indeed been significantly impacted in developing and industrialized nations, and existing eating habits endanger human health. Hence, it is not irrational that dietary recommendations are given by the government to take sustainability into account.

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WHY ARE PLANT-BASED MEAT ALTERNATIVES BECOMING MORE POPULAR?

 

Over the years, there have been numerous types of plant-based meat substitutes, ranging from soy-based simulated turkey to black-bean “burger” patties. Although these products are targeted mostly at people who stay true to vegan or vegetarian diets, they also contribute to the growing population, scaling back on how much meat they consume and moving to a “Flexitarian” lifestyle. It is a diet which consists mainly of plant-based vegetarian meals and sometimes meat or fish are included as well.

 

As a healthy and sustainable dietary preference, the recent development of these meat alternative food items, which shows close resemblance in taste and creamy texture of actual meat, has attracted the attention of viewers to a great extent.

 

Consumers are very aware of environmental conditions nowadays, and they have realized how farming and livestock can cause climate change. A survey by The Food and Agriculture Organisation stated that 14.5 percent of all human-induced greenhouse gas emissions are from the livestock industry.

 

Nearly 41 percent of the livestock industry’s beef supply chain is known to be one of the largest contributors to greenhouse gas emissions. As a result, many individuals abandon the eating of animal products while others go vegan to minimize greenhouse gas emissions. Consumption of red meat or highly processed meat causes health issues.

 

The Journal of the American Medical Association stated in one of the articles that the feasibility of plant-based meat alternatives is more as it can be seen that this will fulfill the challenges of feeding a balanced and sustainable diet to an estimated 10 billion people by 2050.

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UNDERSTANDING THE HEALTH AND ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS OF PLANT-BASED MEAT ALTERNATIVES:

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Plant-based meat substitutes are always considered healthy and more sustainable food choices but this depends on people’s perception. Food products may lose some of their substantial nutrients and phytochemicals found in the plant food based on the degree of processing.

 

A recent study suggests that too much intake of highly processed food can cause an excess gain of weight. According to a nutritionist, the best way to get nutrition is to eat everything which is considered as a whole meal. So, for example, if grains are not soaked adequately before cooking then the body would not be able to consume them properly.

 

Similarly, most the packed food is not prepared because it is highly processed. But if we equate them with animal meat then plant based-meat substitutes have the same nutritional values and have a smaller ecological footprint. The new plant-based meat contains an equivalent amount of protein and similar nutrients, which is not necessarily true for vegan and vegetarian products.