Alternatives that taste like "The REAL thing!"

Thought this moght be a good place to check.

 I am looking for healthy products --substitutes that taste like the real thing. I have had yucky food trauma in the past with soy yogurt so I am looking for advice on the best brands, etc. to start making healthier substitutes in my diet. I do eat meat so meat substitutes that actually taste GOOD would be appreciated, too!

Thanks!

Turkey Bacon is great, and healthier compared to the regular stuff. (20 cals. a slice. ^__^)

There's a brand called Smart Bacon which is vegetarian. It's not bacon in my opinion, but that doesn't mean it tastes bad. It's just something different to put in a sandwich, omlette, etc.

And egg beaters taste exactly like regular scrambled eggs to me, but I've been told I miss the subtle differences. >.<

EDIT: Stupid me, I thought this was alternatives in general.. missed the strictly vegetarian part. >.<

I'll may post again in about an hour (haev to dash), but try hungry-girl.com 's archives. I remember some reviews.

I am told the Gardenburger riblets taste real.

funny story, we'll see if it translates well to a quickly typed post.

recent college grads all living together.

guy, meat eater, goes to gym.  comes home and makes himself a "chik patty" by morningstar.

girl, vegetarian, comes home.  roommate, since when do you eat fake meat?

guy, this is a chicken patty. 

girl, no.  no it's not.  check the ingredients.

guy, no way!  <tosses patty in trash> hey, do you want the rest of these?

girl, no.  i don't like breaded meat or breaded fake meat products.

guy, starts cooking up a kielbasa.

girl, how many grams of protein are in there? 

guy, <blushes> less than the chik patty.

Au Naturel by Schnieders is wonderful. I have honestly given it to meat loving guys that didn't know it was not the real thing. If you like the taste of meat but want a healthier alternative its great. The meatless chicken burgers, meatless burgers, ground round, weiners, etc is just great.

A meat company makes the best vegetarian stuff. I never would've thought. So when people ask if I feel guilty about not supporting meat companies, I say I still am. They sell this stuff at almost every supermarket I have been to and its slightly cheaper than the real thing.

"Smart Pups" (if you like hotdogs)...GardenBurger Crumbles...and I will definately give my vote to GardenBurger riblets, as mentioned before, those are my favorite splurge...and taste just like bbq riblets

Why not just eat the "real thing"?  I've never been a fan of fake food.  There is so much to chose from - hundreds of different fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, beans & legumes.  All minimally processed and close to nature, and very satisfying.

For some people, like me, who are vegan for ethical reasons, eating the "real thing" is just out of the question...

The reason many people eat meat, is because they like the taste and texture...and for a lot of people meat products are such a staple that they feel they could never go vegetarian...Fake meat provides an option for those people who want to change to a vegetarian lifestyle, and provide them with a "meat substitute" to satisfy their cravings...

On the other hand the reasons many vegans do not eat meat, is the harming of animals in the process...Fake meat does not involve the killing of of any animals, so for people who enjoy the taste, it is a great thing, and you can stay true to your beliefs in the process

One word - seitan.  Buddhist monks have eaten it for thousands of years as a replacement for animal flesh and dang it if the Buddhists didn't get it spot on...

Gimme Lean is great! The sausage tastes like...sausage...even my neanderthal hubby was fooled.

you need to check out hungrygirl.com

it has nothing to do with vegetarian eating, (though it is vegetarian, as far as i know)....

i had cinnabon coffee at work yesterday. it's made by seattle's best, and with some splenda (or your choice of sweetner), it was so amazing. i added some half and half (you could do non-dairy creamer or leave it out if you're not eating lactose), and basically shed tears of joy because it was so amazing.

Morning Star has a large variety of meatless products, and they are DAMN good. They have many different kinds of "meat"- more than I would have imagined. They have a large range of burgers, too - pizza burgers, cheese burgers, regular, black bean burgers being my favorite. All of it is very low fat, too.

Boca burgers are always good, too.

I'm in the UK and think that Linda MCCartney's sausage rolls are like the real thing (even my dad likes them and he's not vegetarian) and Fry's traditional burgers do also. I avoid most of the fake stuff though, just because just the thought of eating half of it reminds me too much of the real thing. I've been fine for 17 years being meat free, and have found so many other foods that I didn't know even existed back when I ate meat (or even when I was vegetarian - as opposed to vegan as I am now).