How do you feel about faux meats?

Is it safe to eat one faux meat a day? Like for example if I were to tear up a chik'n pattie and put in in my salad for dinner. Are they terribly bad for you? What are the more healthier brands? (Preferrably the kind you can find in a regular old U.S. grocery store) since I don't live anywhere near a Health food store.

I'm interested in this as well - I get the Yves brand of "turkey" slices and also a soy jerky made by Tasty Eats and have been wondering if it's the equivalent of vegetarian junk food?  They do seem quite processed.

I just ate 3 smart dog tofu "hotdogs" and with no fat, 45 calories each, and the convenience I love them. I don't think there's anything particularly wrong with faux meats, except for possibly sodium content.

Yeah, exactly - sodium can be a problem in processed meat substitutes.  Obviously you need to check how much protein there is - some of them (like mushroom burgers) don't have really all that much protein, and I've found that things like ChikN patties have a LOT of fat.  But to judge by the nutrition facts, some veggie things seem reasonably healthy.  It's probably better to eat fresher things (less sodium, more fiber), but I keep veggie burgers on hand for when I have to eat & run (and don't have time to create that perfect high-protein salad for dinner). 

P.S. You can find recipes to make your own veggie burgers - I might try making a bunch myself and freezing them for later use.  That way you know what's in it!

I'm not too concerned about getting protein out of the faux meats because I do get a lot from everything else in my diet. My concern is that they are processed and I like to avoid convience foods. I'm looking for a good brand. Maybe Amy's is better or the Boca Organic line.

Original Post by lhtrahan:

I'm not too concerned about getting protein out of the faux meats because I do get a lot from everything else in my diet. My concern is that they are processed and I like to avoid convience foods. I'm looking for a good brand. Maybe Amy's is better or the Boca Organic line.

 Aside from the sodium, the main concern with the fake meats is more related to getting too much protein than not getting enough.  For example, 'isolated soy protein' (found in boca burgers) is a highly processed and extremely concentrated form of protein, and the excess found in such processed products may be damaging.  Intake of isolated soy protein has been associated with increased levels of a powerful cancer-promoting growth hormone called Insulin-like Growth Factor 1 (IGF-1), which has in turn been strongly linked to the development of cancer of the breast, prostate, lung, and colon.

 

Original Post by cbullock:

Original Post by lhtrahan:

I'm not?too concerned about getting protein out of the faux meats because I do get a lot from everything else in my diet. My concern is that they are processed and I like to avoid convience foods. I'm looking for a good brand. Maybe Amy's is better or the Boca Organic line.

?Aside from the sodium, the main concern with the fake meats is more related to getting too much protein than not getting enough. ?For example, 'isolated soy protein' (found in boca burgers) is a highly processed and extremely concentrated form of protein, and the excess found in such processed products may be damaging. ?Intake of isolated soy protein has been associated with increased levels of a powerful cancer-promoting growth hormone called Insulin-like Growth Factor 1 (IGF-1), which has in turn been strongly linked to the development of cancer of the breast, prostate, lung, and colon.

?

I've heard about this too so today I did a little research. Garden burger's vegangarden patties and Amy's california burgers are the only burgers that don't contain isolated soy protein- and they're both vegan, so I'm gonna try those. Otherwise, I'm gonna try to stay away from anything with isolated soy protein.

is it all boca products.. what about their vegan burger.. i enjoy a nice boca burger perhaps once a week, i dont suppose thats harmful

i think its pretty safe to have one a day, &tasty!

oh one more thing.. what should i look out for when i look at the ingredients listing from now on

Original Post by rara03p:

oh one more thing.. what should i look out for when i look at the ingredients listing from now on

Pretty much every boca burger has isolated soy protein in it. Look for ones that don't have isolated soy protein or soy protein concentrate. But just natural soy is okay. Amy's California Burger is good and same with Gardenburger's gardenvegan patty.  Otherwise most of the burgers have it. I haven't really checked to see if other faux meat products contain it yet (such as fake pepperoni, sandwich meat, veggie dogs, etc.) So just keep your eyes open!

This is really good information, thanks all. I just looked up the Yves slices, and they have isolated soy protein, so I'm going to skip those in the future.

taste-wise, I'm a fan of morningstar farms breakfast "sausage" patties.  They make that egg subsitute seem a lot better!  :D

I'm also a fan of "chik'n" from boca products, and I think the flame grilled burgers are pretty good, too.  The rest are just kind of "ehh" to me. 

Oh, and most have lots of fiber.  :)

I am not a vegetarian but I recently tried quorn and it is really good. It tastes and looks so much like chicken I did not even know I was not eating meat the first time I had it.

Original Post by meganr:

This is really good information, thanks all. I just looked up the Yves slices, and they have isolated soy protein, so I'm going to skip those in the future.

No problem! Try the kinds I suggested- Gardenburger gardenvegan patty and Amy's California burger. Both yummy and both isolated soy protein+ soy protein concentrate free!

I really like soy hot dogs. Depending on the brand, they have almost no calories and a ton of protein. Love them!

i completely survive off of fake meats... i liked the taste of meat, so the closer it can get the better... i'm ten times healthier then i was when i ate meat too... however i've been hearing alot about this soy protein isolate on here today adn i think i'm goign to do some research into it... it seems though that pretty much anything you eat is going to have something that isn't the best for you in it (unless you go on a very strict, raw, organic, plant based diet maybe)... so i guess it will really depend on how bad it is and in what quanitities. 

i'll eat a sausage patty with breakfast, have a hot dog or chicken strips or ground meat crumbles in my lunch, and maybe have a chicken patty for dinner (all fake of course!)... i'm getting a good amount of protein for my lifestyle and i don't have any health issues.... i guess in general, the less processed food you eat the better, i just tend to get very bored with grains/lentils/beans/tofu....

I don't eat meat substitutes very often. My diet basically consists of regular meat-free dishes. But sometimes I do have a bit of a craving after seeing a good TGI Fridays commercial or something. That's the ony time I eat faux meat. The only ones I tried so far are Flame Grilled Gardenburgers, which I really liked. I just found out that Yves makes deli turkey slices (which was really hard for me to give up) so I gotta get some of that! And those are the only things with soy isolate protein that I ever eat, so I know I'm not getting too much.

Quorn rocks.  I cannot tell the difference between it and real chicken. 

I will cry if it has isolated soy protein in it though.  I'll have to check...

I usually only eat fake meats maybe once every other week, though.  I try to limit my consumption and only use them if I am really craving it.

 

They don't sell Quorn in Canada, not that I can see anyway.  I used to shop at an asian food store that had a ton of different "mock" meats, but they closed down.  I have tried the Schneider products and didn't like them at all.  Yves does make a lot of really nice tasting products, but the sodium is kinda high.  President's Choice has just come out with veggie chicken breasts - really tasty.  Their veggie burgers are great too.  I think that all things in moderation, including the "meats" is not unhealthy. 

I enjoy fake meats, but limit my intake of them. As I feel more full and contented on vegetables, beans and pulses. I use to like quorn, but when I ate it more than twice a week my belly become uncomfortably bloated and I would get tummy gripes, found out I am allergic to fungi, mushroom intolerance and quorn is a micro protein i.e fungi, so I had to stop eating it eventually, then I moved onto soya protein burgers and sausages from tesco, but they have concentrated pea protiens which gave me upset stomach the morning after I ate them and found out I am probably allergic to concentrated pea protein. I thought I would never ever experience the joys of a sausage casserole when someone introduced me to cauldren foods, delisious and touch wood no problems so far, they are a mixture of tofu and soya protein and hold their shape in a casserole.

Sos mix is another one thats good but doesnt keep its shape if you put it in a casserole or stew but nice in a sandwich.

But mostly I like is dry soya protein and chunks you rehydrate them to make fake bolognaise chilli and all the other meaty favourites using mince and chunks you can adapt the soya protein to almost any meat dish meatballs kebeas, it takes longer but if you have the time to cook from scratch its a healthier alternative to the ready made up burgers sausages and such like that you buy. Do you have dry soya protein and soya protien chunks in the USA and Canada?