Fake meat
Healthier than you think!
Fake meats are often maligned as being low-quality, unhealthy, ultra-processed foods. However, a randomised controlled trial looking at what happens to the gut microbiome of people who eat plant-based meat alternatives (PBMAs), compared to that of regular meat-eaters found positive results. Half the participants replaced at least four meals per week with plant-based mince, burgers, sausages and meatballs from the Meatless Farm (a brand commercially available in the UK). The control group carried on eating red meat, poultry, fish, eggs and cheese. After four weeks, results indicated positive changes among those eating PBMAs in their gut bacteria. These types of changes may offer significant and wide-ranging health benefits. This shows that the industrial processing of plant-based ingredients does not make PBMAs ultra-processed by default. Meat alternatives are here to stay and it is reassuring to find that they can play a role as part of a healthy balanced diet if the ingredients are of good quality.
Toribio-Mateas M, Bester A and Klimenko N. 2021. Impact of plant-based meat alternatives on the gut microbiota of consumers: a real-world study. Foods. 10 (9) 2040.
About the author
Dr. Justine Butler
Justine joined Viva! in 2005 after graduating from Bristol University with a PhD in molecular biology. After working as a campaigner, then researcher and writer, she is now Viva!’s head of research and her work focuses on animals, the environment and health. Justine’s scientific training helps her research and write both in-depth scientific reports, such as White Lies and the Meat Report, as well as easy-to-read factsheets and myth-busting articles for consumer magazines and updates on the latest research. Justine also recently wrote the Vegan for the Planet guide for Viva!’s Vegan Now campaign.
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