![]() Many of the new fake meats, the ones made typically with pea or soy, are “rich sources of protein and the amino acid lysine, which most plant foods lack, aside from legumes,” Taylor Wolfram, MS, RDN, LDN, a registered dietician specializing in veganism, says.Īnd while most plant-based meat alternatives contain protein, Beyond and Impossible are most comparable in quantity to the foods they’re trying to imitate, registered dietician and Intuitive Eating counselor Kara Lydon, RD, LDN, RYT, adds. ![]() What are the health benefits of fake meats? From there the process is pretty similar to that of a regular meat factory: those clumps are shaped into nuggets or burger patties or sausages or bricks of ground “beef,” then frozen, packaged, and shipped to a grocery store or fast-food restaurant near you. Usually, each ingredient is added to an enormous mixer, which churns them together into a sort of blush pink, fake-meat putty. But actually, the good doctor is pretty much spot on. Imagining a giant KitchenAid behind these venture-backed, tech-driven companies made me laugh. ![]() “I don’t think it would be much more than combining the ingredients to form a sort of dough,” says Coupland. Impossible is also famous for using heme, an iron-rich molecule made by fermenting modified yeast, which is also the ingredient responsible for helping their burgers “bleed” and taste like real meat. Some brands, like Impossible and Beyond, also add a bunch of vitamins and minerals-zinc, niacin, and B vitamins, for example-to try and replicate those found naturally in beef. Salt, as you might expect, is a key ingredient because it makes literally everything it touches taste better. To mimic animal protein more closely, fake meats feature natural or artificial flavors, “which are mixtures of compounds that together give a meaty taste.” Many use yeast extract as a flavor enhancer, since it is similar to monosodium glutamate (MSG). ![]() But “because the chemical composition isn’t the same, the flavors generated won’t be the same,” says Coupland. Fake meats simulate some of this process-a cooked Impossible burger tastes and looks seriously different to its flaccid, lumpy, raw state-as they also contain some of the required sugars and proteins. Known as the Maillard Reaction, this is what creates the browned exterior on, say, a seared steak. Meat gets its unique umami flavor during the cooking process, when “a series of chemical reactions in the muscle” happens, says Coupland. Modified food starch is used in some recipes, which is made by physically, enzymatically, or chemically altering starch derived, most often, from corn, wheat, potato, or tapioca. It’s also a common ingredient in laxatives and whipped cream. Some sort of gum or thickener adds springy-chewy texture, binds the ingredients together, and, Coupland suspects, “stops water seeping out before or during cooking.” In the ingredients list, you might also see methylcellulose (sometimes called maple fiber), which Zimberoff discovered is mostly derived from tree cellulose. Many include refined coconut oil, which has been chemically deodorized to remove its scent and flavor and tends to stay firm (like animal fat) at room temperature. They usually contain a fat, which helps mimic meat’s “soft and juicy texture,” Coupland says. Virtually all of them contain pea, soy, or wheat protein (usually listed as an isolate), which “makes up the solid, physical structure” of the food, says John Coupland, PhD, a professor of food science at Penn State. And Beyond’s Instagram account is peppered with celebrity endorsements highlighting its products’ nutrition facts, like the high protein content, alongside strong better-for-the-planet claims. It’s easy to see why: Impossible’s website features an image of a cracked-open, fresh-looking coconut to represent the oil in its ingredients list. And the other part, she says, is by association: products that are pitched as ethical or climate-conscious might be automatically considered nutritious, too. Part of this perception that fake meats are healthier is formed in direct contrast to beef, “which has been demonized as harmful to health and bad for the environment,” says Amy Bentley, PhD, a professor of food studies at New York University. Even though, “depending on the burger, it could be ultra-processed” and full of ingredients like fillers and additives, she explains. “The term plant-based conveys a health halo,” says Larissa Zimberoff, an investigative journalist and the author of Technically Food. Concern for our well-being is one of the biggest drivers in fake meat sales many of us think we’re healthier without any real proof of the fact.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |