In 1984 the original VegeBurger made its first debut and only a year later it was flying off the shelves. This first version of a meat-alternative patty consisted of only a few ingredients: homemade seitan, tamari for flavoring, aduki beans and oat flakes. 

Today, there are more than 800 companies around the world primarily focusing on plant-based foods that directly replace animal products. Some of the most popular in the U.S being Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods.

There are many reasons why people are choosing to replace animal products with plant-based products. Some examples are not supporting industrialized animal agriculture or its effects on animal welfare, the environment, and public health. As well as the health benefits associated with eating a primarily plant-based diet.

In 2020 alone, Doordash saw a whopping 433% spike increase in vegan-burger orders and Grubhub reported a 135% in plant-based food orders. 

Although reducing animal product consumption is overall better for people's health, vegan "meats" automatically are being perceived as being healthier for you, and that simply isn't the case.

In a survey that was conducted among 1000 U.S adults, one in four (23%) said that the Nutrition Facts label influenced their perception of healthfulness more than the ingredient list. The difference between the beginning of the "veggie-burger" and today's meat-replacement products is that the ingredient lists in these modern products have grown to be closer to 18 ingredients vs 4 and most of them are pretty far removed from the whole-foods that our ancestors ate.

Concern for our well-being is one of the biggest drivers in alternative-meat sales, without it actually being an accurate statement. The term "plant-based" conveys a health halo, but without further examination by the consumer, most of these processed vegan products, when looking at the nutrition facts are comparable with the meat foods they are trying to replace. The bigger issue, is that if we are looking at what is more nutritionally dense alone, a grass-fed, sustainably, and pasture raised beef patty would still be more beneficial for you than it's vegan 18 ingredient counterpart. 

So what exactly is in these vegan options that is having us think twice before consuming? Let's take a look at two of the most popular meat-alternative companies in the U.S; Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods:

Let's start with Beyond Meat's "burger patty"

Ingredients: 

Water, pea protein*, expeller-pressed canola oil, refined coconut oil, rice protein, natural flavors, dried yeast, cocoa butter, methylcellulose, and less than 1% of potato starch, salt, potassium chloride, beet juice color, apple extract, pomegranate concentrate, sunflower lecithin, vinegar, lemon juice concentrate, vitamins and minerals (zinc sulfate, niacinamide [vitamin B3], pyridoxine hydrochloride [vitamin B6], cyanocobalamin [vitamin B12], calcium pantothenate).

Pea Protein: A good pea protein makes a decent plant-based alternative to whey protein, or animal protein. However, It’s chemically extracted from (usually) yellow field peas, so we don’t get any of the magnesium, folate, potassium, or fiber that’s built into the actual pea.

Expeller-Pressed Canola Oil: 90% of Canola plants in the U.S are GMO, and while canola is high in omega-6 fats which are essential for the body to function, modern diets tend to be extremely high in omega-6s — found in many refined foods — and low in omega-3s from whole-foods, causing an imbalance that leads to increased inflammation. This imbalance is linked to a number of chronic conditions, such as Alzheimer’s disease, obesity, and heart disease. Lastly, canola oil is a chemically refined oil, which means that it goes through stages — such as bleaching and deodorizing — that involve chemical treatment. Refining markedly decreases nutrients in oils, such as essential fatty acids, antioxidants, and vitamins. 

Natural Flavors: Members of the Flavor and Extract Manufacturers Association (FEMA), a trade group that evaluates the safety of flavor additives in the United States, have been criticized by nutrition experts and public interest groups for not disclosing safety data on natural flavors. Natural flavors are highly processed and contain many chemical additives. Food manufacturers are only required to list flavors on ingredients lists, not to reveal the original sources or chemical mixtures of these flavors. According to the Environmental Working Group, a nonprofit research organization, these mixtures can contain more than 100 different chemicals in addition to their original flavor source, including preservatives, solvents, and other substances. To make matters worse, because the term “natural” has no official definition, flavors sourced from genetically modified crops can also be labeled as natural. Natural flavoring has been linked to inflammation in the body and it's not recommended for consumption by holistic health standards.

Methylcellulose: Is a medicine that is normally used to treat constipation. It can create gastrointestinal side effects included bloating, diarrhea, rumbling sounds, nausea, mild abdominal cramps, severe abdominal pain, vomiting and difficulty swallowing.

Now let's look inside the Impossible burger:

Ingredients:

Water, Soy Protein Concentrate, Coconut Oil, Sunflower Oil, Natural Flavors, 2% Or Less Of: Potato Protein, Methylcellulose, Yeast Extract, Cultured Dextrose, Food Starch Modified, Soy Leghemoglobin, Salt, Mixed Tocopherols (Antioxidant), Soy Protein Isolate

Soy Protein Concentrate and Soy Protein Isolate: Soybeans are a great quality protein because their amino acid content is similar to that in meat, and they're a good source of fiber, minerals, and complex carbs. However, soybeans are chemically engineered to "isolate" their protein, and this process strips out all of the other nutrients the original bean contained. The chemical process used to isolate soy protein often leaves behind substances you don't want to be eating, like aluminum and hexane. According to the USDA, over 90% percent of the soybeans grown in the U.S. are genetically modified, this means that Soy Protein Isolate and Soy Protein Concentrate are chemically modified, processed and filled with pesticides. 

Sunflower oil: Mid-oleic (NuSun) sunflower oil, one of the most commonly used varieties in the United States, comprises 15–35% linoleic acid. The overconsumption of linoleic acid from vegetable oils coupled with a decreased intake of anti-inflammatory omega-3 fatty acids — an imbalance commonly seen in the American diet — may lead to negative health effects. Just like Canola oil above, Sunflower oil is rich in omega-6 and an overconsumption of omega-6 leads to inflammation in the body which is the leading cause of health issues such as obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease and cancer.

Natural flavors: See previous description.

Methylcellulose: See previous description

Cultured dextrose: Until recently, cultured dextrose used to be called preservative 280 (propionic acid), one of a group of chemicals that are used as mould inhibitors in bread, especially as preservative 282 (calcium propionate). Of the hundreds of additives permitted in our food, these four have been identified as some of the 50 additives most likely to cause consumer reactions. Cultured dextrose is produced by culturing sugar with bacteria, it's marketed as a “more natural” way to preserve, sweeten, or texturize processed food. However, cultured dextrose has been linked with numerous side effects, including upset stomach, fatigue, and increased thirst. The bacteria used to make cultured dextrose may come from milk, but some manufacturers of cultured dextrose no longer get the bacteria directly from milk, according to a report by the Vegetarian Resource Group. If you have an allergy to milk or you avoid milk for personal reasons, read food labels carefully. If the product contains cultured dextrose but the label does not clearly indicate that it contains milk, contact the manufacturer to be sure that the food is safe to eat.

Food starch modified: If most of your meals are processed, then you are most likely consuming too much food starch. Diets high in refined starches are linked to a higher risk of diabetes, heart disease and weight gain. In addition, they can cause blood sugar to spike rapidly and then fall sharply. 

Soy leghemoglobin: A lawsuit filed by the Center for Food Safety (CFS) in 2021 claims that a color additive used to make Impossible meat look more like real beef could be harmful to human health. The additive, soy leghemoglobin, creates the "bleeding" effect in the plant-based meat alternative but is made of genetically engineered yeast. While the substance was deemed safe for consumption by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2019, the lawsuit is challenging this decision, saying that soy leghemoglobin wasn't subjected to rigorous-enough safety tests.

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Let me be the first to say that finding out that meat-replacement products are more damaging to our health than meat was a huge bummer. As a health coach, I believe that a plant-based diet is the most beneficiary for the health of the majority of people. It's wonderful that companies are wanting to move towards providing more alternatives to meat products, however exchanging a chicken nugget for one that is nutritionally just as bad for you even if it doesn't contain any animal product is not the solution.

If you're looking to make a shift in your diet and start leaning towards more plant-based, vegetarian or vegan diets it's important to follow the same rule of thumb as any diet containing meat: Eat whole-foods, and reduce as many processed foods as you can. This doesn't mean you can't enjoy your veggie burger, but instead of purchasing quasi-meats that are harmful for you, choose to purchase or make burgers out of whole-foods filled with fiber such as black beans or portobello mushrooms.