There’s a new BUZZ on the block! Plant based eating is best… but is it?
Well, the answer to that is… IT DEPENDS!!!
If you are referring to the excellent health benefits of eating at least 9 servings of vegetables and fruits per day, as part of a healthy eating plan, the answer is a resounding YES!!
In fact, I share this tip with my clients, and you can do it too:
RAINBOW DIET
Get a pack of blank index cards and some colored markers. Use one card for one day… Then every time you eat anything, mark the COLOR of the food on the index card. Your homework is to create a RAINBOW every day. To do that, you will have to ingest a wide variety of vegetables, while limiting white (bread, pasta, pizza) and brown (meat). This is a definite step toward normalizing weight, increasing energy, improving sleep, enhancing memory, and feeling great. In fact, the Nutrition Source of Harvard Medical School, claims “A diet rich in vegetables and fruits can lower blood pressure, reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke, prevent some types of cancer, lower risk of eye and digestive problems, and have a positive effect upon blood sugar, which can help keep appetite in check.”
https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/what-should-you-eat/vegetables-and-fruits/
What about Plant Based Burgers?
The case for PLANT BASED burgers is quite another story. Products that claim to be “impossible” or other branded, supposed Plant Based Burgers, sold in the meat aisle at the grocery store and at Fast Food establishments are anything but healthy.
Many of these products are based on Quorn, which is a fermentation made from the fungus Fusarium venenatum, (latin for venomous).
The Center for Science in the Public Interest states:
“Quorn is the brand name of meat substitutes that are made from a vat-grown fungus. Some people have dangerous reactions to the fungus and suffer nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and occasionally hives or difficulty breathing.”
They have set up a specific form where people who have an allergic reaction to Quorn can submit their report. https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfyJLsvLtiWReqi6fM1HffKkkXQy0D52FuxXm1RCKI4BkOb2A/viewform?c=0&w=1
Another big player in the Plant based Meat category, focuses on the protein that is a lot like “heme”. Heme is the molecule in blood that gives ‘REAL MEAT’ its distinctive taste. Genetically modified soy (heavily sprayed with the glyphosate known as Roundup®) is used to produce leghemoglobin – which makes these fake burgers appear to ‘bleed’ when they are cooked, and also gives them a taste and texture that is similar to real meat. While leghemaglobin appears to be safe, it is not the equivalent from a nutritional standpoint to actual meat based heme, which supports iron and has other health benefits.
If you opt for a fake “Plant Based” Burger, here is a list of likely 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, Soy Protein Isolate
Therefore it is mostly soy- and GMO soy at that. It is no where close to the health benefits that is offered by the Plant Based RAINBOW diet based on real vegetables discussed above.
There are definitely reasons to choose a diet higher in plant products than animal products. These include lower ingestion of saturated fats, less wear and tear on the environment, the ingestion of more nutrients, vitamins, minerals and other factors.
Be aware that a small amount of Organically Raised Real Meat in the diet also offers important nutrients, such as Vitamin B 12, Choline, Carnosine and many other factors.
Therefore, unless you wish to be a Vegan for animal rights reasons, the BEST diet for most individuals is PLANT BASED – meaning Real wholesome vegetables and fruits , along with a small amount of organically raised animal products, such as eggs, meat, dairy, fish .. a few times a week. Don’t kid yourself into believing you are helping your health to eat a Fake Burger at a Fast Food establishment and be able to jump on the PLANT BASED healthy band wagon, as savvy advertising agencies would have you believe !
Image credit:
Plant based burger photo by Ruth Reyer on Unsplash