Vegetarians - Meat replacements

[Kippaxpete]

Worcestershire sauce isn't veggie! Has anchovies in it!

Anyone yearning for the taste of Worcestershire Sauce without the guilt should turn to the Sheffield speciality, Henderson's Relish. All the taste and no fish harmed in the manufacture.

 

[inbetween]

I've been a vegetarian for about 12 years now and vegan for the last 2 years. I don't tell anyone what to eat, never lecture anyone on what to eat either. I don't talk about it really, it's just my personal choice but one of my mates constantly tries to trip me up - is your car vegan? is that medicine vegan? your carpet is made from oil and getting oil kills the environment so you're not vegan etc. It's a bit boring but I don't make out I'm perfect I just do the best I can.

Anyway. absolutely no one goes veggie because they don't like the taste of meat. It tastes really nice! I love eating burgers and I WANT it to taste meaty. These meat alternatives do a superb job of that! The Beyond burgers are just a really tasty burger, regardless of what is in it. The Linda McCartney range are very good too. The Richmond vegan sausages are great because they taste like meat sausages. Also, the Vivera kebab meat is sensational and it's great knowing you can nail about 3 big kebabs with salad for tea and it be quite healthy!

Whilst these plant based options are great, if you're tempted to go veggie or vegan then make sure you don't miss out on some superb foods that can make food amazing. Fried tofu, lentils, nuts, seeds, falafel were all pretty new to me but as I learnt how to cook with them, the flavours and textures amazed me. Plus, cooking with them is healthier than any meat replacements. If you think about the great cuisines in the world (Chinese, Indian, Asian, Italian etc) then most of it uses a lot of plants anyway - onions, garlic, turmeric, ginger, basil, soy sauce, lemongrass etc. In many cases it's the plant based sauce which makes the meal tasty.

Regardless of what anyone does, in the longer term then we will have to become more plant based. The environmental impact of meat alone contributes a lot to climate change. Companies like Burger King plan to make half their menu plant based by 2030. For a company like this to do that shows how good they expect the meat alternatives to be.

The only thing I worry about with this stuff is that to get plant burgers to taste like meat you need to throw in alsorts of artificial crud. People nowadays decide whether something is healthy just based upon the calories and that's where it all falls down.

In our house we eat a lot less meat but when we do we make sure it is butcher stuff or good quality, the same goes for fruit and veg. The best thing you can do though is to use a proper veg alternative, for example I don't use a minced beef alternative in my chilli, I just put in more kidney beans. I'd still put my house on a fresh meat based burger from a butchers being healthier than a Linda Mcartney burger or something else mass produced.

Obviously plant based stuff is great as a one off but for me the biggest problem with these things is the consumerism that really drives it. Just remember that none of these companies are interested in climate change nor are they interested in peoples health. We'd do far more for climate change if these companies all stopped existing and instead people used proper vegetables in stuff.

There's nothing wrong with the alternatives of course but they're alternatives, I don't think they do anything for the environment and often the reality is you might as well just eat meat.

 

[franksinatra]

Good sound advice there pal, thanks.

What meat and meat based meals do you miss the most, or do you not miss meat nowadays? And also do you have a more balanced state of mind because I think that all the growth hormones and steroids injected into meat affects peoples moods, and possibly causes cancer? I've read eating the right kind veggie food can boost energy levels so that is positive.

And i must say to @GoatersLeftShin great read there, thanks for sharing: )

Its a really good point about the mind. I have never read that much into it but yes my moods have become more consistent and generally am a much happier person. Whether that is the diet, exercise or a combination of the two I don't know.

With regards food my neighbour seems to have bacon butties on the go most weekends and I do still love the smell. Also I often think about liver and onions, bit bizarre that one as It was something I ate very infrequently, like maybe once a year before going veggie.

Incidentally I was on a bit of a veggie/runners high yesterday. I came up for the match saturday and then ran a half marathon up in Cheshire yesterday and then drove back 250 miles to my home down south afterwards. I ran it around 10 mins quicker than I did in my 20s and woke up this morning without any aches or pains. Even in my 20s that would not have happened.

 

[gaz76]

Its a really good point about the mind. I have never read that much into it but yes my moods have become more consistent and generally am a much happier person. Whether that is the diet, exercise or a combination of the two I don't know.

With regards food my neighbour seems to have bacon butties on the go most weekends and I do still love the smell. Also I often think about liver and onions, bit bizarre that one as It was something I ate very infrequently, like maybe once a year before going veggie.

Incidentally I was on a bit of a veggie/runners high yesterday. I came up for the match saturday and then ran a half marathon up in Cheshire yesterday and then drove back 250 miles to my home down south afterwards. I ran it around 10 mins quicker than I did in my 20s and woke up this morning without any aches or pains. Even in my 20s that would not have happened.

Im similar with the plant power thing on the running, Ive been vegan now for about 2 and a half years, and am fitter now at 45 than I ever was, I make a smoothie in the morning with lots of berries, seeds, greens and beetroot in and it sets you off nicely for the day.
I will say about the meat replacements that I went from october to the start of January using them to make quick meals and felt my energy levels drop a lot, Ive knocked them on the head now and am back to using just plants for meals and the difference is huge.
Maybe its just me, but the way all the big names are jumping on the bandwagon with the meat replacement stuff is just a way for them to grab your cash, all the mass produced stuff is full of all kinds of shite, fancy junk food if you like, and apparently worse for you than if you just cracked on eating dead dogs.

 

[BlueMoonRisin’]

Don’t think they have ever done a bean burger in the UK, not that I've seen.

Over here It’s grilled on the same area as meat burgers so it is isn't vegetarian though.

Best bean burger I've tried from a burger joint was from Wimpey in Piccadilly in late 80s. I tried one expecting it to taste awful but was really tasty and satisfying.

On the advice of a mate and @franksinatra i watched The Game Changers on Netflix, thanks guys.

All I'll say is that it has made me think differently to my meat eating ways, and I'll try to seek out vegetarian/vegan food in future at the expense of eating a meat based meal. I think stopping eating meat will be gradual for me because i enjoy eating meat. Worth watching the programme

 

[GoatersLeftShin]

The only thing I worry about with this stuff is that to get plant burgers to taste like meat you need to throw in alsorts of artificial crud. People nowadays decide whether something is healthy just based upon the calories and that's where it all falls down.

I completely agree.

When you look at a lot of meat alternatives they are still very highly processed food stuffs. There's nothing wrong with eating Beyond burgers of whatever, just remember you're still eating processed food. It's why I said don't overlook tofu, lentils etc as they are simply healthier, cheaper and in some cases just as good.

Vegan cheese is something I don't like at all. In the Violife cheeses there's no protein in it all all, it's basically flavoured saturated fat and has, in terms of nutrition, nothing in common with dairy based cheese. I just don't eat that stuff at all.

I think it's generally a good thing for people to think about their food and where it comes from. Whether it's veg or meat.

 

[FantasyIreland]

Get some steak or chicken on your plate,and many of you might stop looking like death warmed up.

 

[kaz7]

Get some steak or chicken on your plate,and many of you might stop looking like death warmed up.

And there it is .. Took longer than i thought

 

[BlueMoonRisin’]

Get some steak or chicken on your plate,and many of you might stop looking like death warmed up.

Haha. Something I'd have said but many of todays dedicated vegans no longer look like emaciated Trainspotting junkies pal. You're a bodybuilder so shirly you'll know that word's strongest man is a vegan? Something that surprised me.

The Game Changers is definitely an eye opener and thought provoking...

 

[BlueMoonRisin’]

: )