Ask Gretchen – Is mock meat healthy?

中文版

Q: Hi Gretchen, a few weeks ago I tried this vegan mock meat at your Eco Design Fair stand, it tastes surprisingly good! I still can’t stop eating meat but I think I am willing to give it a try, though is this really healthy? —– Can do with Mock Meat

A: Dear Can do with Mock Meat, Overall I am not a big fan of meat substitutes since most of them tend to be highly processed. Processed food is processed food whether it is animal based or vegan and contains harmful additives. Despite the fact that these mock meats are vegan, most tend to be very high in sodium and can do a number on your blood pressure.

I do see the value of vegan meat substitutes in that I see them as stepping stones for those who can’t envision a life without meat (or as an occasional “treat” for those who are already vegans). Transitioning to a vegan diet can be difficult for many people who are used to eating the texture of meat at nearly every meal. In this instance I give the reader the green light to try these “mock” meats as a means to see that it is very possible to eat a vegan meal and not miss the meat!

Not all fake meats are the same. The highly processed ready-to-eat fake meats I refer to above tend to be made from a combination of wheat protein and soy protein isolate.

There are meat replacements that are healthy alternatives and not highly processed. One such meat substitute is seitan. Seitan is made from wheat flour and derives its protein from wheat gluten. Tempeh is another healthy vegan protein source that is commonly used as a meat substitute and is made from fermented soybeans. Both seitan and tempeh are very versatile and taste amazing with the right marinades and preparation methods.

I encourage you to derive your protein from whole-food vegan protein sources versus the highly processed ready to eat varieties commonly found in supermarkets. Between tempeh, seitan, tofu, legumes, and whole grains, and fortified plant-based milks, it is very easy to derive enough protein from a vegan diet.

Peace and health,
Gretchen

Gretchen Tseng is a Nutrition Specialist with Certification in Plant-Based Nutrition through Cornell University. At a young age she experienced a series of illnesses which propelled her to seek nutrition based solutions. Gretchen is absolutely passionate about sharing the health benefits of a plant-based lifestyle and can be found doing so as the Editor of Chic Vegan and through her website Veggie Grettie at www.veggiegrettie.com . Gretchen lives in Southern California with her husband, two children, and 4 legged best bud. She dreams of living on a farm someday surrounded by animals and the most amazing organic garden she can imagine.

 
素肉健康吗？

译者：Scarlette
校对：Dreamer

提问：你好格雷琴，几个礼拜之前我在你的环保设计展的摊位上尝试了一下素肉，味道好的惊人！我现在还是没办法不吃肉，但愿意试着吃素食，可是这个素肉真的健康吗？——素肉尚可试先生

回答：亲爱的“素肉尚可试先生”,总的来说，我并不是素肉的忠实拥簇者，因为素肉大多都经过各种加工。被加工过的食物就是被加工过的食物，无论是肉是素都含有危害性的添加剂。虽然说这些素肉是素的，但大多数都有盐超标的倾向，对血压不好。

但我也看到了素肉代替肉食的意义所在。对于那些无肉不欢的人，或者说那些偶尔“犒劳”自己的素食者来说，素肉是他们成为真正素食者的阶梯。对于那些几乎每餐都习惯了吃肉的人来说，过渡到素食是很困难的。这样的话我就会给这些读者开绿灯让他们试试看素肉，看看这样是否很有可能让他们吃素的同时也不会心心念念地想要吃肉。

不是所有的素肉都是一样的，我上面提到的那些高度加工过的可即食的素肉大多是由小麦蛋白和分离大豆蛋白混合来制作的。

有些肉类替代品是非常健康的替代选择，也未高度加工。其中一种素肉就是面筋。面筋是由小麦面粉做成的，蛋白质来源于小麦蛋白。天贝是另外一种健康的蛋白质来源，也常常作为肉食的替代品，是由豆豉做成的。面筋和天贝都很百搭，如果用对腌泡汁和做法，口味也是非常好的。

我鼓励你们从全麦食物中获得蛋白质，而非从超市里买来的深加工过的食物中得到。在天贝，面筋，豆腐，豆类和全谷类食物，强化植物奶中，我们即使是素食也可以得到足够的蛋白质。
平和，健康。

格雷琴。

作者介绍：格雷琴是康奈尔大学植物营养专业毕业的营养学家。 年幼时经历过许多病痛，这也推动她寻求以营养为基础的解决方法。格雷琴非常热心于分享以植物为基础的生活方式带来的好处，也发现可以用“别致素食”和她的素食网站www.veggiegrettie.com来宣传素食的好处。格雷琴与她的丈夫，两个孩子和一条狗狗居于南加州，她梦想着有一天可以住在一个被动物和她能想象到的最棒生态花园包围着的农场里。