Some people love meat and struggle to give it up, but a vegan meat alternative can make it easier for you to stop eating animal based meat. The question, “Is vegan meat healthy?”—I know I wondered this before. Vegan meats often attempt to replicate the flavors of meat and some do a better job at this than others.
Many who do eat plant-based meats believe that it will benefit the environment and that it's a healthier and more ethical choice. After all, the food industry, specifically, conventional meat production and animal agriculture, are both a major source of greenhouse gas emissions.
If you are concerned about not just animal welfare but also the environmental impact of your dietary choice, then vegan meat alternatives may be right for you.
I'll soon give you a look at vegan meats so that you can make up your own mind.
Key Takeaways
What Are Plant-Based Meat Alternatives and Should You Try Them?
Plant-based meat substitutes are designed to look and taste like conventional meats, but they are usually made from things like:
Keep in mind that you need to watch on plant-based meats if you're following a total plant based lifestyle. Not all plant-based meats will be vegan, and they may contain eggs and milk. For example, there is a cabbage and lettuce patty that uses eggs, and while it's a great recipe for a vegetarian, it wouldn't be a good choice for a full vegan.
However, note that vegan meat consumption is not just for vegans. Meat eaters or flexitarians can definitely make a healthy switch to vegan meat to watch their meat intake.
One of the cool things about vegan meats is that the ingredients may vary, depending on the brand you buy from. Your plant-based burger could consist of mushrooms and beans or be made from pea protein, seitan (wheat gluten), or soy.
Is Vegan Meat Good For You?

Vegan meats can be healthy especially if you make them yourself because you know what ingredients you put in them. I find that the way you season it matters to get the authentic taste and feel of the meat-like texture. In cases where you buy one from the store, you need to watch a few things.
Unfortunately, some vegan meats are highly processed, and high in sodium and saturated fats. One vegan on YouTube talked about how they had a dangerously high amount of sodium in the burger. It left her friend with one side of her face drooping. When they spoke to the doctor, they said that this is unfortunately common with plant-based meats because of the high sodium content in them.
Plant-based meat also still lacks the essential nutrients in them like vitamin B12, zinc, and other minerals, which you'd get from eating animal meat. Some brands will add vitamin B12 to plant-based meats, making it a fantastic way to get nutrients, but not all of them will do this.
Not all plant-based meats will contain excessive sodium, but many of them do as they've been ultra processed. One study from 2019 found that only 4% of all vegan meats had less sodium than their meat counterparts. In general, they found that it contained about six times the sodium of regular meats.
To give you an idea of how bad this problem is, the daily recommended intake for sodium is 2,300 mg per day, according to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. One burger found in this category had 570 mg of sodium, and that’s only one burger. Imagine if you ate three.
This isn’t to say that you can’t eat vegan meat once in a while, but if you’re looking at the health benefits, you may want to watch how much you eat of it.
"In much of the industrial world, we don't eat meat because we have to; we eat meat because we choose to. We don't need meat to survive or even be healthy."
— Melanie Joy
How to Choose Healthier Plant-Based Meat Products
When you go out to buy plant-based meats, always check the ingredients and their nutritional values. Some of the things to look for would include:
As a side note, most Americans consume too much sodium as it is with many taking in about 3,500 mg. But if you want to focus on the health side of veganism, you may want to cut back on vegan meats.
Now, I’d like to highlight some things that make for great vegan meat substitutes so that you can figure out how to make your own vegan meats, which can make it healthier if you do it right.
Jackfruit
Many vegans find this an awesome meat substitute and use it in their tacos, curries, and pulled-meat sandwiches. Unripe jackfruit is the best for a meat substitute when you need ground, pulled, or shredded meat. The unique texture makes it just like pulled pork.
Apart from its meat-like texture, jackfruit is also a great alternative protein source if you're on a plant based diet. Jackfruit contains some of the essential amino acids, such as arginine, cystine, histidine, leucine, lysine, methionine, threonine, and tryptophan.

Chicken of the Woods
I just learned about this mushroom today, and for someone craving a chicken flavor, it gets its name from its chicken-like flavor. You need to cook this mushroom, or it can cause gastrointestinal issues. Some people are also allergic. You can batter it and fry it in a sandwich.
This mushroom proves to be an excellent source of antioxidants because of the a-glucan found in it. A-glucan is good for preventing cardiovascular disease, weight management, and the immune system.
Tempeh
This soy-based food has a nutty flavor and vegans and vegetarians alike can benefit from the vitamin B12 and protein found in it. Soy protein is a complete protein and it is also highly bioavailable or easily absorbed by the body.
Tempeh makes the perfect meat substitute because it soaks up flavors like a sponge, so it works well with marinades. There are many others, but this gives you a basic idea of some I didn't mention and some you may not have tried.

Seitan
Seitan is another plant based meat alternative that has a similar texture to real meat. It is made from vital wheat gluten, the protein from wheat. Seitan is a super versatile vegan meat which can easily absorb seasonings or marinades. It is also quite healthy as it is rich in wheat protein, which contains high concentrations of the nutritionally indispensable amino acids.
FINAL THOUGHTS
To sum it up, vegan meat can be healthy, but you have to exercise caution with the brand you buy. Check the nutrition labels carefully. You can make it healthier if you make the meat yourself with plant based ingredients because you can control what you put in it. In general, you may not want to eat vegan meat too much, but if you can find a brand that fortifies their product, this will make it healthier for you.