SunshineMar 1
If You’re Afraid of Vegan Meat, You’re Being Played
If You’re Afraid of Vegan Meat, You’re Being Played

The irony of highlighting plant-based meat as ‘ultra-processed’ — and ignoring the real culprits

Vegan Horizon
Show threadEphera

Plant-based diets do not need processed foods at all. Many people I know eat diets built around legumes, grains, vegetables, fruits, nuts, and seeds — about as basic and unindustrial as food gets. These foods are often the healthiest, most sustainable, and least expensive options available.

Even when staples like tempeh, tofu, fortified plant milks, or the occasional meat or cheese alternative are included, highly processed plant-based products typically make up only a small fraction of overall intake.

Yeah, I feel like from the outside, it is easy to get the impression that vegan diets include lots of processed foods, because:

  • Lentils don’t have a marketing budget.
  • Humans tend to overestimate the importance of foods that they regularly consume, so meat eaters are likely to believe that you need lab-grown meat or some ultra-processed meat replica.
    • Mar 2 at 8:26amWeb
    Show threadI_am_10_squirrelsMar 3
    My partner and I have been vegetarian for 6ish years. Her parents are meat 2-3 times a day people. We had them over for dinner. I made a vegetable ragout with chickpeas, didn’t use any meat substitutes because I wanted to show off how good vegetables can be on their own. They both loved it. Not enough to go vegetarian, but enough to see that we’re not missing out on anything by not eating meat.