Plant-based Meat. It’s what for Dinner.
As a Dad, my general health has taken a backseat to the kids. Gone are the days where I could hit the gym on a consistent basis. On top of that, my once robust metabolism that kept me lean has slowed. Sound familiar?
To combat this, I have become more health conscious. In particular, I have paid more attention to what foods I am eating. In this article, I will focus on the food trend called plant-based meat.
This is literally popping up everywhere from fast food restaurants to grocery stores. You will learn:
- What is plant-based meat?
- Does it pass the taste test?
- Is it healthy?
- Other benefits
- How does Plant-based meat fit for me?
What is plant-based meat?
In recent years, two leaders have emerged in the plant-based meat market called Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods. They have developed an alternative that mimics the actual taste, look, and even the juiciness of real meat.
The plant-based meat trend has taken off appearing in many of the fast food chains such as Burger King, Hardees, TGI Friday and dozens more. The list continues to expand as this has been a growth driver. The product has been doing exceptionally well while also driving additional foot traffic into these restaurants.
Enormous Potential
The big holdovers like KFC and McDonalds have started to pilot plant-based meat. The traditional food industry players like Tyson, Nestle, Hormel and others are rolling out their own plant-based burgers as well as developing other products like plant-based meatballs and chicken nuggets.
Beyond Meat recently hit the stock market as an IPO. It caught fire opening at $72 and sky-rocketing to the peak of $239 in only a few months before falling back to reality. The stock market frenzy was more to blame than the actual company fundamentals. Beyond Meat’s future appears bright as they expect 4x revenue growth from $87.9 million in 2018 to $358 million in 2020 denoted by Forbes.
Does it pass the taste test?
Restaurant Taste
Yes, it does pass! I have eaten many of these plant-based burgers at Burger King, Red Robin, and regular restaurants. The taste was the beef-flavor that I expected. It also went well with the normal condiments and fancy dressings that I enjoy.
In an informal BK Whopper and Impossible Whopper test with my spouse, there were subtle differences in appearance. However, the taste was hardly discernible. I enjoyed Burger King’s flame-broiled signature flavor coming out in both sandwiches.
At Home Test
Cooking Beyond Meat at home yielded different results. The ultimate cooked product was not nearly as good as at the restaurant.
The main culprit was me as the cook. Pay attention and read the instruction as it can become overcooked. As denoted in the instructions, pink is ok in the middle. After a few attempts of trial and error, I prefer to pan fry this over the stove vs grill to achieve the best taste.
Is it Healthy?
As Beyond Meat states, the building blocks of meat are Protein, Fat, Minerals, Carbohydrates and Water which it focuses on. Beyond Meat uses the following ingredients:
- Proteins: Pea, Mung Bean, Fava Bean, Brown Rice, Sunflower
- Fats: Cocoa Butter, Coconut Oil, Sunflower Oil, Canola Oil
- Minerals: Calcium, Iron, Salt, Potassium Chloride
- Flavors & Colors: Beet Juice Extract, Apple Extract, Natural Flavors
- Carbohydrates: Potato Starch, Methylcellulose
Impossible foods breaks into 4 areas:
- Proteins: Soy and Potato Proteins
- Fats: Coconut and Sunflower
- Flavors: Heme
- Binders: Methylcellulose
I am not a nutritionist to know the health benefits and trade-offs of these ingredients. Thus, I have opted to do a direct comparison of plant-based meat vs the actual burger it is imitating.
Burger King Whopper vs Impossible Whopper
TGI Friday Cheeseburger vs Beyond Meat Cheeseburger
Benefits:
- Both do well reducing Cholesterol and Trans Fat
- Both do well increasing Fiber intake and Carbohydrates. Since not all carbohydrates are treated equal, I’m giving the benefit of doubt to both plant-based companies on the higher carbohydrate number
Negatives:
- Sodium (salt levels) are elevated for both
Differences between Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods:
- Impossible Foods does a better job reducing overall calories, fat, and saturated fat than the real meat
- Beyond Meat offers up more protein than real meat
Other Benefits
Let’s look at the mission statements for both Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods.
Impossible Food’s Tagline is “To Save Meat. And Earth.” Impossible Food’s mission is to replace use of animals for food, protect the environment, and sustainability.
Beyond Meat’s Tagline is “The Future of Protein. Made from Plants.” Beyond Meat’s mission is to address four global issues: human health, climate change, constraints on natural resources and animal welfare. Due to a 3rd party lifecycle analysis, Beyond mentioned that the Beyond burger generates 99% less water, 93% less land, 90% less greenhouse gas emission, and 46% less energy than a regular burger.
It is clear both companies greatly care about the environment, sustainability and animals. Due to this, I have no problem paying the extra $1-2 or more uplift to eat plant-based meat at restaurants.
Another good benefit of plant-based meat is that you can steer away from eating real beef raised with antibiotics. In October 2019, Consumer Reports gave Chipotle and Panera Bread top grades however 15 other fast food chains received failing grades for their use of raising beef with antibiotics.
How does Plant-based meat fit for me?
Plant-based Meat vs Actual Burgers Verdict
Yes to Plant-based burgers! I enjoy the taste, love helping save the environment, and eating more healthy foods.
I will caveat that I am not a 100% burger person at fast food restaurants. Typically, I opt for the chicken or fish sandwich options unless craving a burger. These options are typically healthier than red meat (and plant-based meat). They will also remain my top go-to’s.
At Home Verdict
At home, my decision is to go with real meat. I love a beautiful grilled steak. Nothing can beat that as of yet. The key word is ‘yet’ and I will be watching how the plant-based meat industry progresses. Definitely count me in to try new plant-based products in the future. I scream, you scream, we all scream for Plant-based Ice Cream? Let’s give it a try!
Call to Action
Keep your taste buds open and be a willing participant. Try it for yourself – Plant-based meat. It’s what for dinner.
About DadMBA: Through his schooling (he does have a MBA) & more importantly being a Dad, he has provided practical advice to family & friends on finances & other life topics. He loves helping others thus the creation of DadMBA.
