Evolving Magazine

EATING WELL

 

It's Not That It's Woke, It's Just That "Fake Meat" Is Bad For You

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By John Jaquish, PhD.

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They look good, they taste good, and many say they’re good for the planet. But are plant-based “meatless meats” also good for your health?

 

“Just because a burger, hot dog, or chicken nugget is made from plants instead of animals doesn’t automatically make it healthier to eat,“ says fitness scientist, inventor, and author John Jaquish, Ph.D.  

 

Dr. Jaquish says, compared to a meat-based burger, the plant-based Beyond Burger and plant-based Impossible Burger contain roughly the same amount of protein and fat by weight but 4 times more sodium, which, when over-consumed, can increase the chance of heart disease and stroke. 

 

According to Dr. Jaquish, fake meats are accompanied by an assortment of nutritional deficiencies and health risks:

 

FAKE MEAT RISKS:

 

• You might be getting less protein than you think: Plant-based burgers boast high protein counts. But plant protein is different from meat protein. It doesn’t always contain the full amino acid protein profile of animal protein. This means that in order for your body to use that protein, it must find the amino acids from other foods you eat. So unless you try to make up the missing amino acids, you won’t get all of the protein.

 

• You’re eating heavily processed food:  Eating fake meat plant-based burgers is not like eating plants. They’re super processed. And processed foods tend to be depleted of nutrients. So you might be getting little nutrition from eating a plant-based burger.

 

•  Fake meat contains canola oil: Most of these burger meats contain canola oil which can become toxic at low heat. Eating foods with these oils can cause inflammation. And doing so repeatedly can deplete health and contribute to illness and disease.         

 

• Fake meats contain toxic chemicals: Such as magnesium carbonate (used to make yoga mats and fire retardants), erythrosine (red dye #3 banned by FDA for use in the cosmetic industry due to cancer link), and propylene glycol, (the primary ingredient in anti-freeze).

           

“ More so than their toxicity, the biggest problem with fake meats is that the actual nutrients of meat –  the essential amino acids - are not present,” says Dr. Jaquish.  “That is a gateway to malnutrition.”

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ABOUT:

Fitness scientist, inventor, and author John Jaquish, PhD. has spent years researching and developing improved approaches to health. He is the inventor of the bone density-building medical technology OsteoStrong and the creator of the variable resistance X3 exercise system for accelerated muscle development. Dr. Jaquish's methods are used in training the world's most elite athletes, including the Miami Heat and NFL players. His book, Weightlifting is a Waste of Time – So is Cardio, explains his leading-edge approach to nutrition and human physiology and is a WSJ Bestseller.