Plenty to ponder about plant diet
Mariana Lamas outlines six things to know about eating less meat and more plantbased foods.
MANY people are making changes to their diets to eat healthier or in a more environmentally friendly manner. They might choose to eat less meat, less sugar or even adopt an entirely vegan diet. A growing number, however, are choosing a plantbased diet that focuses on foods that come from plants, but may still include animal products, such as meat or cheese.
American biochemist Thomas Colin Campbell coined the term ‘‘plantbased’’ in the 1980s to better explain his research on diet and nutrition. The term surged in popularity in 2016 when Campbell’s book The China Study was reprinted and alternative meat products — such as Beyond Burger and Impossible Burger — were launched.
Since then, plantbased foods have taken the world by storm. They are everywhere: fastfood chains, restaurant menus, grocery stores, social media, food blogs and on your plate.
The global plantbased food market is predicted to reach a market valuation of
$US38.4 billion
($NZ53.3 billion) by 2025. In the United States, the number of plantbased products available increased 29% from 2017 to 2019.
The rapid growth of the plantbased food market is due to several factors. The most common reasons people in Europe, the United States and Canada give for eating plantbased food are the health benefits, curiosity to try new food, environmental concerns and animal welfare.
If you are thinking about switching to a plantbased diet, here are six things you should know about plantbased food.
Understand what plantbased means
According to the Plant Based Foods Association, a plantbased product consists of ingredients derived from plants, including vegetables, fruits, whole grains, nuts, seeds or legumes.
The final product directly replaces an animal product. By this definition, a cheese made from plant sources can be called plantbased, but flour or bread cannot. If the final product only partially replaces an animal product, then it should be labelled as a blend.
A plantbased diet may not be vegan or vegetarian
The terms vegan and plantbased have long been used interchangeably. But following a plantbased diet does not necessarily mean that you are vegan or vegetarian. It means that you are consciously choosing to eat more from plants, but you may still be eating meat, fish, eggs or other animal products.
In fact, plantbased food manufacturers are not targeting vegans and vegetarians since they are only a small percentage of the population. Their main targets are meateaters and flexitarians — people who eat mostly plantbased diets, but still eat meat.
Plantbased food is not a synonym for healthy
Usually, a diet containing a higher proportion of plantbased food is automatically associated with being healthy. However, it might not always be the case.
A plantbased diet is healthy when it is mainly composed of whole foods such as vegetables, fruits, legumes and nuts. In fact, such a diet has been shown to decrease the risk of chronic diseases such as heart disease, diabetes and cancer.
Nutritionists remain concerned about processed meat substitutes that contain high levels of saturated fats and sodium. These ingredients — preservatives, flavouring and fillers — enhance the taste, shelf life and texture.
Although they are considered natural, they are not necessary for a healthy diet. They may be environmentally friendly, but they may not be healthy, especially in large amounts.
Plantbased food is changing the way we eat
Plantbased food is not going away anytime soon. In fact, what we are seeing now is a global increase of plantbased products.
What started with soy milk in the 1990s, and continued with almond milk in the 2000s and burgers in 2010s, has expanded to different types of plantbased products: pork, chicken, yoghurt, ice cream, seafood, fish, eggs, cheese, sausage, jerky and more.
While Gen X and babyboomers may be more resistant to changing their diets, millennials and Gen Z — who are more likely to consider the food source, animal welfare issues and environmental impacts when making their purchasing decisions — are embracing plantbased food and will continue to do so.
Millennials did not invent this type of eating, but they are reinventing it and spurring a broader change in attitudes and consumption of plantbased food. Gen Z is growing up with plantbased eating as a norm.
Plantbased food is as ‘‘good’’ as its ingredients
What goes unnoticed by many consumers is how these products are made. Replacing animal food products is not an easy task, quite the opposite, it is a very complex one.
It takes years to research and develop plantbased food products. And it has only been possible because of the ingredients available, such as plant proteins, oils, flavourings and binders. The better they are, the better the final product will be. Not only in the sense of texture, appearance, flavour and mouthfeel, but also health.
The next wave of plantbased products will likely be healthier as better ingredients and processes (like 3D printing) will be available. If we look at Beyond Burger, for example, the new formulation is healthier than the previous one.
Plantbased is good for the planet, but be careful
One of the main reasons consumers switch to a plantbased diet is because of sustainability and environmental concerns. Indeed, eating plantbased reduces the impacts of climate change, saves water and minimises agricultural land use.
But be aware that many plantbased brands are a part of a larger operation. A specific brand may be sustainable and environment friendly, but the company that owns it may not be.
It is important that food companies be transparent. Consumers have the right to know where the products they buy come from and how they are made so they can make informed decisions and hold companies and brands accountable. — theconversation.com
Mariana Lamas is a research assistant at the Centre for Culinary Innovation at the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology.