Vegan food 'worse for your health than eating real meat' trends now
Going vegan won't improve your health, an experiment suggests.
Researchers have discovered plant-based meat products offer no 'clear benefit' for heart health.
People who ate fake sausages, burgers and mince also seemingly had worse blood pressure than their meat-consuming counterparts.
Experts today labelled the 'health halo' surrounding plant-based meats unjustifiable and urged the food industry to 're-evaluate the development of the next generation of meat alternatives'.
Study co-author, Dr Sumanto Haldar, a lecturer in nutrition science at Bournemouth University said: 'At present, producing these plant based meat alternatives often involves a substantial amount of processing.
People who ate fake sausages, burgers and mince also seemingly had worse blood pressure than their meat-consuming counterparts. Experts today labelled the 'health halo' surrounding plant-based meats unjustifiable and urged the food industry to 're-evaluate the development of the next generation of meat alternatives'
Vegan participants swapped meat for ultra-processed alternatives from brands like Impossible Beef, Omni Foods, the Vegetarian Butcher and Beyond Meat, including Beyond Meat's 'Beyond Sausage Original Brat'
Writing in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition , academics said: 'Among the classical cardiovascular disease risk factors, no clear effects were observed between the animal-based meat diet and plant-based meat groups'. Pictured, Impossible Foods' 'Impossible Beef', one plant based alternative offered to participants
'The end products can be high in salt, saturated fat and additives in order to match the taste and texture of real meat products.'
He added: 'It is clear there are still a lot of opportunities for improvements in plant-based meat analogues in the market in order to justify perceptions of superior health benefits of these products.
'As it stands, the plant based meat alternatives currently available do not offer same health advantages as a traditional plant-based diet, generally consisting of whole foods such as whole grains, legumes and a plethora of fruits and vegetables.
'This gives an impetus for the food industry to re-evaluate the development of the next generation of meat alternative products, so that they not only taste good, but also have improved nutritional attributes and are more affordable for the entire population.'
Meals should be based on potatoes, bread, rice, pasta or other starchy carbohydrates, ideally wholegrain, according to the NHS
• Eat at least 5 portions of a variety of fruit and vegetables every day. All fresh, frozen, dried and canned fruit and vegetables count
• Base meals on potatoes, bread, rice, pasta or other starchy
