Revealed, the unhealthiest 'fake meat' you can buy (including one type of vegan ... trends now
Fake meat alternatives can be packed with more salt, fat and calories than their real counterparts, analysis shows.
MailOnline found that some fake bacon products can be nearly five times saltier than a portion of large McDonald's Fries.
Just 100g of This Isn't Bacon Plant Based Lardons contains 3.8g of salt.
Real bacon has just 2.8g for the same amount, our probe found.
A large portion of McDonald's fries – famed for their salty flavours – contain 0.82g of salt.
MailOnline's audit of dozens of vegan meat sold at Tesco comes after actor Martin Freeman revealed he has given up being a vegetarian after 38 years because meat replacement products are 'very, very processed'.
The Sherlock star, 52, admitted that now he has returned to meat-eating, he could finally indulge in the 'food of the gods' – pork pies and scotch eggs.
Top dietitian and BDA spokesperson, Dr Duane Mellor said: 'It shouldn't be assumed just because something is meat-free that it is a healthier option than the meat alternative.
'After all, a meat-free pie or sausage roll is still a pie or sausage roll.
'For meat-free products like veggie or soy mince, these often are not high in salt and are not highly processed.
'But many meat-free sausages, for example, can have the same or higher amounts of salt than the meat equivalents.'
A Beyond Meat plant based burger contains more fat per 100g (19g) than a regular Aberdeen Angus beef burger (17.3g), according to our audit of more than 90 meat free products
Some meat-free chicken alternatives contain almost double the amount of calories and a staggering 10 times more fat.
For example, a Vivera Plant Chicken Breast contains 203 calories and 16g of fat per 100g.
In 100g of Richmond Vegan No Chicken Pieces Roast Flavoured there is 1.5g of salt, 4.6g of fat and 143 calories.
In comparison, a plain chicken breast is 106 calories per 100g. It contains 1.1g of fat and 0.15g of salt before it has been cooked or seasoned.
In terms of calories, Birds Eye Green Cuisine Chicken Free Southern Fried Grills (318) had 50 more per 100g than it's meat version Birds Eye Southern Fried Chicken (268).
The average woman is advised to have 2,000 each day to maintain a healthy weight and 2,500 is recommended for the typical man.
In regards to fish, Vivera Plant Salmon Style Fillets contain 203 calories and 16g of fat per 100g, which is very similar to the real thing. In 100g
