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Seitan, Soy, Peas: Are Meat Substitutes Really Unhealthy – and What Alternatives are There?

Whether schnitzel, steaks or sausages – there are now enough meat substitutes that can replace the popular meat dishes. But can you really enjoy them without hesitation? And what other foods are suitable as alternatives?

Finished meat substitutes: Quality is key

Whether plant-based sausages, schnitzel, minced meat or nuggets: there is now a huge selection of meat substitutes in the supermarket, and it is still growing. These finished products are usually made from multiple sources of protein, spices, and thickeners.

The meat alternatives are often much more sustainable in production than conventional meat. However, there is a decisive disadvantage with the finished products in particular: they also contain many additives. How healthy the veggie dishes really are varies from product to product. Many are highly processed and therefore contain hardly any vitamins and minerals. But some also contain high-quality plant-based protein, less fat and saturated fat, and more healthy fiber than animal meat. Cholesterol is also not found in most products – in contrast to the animal counterparts.

Since you quickly lose track of the numerous options, it is always worth checking the list of ingredients before buying and also giving preference to organic products. As with other foods, there are differences in quality. Conventional meat substitutes in conventional supermarkets contain the usual additives and are of poorer quality than products from the organic market. These usually contain no additives and are made from organically produced, high-quality raw materials. A lot of salt is added to the alternatives from the organic market – which the Albert Schweitzer Foundation, for example, sees critically. Nevertheless, the quality is different here than with meat products: it is usually not nitrite curing salt or iodised table salt, but sea salt. If you pay attention to the salt content in food, it is best to check the list of ingredients and look for the low-salt meat substitute.

Seitan, soya, peas – the alternatives can do that

Seitan is made from wheat protein and therefore contains gluten and is not suitable for people with celiac disease. It is most similar to meat in both taste and texture. Seitan is more al dente than tofu and slightly fibrous. You can already buy ready-made seitan seasoned with soy sauce or something similar, or seitan powder for mixing. The products are often available in the form of grilled steaks, sausages or schnitzel. The alternative is very rich in protein, but the biological value is limited. Anyone who eats a lot of seitan should always eat other sources of protein, such as legumes.

Soy shreds, also Textured Vegetable Protein (TVP), is actually textured soy protein made from defatted soy flour. It is tasteless and can therefore be used in a variety of ways. Soybean shreds are used industrially to make substitute products, but can also be prepared at home. To do this, you first have to soak the pieces in water or broth, then squeeze them out well, marinate and fry them. Soy slices are suitable for preparing burgers and sliced ​​meat, among other things. Although the product is a processed food, it still provides important nutrients such as protein, calcium and vitamin B2.

Peas are also used for meat substitutes. More precisely, the pea protein from it to make alternatives such as schnitzel, sausages or nuggets that you can find in almost all supermarkets of different brands. This variant is also naturally tasteless and can be seasoned as desired. Products made from peas are particularly rich in protein and some essential amino acids.

Lupine and tofu: protein suppliers as a meat substitute

Some animal substitutes are made from lupins. The lupine is related to peas and beans and is processed into tofu in a similar way to soybeans. In addition to finished products made from isolated lupine protein, such as yoghurt, ice cream or sausages, lupine is also available as flour, flakes, shredded meat, grist or tempeh. All these options are available for the production of baked goods and also for the independent preparation of meat alternatives such as burger patties or sausages. The lupine has a nutty taste. It is rich in protein, contains essential amino acids and plenty of micronutrients and fiber.

It is also very good when cut into cubes in stews, on salads, in pasta sauces or on grilled skewers. In general, tofu is available in almost every flavor in the organic market.

Patties, bolognese and lasagna – These alternatives are suitable for this

Tempeh is a little rarer in conventional supermarkets, but available in organic markets. It consists of whole, steamed and peeled soybeans fermented with mushroom cultures, which are pressed into a block. The fermentation process makes the tempeh easy to digest and can therefore also be tested by people who do not tolerate soy very well. The nutrients in soybeans are more available through the process. This alternative is also available pure or marinated and tastes both plain and processed.

Grains such as bulgur or unripe spelt are nutritious and wholesome and are a healthy alternative to meat. Bulgur is a good choice as a minced alternative for pasta sauces or for stuffing vegetables. Traditional Çig Köfte are also made from it in Turkish cuisine. Green spelt is unripe harvested and dried spelled, from which you can conjure up delicious patties or hearty spreads. It is spicy, slightly nutty and is characterized by a lot of iron, magnesium, zinc, manganese and lots of fiber.

You can also make patties out of beans or lentils. Well seasoned with paprika powder and tomato paste, they not only taste good, you can also achieve an optimal consistency with locust bean gum or agar-agar. Just like beans, lentils are very high in protein, low in fat and high in fiber. As a full-fledged alternative, they are also very suitable as an addition to Bolognese or lasagne.

Jackfruit – An exceptional meat substitute

Somewhat more unusual and exotic is the tree fruit jackfruit, which comes from the tropics. Properly prepared and seasoned, its fibrous consistency is reminiscent of cooked pork and is therefore often used like pulled pork. Unfortunately, the fruit has a low protein content, but it is soy and gluten-free.

Ultimately, meat substitutes are an increasingly popular alternative to “real” meat. However, the products should not be on the menu every day because, as with all other foods, the quantity is decisive. For a healthy diet, you can look out for organic products from the organic market and also check the list of ingredients. Otherwise, you can conjure up delicious dishes yourself from natural and healthy ingredients such as legumes, bulgur or unripe spelt.

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Cooking Tips

Eating Peas Raw: Is That Possible?

Eating peas raw is usually not a problem. We will explain which dishes are suitable and what you should consider when buying the vegetables.

Eating peas raw: That’s why it works

You can eat peas raw or boiled. According to the NDR, the vegetable does not contain any toxic ingredients such as phasin, as is the case with many other legumes. Phasin belongs to the lectins and can be harmful to red blood cells and intestinal cells.

In principle, there are three types: sugar peas, wrinkled peas and pate peas. You can not only eat sugar snap peas raw, but also with their shell. For the other pea varieties, we recommend removing the pod before consumption. Although this is not poisonous, it is inedible due to the existing pigment layer. Young peas taste particularly good because they have a sweet taste.

With their crunchy consistency, you can use raw peas in quick salads or as a topping for soups or sauces. However, you should eat raw peas in moderation. Because of the high proportion of indigestible fiber, raw peas are less well tolerated than cooked peas, especially for people with a sensitive stomach.

You should keep this in mind when buying peas

If you want to eat peas raw, it is worth buying them fresh. Vegetables are in season from June to September. You can find other seasonal times of different types of fruit and vegetables in our Utopia seasonal calendar. When planning your meal, keep in mind that fresh peas can only be kept in the fridge for up to two days and you should therefore eat them promptly. If you want to keep them for a longer period of time, peas can also be frozen well.

The pea has its origins in the oriental region. Nowadays it is mainly grown in Canada, the USA, Russia and Chile. But there are also important growing areas in Europe, for example in Spain, France and Germany. We recommend purchasing peas from German cultivation as seasonally as possible in order to avoid long transport routes and thus high CO2 emissions.

When buying, also pay attention to organic quality if possible. Organic peas come from ecological agriculture that works in a resource-saving manner and avoids chemical-synthetic pesticides.

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Food

23 Amazing Facts About Peas

If you intend to grow peas, you will have to put in a lot of effort, as this plant can sometimes be quite moody and does not want to grow properly. However, everything is relative – if it were so difficult, peas would not be grown all over the world in incredible quantities. In addition, this plant is very valuable, and dishes from it can be found in the cuisines of various nations.

  1. The very concept of heredity in biology was discovered thanks to peas. The Austrian scientist Mendel studied this plant, and thanks to his research, heredity was discovered.
  2. As an experiment, peas were grown on the ISS in zero gravity.
  3. Farmers know that after peas, other crops grow very well in their former place. This is because the roots of this plant contain a lot of nitrogen, which is a valuable fertilizer. After harvesting the pea crop, the roots remain in the ground and rot, enriching the soil.
  4. Archaeologists have established that peas became the first cultivated plant that was grown by people thousands of years ago in Central Asia and the Middle East.
  5. Peas were part of wedding ceremonies among a number of peoples, in particular among the Poles.
  6. The starch obtained from it is used in the production of modern bioplastics.
  7. A thousand years ago, peas were the most widely grown crop in the British Isles.
  8. The ancient Chinese considered peas, not rice, to be a symbol of wealth and fertility.
  9. More than half of the world’s total pea crop is harvested in three countries – China, Russia, and Canada. But the leadership in its production is firmly held by the Chinese.
  10. In the Middle Ages, peas in Europe were as important a part of the diet as rice in Asia.
  11. At the end of the 19th and the first half of the 20th centuries, pea sausage, which was made from pea flour, bacon, and meat, was consistently included in the army’s diet.
  12. People have been eating peas since time immemorial, but the so-called “green peas”, that is, not yet ripe, began to be eaten about three hundred years ago.
  13. Peas are the seeds of peas. Strictly speaking, they do not belong to vegetables.
  14. There are seven types of peas in the world. There are much fewer kinds of beans, of which there are several hundred.
  15. Among all the vegetable crops used for food, peas are second only to lentils in terms of protein content. Beans are slightly inferior to him in this parameter.
  16. Archaeologists have discovered pea seeds in Switzerland, which are about 20 thousand years old.
  17. The protein content of peas is comparable to that of beef. True, this is a vegetable protein, not an animal protein, but it is useful and well absorbed.
  18. Eating peas regularly in moderation helps the body flush out excess bile and also reduces the risk of blood clots in the blood vessels.
  19. Common peas, the same ones that are grown in almost all countries, can grow up to two meters in height.
  20. It contains a huge amount of fiber, which helps to remove toxins and excess fluid from the body.
  21. When and where people first began to cultivate peas is not known for certain. But in Ancient China and Ancient India, he was already widely known. True, flour was usually made from it.
  22. The total harvest of peas around the world is about 15 million tons per year.
  23. Thomas Jefferson, the third president of the United States, was fond of growing peas in his spare time. On his land, he cultivated about thirty varieties of this plant.

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