Starting the day we were born—long before we can remember—our parents gave us food to eat. It began with milk, but it soon moved beyond that. And it’s a good bet that our parents gave us the kind of food their parents gave them, which would have been much the same as what their parents fed them before that. Thus, our food choices today are influenced by what we grew up seeing as the norm. Old food traditions tend to die hard. We are creatures of habit. We know what foods we enjoy eating, and we don’t like to stray from that unless it’s necessary.

But sometimes issues arise in our lives that can cause us to change our food choices to something different from what they’ve always been. This might be because of a medical diagnosis. For example, people who are found to be lactose intolerant have to look into milk alternatives such as soy milk or almond milk to see which one works best for them. Others may discover that they’re gluten intolerant, and they have to learn to enjoy substitutes for breads, crackers, and pastries. Then there are those who choose to follow a plant-based diet because of a change in their religious faith, their newly formed convictions about the mistreatment of animals, a particular health reason, or simply because of a personal choice.

Fortunately, in today’s world there’s a variety of substitutes for meat that can make the switch to a plant-based diet much easier.

From meat to vegetables

Most people don’t follow a totally meat-based diet. Rather, they eat both plant and animal foods, with plant foods usually making up most of the diet. So in theory, making the jump from a meat-based diet to a vegetarian diet shouldn’t be that hard. After all, only one food group changes. How hard can that be?

One of the problems is that people who include meat in their diet generally use it as the base for their meals. The classic, quick, no-fuss meal for many is a cut of meat plus two or three fruits (breakfast) or vegetables (lunch and dinner), and the idea of a meal being just the three fruits or vegetables doesn’t seem very desirable. Furthermore, such a meal can be nutritionally unbalanced for those who aren’t familiar with vegetarian cooking.

This is where meat substitutes can help. These products typically use vegetable proteins or ingredients such as beans, and they’re designed to mimic the taste, texture, and nutritional content of meat while avoiding the problems that are associated with the consumption of meat. Meat analogues such as veggie sausages, veggie burgers, and even veggie bacon are all available for plant-based eaters who are looking for a quick alternative to meat.

These products have often been made of refined proteins such as soy or wheat gluten to give them a chewy, meaty texture, with color and plant-based or artificial flavors used to approximate the taste of meat. Today’s products also include a wider range of ingredients such as brown rice, black beans, and grated vegetables.

Incorporating meat alternatives

Beyond their ability to satisfy the desire for a certain taste and texture, many meat analogue products are also fortified with key nutrients such as iron, zinc, and vitamin B₁₂, making them a convenient alternative for people who are new to a plant-based diet. A quick meal of veggie sausages can be a stress-free alternative for those looking to move away from meat but aren’t yet confident on how to replace the nutrients they were getting from meat in their previous diet.

But incorporating these foods into the diet still requires new skills and knowledge. Most people still balk at the idea of a meal that consists of beans and three vegetables. It can be even more confusing working out just what they’re supposed to do with nuts and seeds and how to put them into a meal. And in spite of the strong reasons why they’ve chosen to omit meat from their diets, many still miss the taste and way of cooking they’re most familiar with, even if they now fundamentally object to it. And for those who want to keep including friends and relatives in their meal gatherings, meat analogues provide an easy middle ground that potentially suits everyone involved.

Meeting your nutritional needs

Of the key nutrients that must be accounted for by those who omit meat from their diets—zinc, iron, and vitamin B₁₂—vitamin B₁₂ is especially important, because it’s found only in animal products such as meat, poultry, dairy, and eggs. But this doesn’t mean that meat is needed in the diet. The majority of vegetarians use dairy products and eggs, and they don’t need to worry about getting enough vitamin B₁₂ (see sidebar). Even if you choose a vegan diet—one that doesn’t include any animal products—alternative sources of dairy, such as soy milk and almond milk, are fortified with vitamin B₁₂.

Nutritionists generally recommend that the average adult should consume one serving per day of meat or meat alternatives, which equates to 1/3 cup of nuts or legumes, such as beans, lentils, split peas, and chickpeas, or two small eggs. You don’t have to consume everything at one meal either. Some nuts in a stir-fry at lunch and some chickpeas in a curry at dinner will enable you to meet your daily nutritional needs. The good news is that legumes also count as a vegetable, so you can eat more than one serving of these per day to maximize the benefits from these nutrient powerhouses.

The move from a meat-based diet to a plant-based one doesn’t have to be difficult or intimidating. Just be sure that you’re getting enough of the nutritious plant foods found in the meat alternatives and be aware of the products that can help you make the transition. By doing so you’ll reap the many health benefits of a plant-based diet while avoiding the pitfalls that come with poorly planned diets of any variety.

From Meat to Plants by Simon Barden	From the September 2016 Signs