Meat alternatives like vegan chicken are often highly processed and not that healthy after all. — dpa
Supermarkets offer a slew of meat alternatives nowadays, but it is not always clear how healthy they are.
It’s important to be able to navigate the various lists of ingredients, nutritional values and degree of processing so you can pick the healthiest choice.
Ideally, meat substitute products should have as short a list of ingredients as possible, says Germany’s Bavarian Consumer Advice Centre nutrition expert Daniela Krehl.
Products with lots of artificial additives, flavourings and preservatives are best avoided.
If you want to be on the safe side, meat substitutes with an organic label are a good choice, as stricter standards apply.
Take a look at the nutritional information on the packaging, where you can see information about the amount of calories, fat, saturated fatty acids, sugar, salt and protein in the product.
“Most meat alternatives contain less saturated fat than meat – this has a positive effect on our health,” says Krehl.
But be careful, as meat substitutes often imitate unhealthy meat products, such as schnitzel.
According to her, fat is often added to intensify the flavour, especially in plant-based protein products using lupins or peas.
So paying close attention to the fat and salt content in the nutritional information is key when picking out meat alternatives. – dpa
